Saint Paul, Minnesota - Pizza Ranch is stepping up its support of Pheasants Forever's (PF) youth programs. In addition to sponsoring PF's successful "First Bird" program for the 2009-2010 hunting season, Pizza Ranch will assist local Pheasants Forever chapters across the Midwest in promoting chapter youth events, including youth mentor hunts.

PF's "First Bird" program sponsored by Pizza Ranch was developed in 2008 to recognize the accomplishments of youth hunters who successfully bagged their first upland bird. Pizza Ranch is looking to add to the initial success of the "First Bird" program by stepping forward to support youth mentor hunts in local communities. PF chapters based in the same town or area as a Pizza Ranch have the opportunity to partner with their neighboring franchise to create a local youth mentor hunt. All participating chapters will receive 24 blaze orange hunting caps and a banner to publicize the event. Chapters can become involved by simply contacting their nearby Pizza Ranch.

"We are excited to partner with Pheasants Forever on another great project for our area youth. Pheasants Forever youth mentor hunts are a great way to get local youth involved in our communities and the outdoors," stated Gwen Lahrs, Senior Advertising and Marketing Manager for Pizza Ranch.

BOGART, GEORGIA - The Quality Deer Management Association's Ninth Annual National Convention and Whitetail Expo concluded Sunday with a host of camo-clad convention-goers flooding the expo hall. Louisville proved to be the perfect location for this year's event, which was well attended and highly praised by convention-goers.

In the words of Dan Perez of Whitetail Properties, "We just returned from the QDMA National Convention, and all I can say is bravo! As you know, we are in the land sales business; however, judging from the interest and sheer number of people at our booth, you would think we were offering free hunts. We stayed busy the whole time. In fact, the flow of traffic throughout the exhibit hall was outstanding! The QDMA staff handled every event and every aspect of the convention as smoothly and as professionally as I have ever witnessed. We are already looking forward to next year's QDMA Convention."

Each year QDMA brings together the most well-respected biologists and white-tailed deer specialists, industry celebrities, country music entertainers, and in-demand exhibitors who make the National Convention a must-see event for the dedicated attendees. The 9th Annual National Convention was a great success for the QDMA as well as a step forward in the growth of the organization and the realization of the mission of better deer and better deer hunting.

WASHINGTON - Waterfowl habitat conservation is moving closer to keeping pace with the skyrocketing land values of the past several years today, as the House Natural Resources Committee passed the Migratory Bird Habitat Investment and Enhancement Act, sending the bill to the House floor.

"This is an important step for conservation," said Scott Sutherland, Director of Governmental Affairs for Ducks Unlimited. "The diminished buying power of the duck stamp is hamstringing the efforts of millions of conservationists that are investing in the program to protect waterfowl habitat."

Since being set at its current price of $15 in 1991, the purchasing power of the stamp has severely hampered the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's ability to purchase land with the funds raised by stamp.

Under the new bill, the price of the stamp would be raised to $25 after July 2010. More than 1.5 million people purchase duck stamps each year, and over 95% of them are waterfowlers. Stamp collectors, as well as other bird and wildlife enthusiasts also purchase the stamps, either for their own collections or for the free access to National Wildlife Refuges that the stamp allows.

Anchorage, Alaska-A Bristol Bay Alaska Native organization and several individuals, including former Alaska First Lady Bella Hammond and Alaska Constitutional Convention delegate Victor Fischer, filed a civil suit in Anchorage Superior Court today asserting that the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) repeatedly violated the Alaska Constitution in granting permits for Pebble mine exploration. The lawsuit asserts that the agency failed to consider the public's interest in sustaining the region's rich salmon, wildlife, and subsistence resources, which are negatively affected by exploration activities. Plaintiffs are asking the court to halt exploration until the case is resolved."DNR has neglected its legal and moral obligation to protect Bristol Bay's subsistence resources," said Bobby Andrew, spokesman for Nunamta Aulukestai, a lead plaintiff."Current exploration is having a serious impact on water and wildlife, yet the agencycontinues to rubber stamp permits and ignore the public interest."

The lawsuit filed today asserts that DNR has violated multiple sections of Article VIII of the Alaska Constitution in repeatedly issuing exploration permits without public noticeand without analyzing whether exploration or the mine itself are in the public interest.Plaintiffs have asked the court for a preliminary injunction prohibiting the State fromgranting or extending permits for exploration and water use on mining claims held by the Pebble Limited Partnership, effectively stopping further exploration until the court makesa final decision - or until the State Legislature enacts a new regulatory framework for onshore mining exploration. The injunction would not apply to mining activities elsewhere in the state. Plaintiffs have also asked the court to void all exploration permits already issued by DNR to the Pebble Limited Partnership, Pebble East Corp., and Pebble West Corp.

