A Wild Horse Legal Victory in SCI’s “Win” Column
Safari Club International 05.13.14
Yesterday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Safari Club International (SCI) regarding the BLM’s management of wild horses and burros in the Twin Peaks Herd Management Area. The Court of Appeals affirmed an earlier decision, issued by a California District Court, that upheld the BLM’s decision to gather and remove excess wild horses and burros from the area on the California-Nevada border.
The court determined that the BLM acted in accordance with the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act and the National Environmental Policy Act in its efforts to reduce the wild horse and burro populations in order to comply with its obligation to “achieve and maintain a thriving natural ecological balance” for the area. SCI participated in the case as an intervenor in defense of the BLM’s management actions, both in the District Court and Court of Appeals, to supplement the government’s legal arguments and voice the hunting community’s concerns for the conservation of game species that reside in the Twin Peaks area.
Protecting hunters’ rights and promoting wildlife conservation, SCI’s two areas of focus, historically has been the interest of hundreds of individuals long before SCI was established. But how did SCI as an organization begin?
Forty years ago, there were many safari clubs across the country made up of local, unaffiliated groups of hunters. One such was Safari Club of Los Angeles, which was formed in April 1971 by forty-seven individuals. In early 1972, an out-of-towner from a similar club in Chicago attended one of the monthly Wednesday night meetings, and it was decided that the L.A. club should attempt to combine with the one in Chicago to make it an affiliated chapter. The founder of Safari Club of Los Angeles, C.J. McElroy, went to the Windy City and instituted the new chapter.
Eleven months after the formation of Safari Club of Los Angeles, on March 9, 1972, the name was changed officially to Safari Club International. SCI continued to reach out to other independent safari clubs throughout the United States in an effort to combine them into a single overall organization.
Today, interest in SCI’s two primary missions has grown a worldwide network. Subsequent involvement and promotion of these missions is rooted in each of our 55,000 members, supported through each of our 190 membership chapters found across the globe, and put into action by government representatives and personnel both nationally and internationally.
In this way, we can encourage an appreciation for nature and wildlife so that conservation efforts remain strong, while also fighting to protect our rich hunting heritage. Big changes can be achieved through the endeavors of many who are united in a mission – the mission of Safari Club International.
