Sportsmen's Advocacy Group Goes To Court To Defend Hunting In Florida
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Sportsmen's Advocacy Group Goes To Court To Defend Hunting In Florida





(Columbus) - The U.S. Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund is fighting to protect sportsmen’s interests in a lawsuit that will make black bears in Florida off-limits to hunters, and create legal precedent that threatens hunting from coast to coast.

At issue is a suit brought by anti-hunting organizations, including the Humane Society of the United States, Defenders of Wildlife and the Sierra Club. They are suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), contending that the black bear in Florida is a separate sub-species of the North American black bear. They argue that the distinction entitles Florida bears to protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund (SLDF) is a program of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. It is the only full-time fund of its kind devoted exclusively to defending and advancing sportsmen’s rights in local, state and federal courts.

The SLDF, along with the Central Florida Bear Hunters Association, and Mark Roden of St. Augustine, has filed to join the suit so that hunters’ interests are directly represented before the court.

“A terrible precedent will be set if the black bears in Florida are classified as a sub-species and categorized as endangered,” said Rick Story, senior vice president of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. “It will open the flood gates for anti-hunters to bring similar lawsuits that would challenge the classification of deer, quail and other game animals that have numerous sub-species throughout the country.”

Anti’s have tried for years to list Florida’s bears under the ESA, but extensive research by the USFWS has determined that the listing is not warranted. Studies show that healthy bear populations occur in secure habitats in several areas.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund is the nation’s only litigation force that exclusively represents sportsmen’s interests in the courts. It defends wildlife management and sportsmen’s rights in local, state and federal courts. The SLDF represents the interests of sportsmen and assists government lawyers who have little or no background in wildlife law.

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