Anchorage, Alaska—A Bristol Bay Alaska Native organization and several individuals, including former Alaska First Lady Bella Hammond and Alaska Constitutional Convention delegate Victor Fischer, filed a civil suit in Anchorage Superior Court today asserting that the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) repeatedly violated the Alaska Constitution in granting permits for Pebble mine exploration. The lawsuit asserts that the agency failed to consider the public’s interest in sustaining the region’s rich salmon, wildlife, and subsistence resources, which are negatively affected by exploration activities. Plaintiffs are asking the court to halt exploration until the case is resolved.

“DNR has neglected its legal and moral obligation to protect Bristol Bay’s subsistence resources,” said Bobby Andrew, spokesman for Nunamta Aulukestai, a lead plaintiff. “Current exploration is having a serious impact on water and wildlife, yet the agency continues to rubber stamp permits and ignore the public interest.”

WASHINGTON - A diverse group of America's labor unions today sent a letter to leaders of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee requesting that dedicated funding to safeguard fish, wildlife and ecosystems important to sportsmen be included in climate change legislation being deliberated by Congress.

The 20 unions, all partners of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, stress that a share of annual funding, no less than that contained in the version of the bill recently passed by the House of Representatives and not subject to annual appropriations, should be directed toward protecting and restoring the natural environment.

"New dedicated resources are needed to protect and restore the natural environment, including fish, wildlife and their habitat, on which human health and economic vitality depends," the unions write. "A portion of these funds should be provided to ensuring that climate change strategies are integrated into state wildlife action plans, state coastal zone management plans, and other state wildlife species or habitat plans."

MISSOULA, Mont.—Wild elk haven’t roamed the Maryland countryside in over a century, but the species remains an inspiration to the state’s Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation members. These devoted conservationists raise money to ensure the future of elk in other states—and fund public education efforts at home.

Nine Maryland counties including Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Caroline, Cecil, Charles, Garrett, Hartford, Montgomery and Queen Anne’s are slated for conservation education events using $10,158 in new grants from the Elk Foundation.

Four additional projects have statewide interest.

David Allen, president and CEO of the Montana-based Elk Foundation, said, “Our volunteers and members in Maryland helped drive the 2008 fundraisers that made these grants possible. This is where Elk Foundation banquets, auctions and other events transform into on-the-ground conservation and education work, and it’s part of the payday for supporters who are passionate about giving something back to the outdoors.”

I was wearing camo, when camo wasn’t cool.

I remember wearing Woodland Camo

  Long before the birth of Mossy Oak

Real Tree was just something we

  saw in the woods

And Advantage was what we’d take

  if we could.

There was no Wetlands camo

  Not even Nat Gear

But simply hunting camo

  Like the Army would wear.

And I was wearing camo, when camo wasn’t cool.

I remember walking in for groceries

  Camo pants and all

I’d get lots of stares

  And I’m sure not all in awe

But I always held my head high

  Proud what I stood for

Because camo was more for me

  Than just something that I wore.

I was carrying on a tradition

  which I had grown to love

I want to be able to take care of my family

  If the world comes to push and shove.

I’m thankful for our freedom

  And our right to bear arms

And I’ll stand toe to toe

  With those who wish us harm.

So when I wear camo clothing

  It’s not just when I hunt

I wear camo clothing

  To make a statement.

NEWTOWN, Conn.—To encourage the development of new marketing strategies that will motivate people to go target shooting and hunting, the National Shooting Sports Foundation has awarded grants totaling $245,531 to 12 shooting facilities around the country. This is the second year that NSSF has distributed funding to qualifying target ranges through its Range Partnership Grant Program.

“Research tells us that millions of Americans would like to try target shooting and hunting, and the place to get started is at one of the thousands of shooting ranges across the country,” said Steve Sanetti, president of NSSF, trade association for the firearms industry. “These grants will help shooting range managers implement creative marketing strategies that will introduce newcomers and reactivate former shooters so they can enjoy lifetime activities that are fun and can be shared with family and friends. Time and again we see that when newcomers go target shooting, they like it—a lot. We just need to help get them started.”

Said Melissa Schilling, NSSF's manager of recruitment and retention, “These grants will help to test measurable projects that, if successful, will be shared with shooting facilities around the country.”