Jewell, Vilsack Announce the Appointments of Members to the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the appointments of 18 members to the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council, a group established in 2010 to advise the departments on wildlife conservation, habitat conservation and hunting.

“Over past few years, the Council’s recommendations on a range of issues, like management of the greater sage grouse and improving recreational access to public lands, have been indispensable to the Department of the Interior,” Secretary Jewell said. “These appointments will enable the Council to continue to advise the Department on topics critical to the health of our lands, wildlife, and to the people who enjoy them.”

“The members of this Council and the organizations they represent have been invaluable advisors and liaisons in our conservation initiatives, like the Regional Conservation Partnership Program and Conservation Reserve Program, over the past several years,” Secretary Vilsack said. “Thanks to many of their efforts, USDA has enrolled a record number of private working acres into what are the most targeted conservation efforts in our history, and the individuals we are appointing today possess the expertise needed to help us expand protection for the natural resources that are critical to America’s rural communities.”

The Secretaries announced the appointment of new and returning individuals:

• Jeffrey Crane (Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation)
• Whit Fosburgh (Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership)
• Wayne Hubbard (Urban American Outdoors)
• Winifred Kessler (The Wildlife Society)
• Robert Manes (The Nature Conservancy)
• Frederick Maulson (Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission)
• Robert Model (Boone and Crockett Club)
• Miles Moretti (Mule Deer Foundation)
• Collin O’Mara (National Wildlife Federation)
• Joanna Prukop (former New Mexico Secretary of Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources)
• Stephen Sanetti (National Shooting Sports Foundation)
• Land Tawney (Backcountry Hunters & Anglers)
• Christine Thomas (College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin)
• George Thornton (National Wild Turkey Federation)
• John Tomke (Ducks Unlimited)
• Howard Vincent (Pheasants Forever)
• Larry Voyles (Arizona Department of Fish and Game)
• Steve Williams (Wildlife Management Institute)

The Council is an official advisory group established under the Federal Advisory Committee Act that helps promote and preserve America's wildlife and hunting heritage for future generations. The Council provides advice on conservation endeavors that benefit wildlife resources and recreational hunting; as well as encourage partnership among the public, the sporting conservation organizations, the states, Native American tribes, and the federal government.

Several federal agencies play a key role in supporting and maintaining America's outdoors heritage – the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service, and Farm Service Agency. The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies also appoint organizational members to the Council.

For more information, visit: FWS.gov/whhcc.

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