Council members will advise Departments of Interior and Agriculture on wildlife and conservation endeavors
SIDNEY, Neb. (July 23, 2010) – Cabela’s Chief Executive Officer Tommy Millner was appointed today to the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council, an official advisory group established by U.S. Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to provide input on wildlife and conservation endeavors.
The 18-member council includes representatives of national organizations, resource management agencies, outreach groups, tourism industries, tribal commissions and the community at large – all with strong ties to hunting, wildlife and shooting sports – who will serve two-year terms effective immediately.
“Dating back to President Theodore Roosevelt, our nation’s hunters have taken the lead in the conservation of wildlife and its habitat,” Salazar said. “They have contributed billions of dollars through licenses, permits, and excise taxes to conservation programs and they have been among the most ardent volunteers through a wide variety of sportsmen’s organizations.”
Millner, the only appointee representing a retail corporation, and other council members are also charged with preserving America’s hunting heritage for future generations through the development of policies and programs aimed at conserving wildlife populations and their habitat.
“I’m honored to be included in such a coordinated effort to keep our country’s hunting traditions strong,” Millner said. “I look forward to serving Secretaries Salazar and Vilsack, who clearly value the enduring legacy of American conversation that Cabela’s has long celebrated and strived to uphold.”
The new council replaces and improves upon the previously existing Sporting Conservation Council by expanding membership to include the hunting and shooting sports industries, as well as including broader representation from the nation’s major hunting organizations.
The council’s charter also more clearly defines its responsibilities in supporting the public, the sporting conservation community, the shooting and hunting sports industry, wildlife conservation organizations, and state and federal governments.
Appointees to the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council:
- Tommy Millner (Cabela’s Inc.)
- M. David Allen (Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)
- Jeffrey S. Crane (Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation)
- Robert R. Fithian (Alaska Professional Hunters Association, Inc.)
- John E. Frampton (South Carolina Department of Natural Resources)
- Thomas Franklin (Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership)
- Ron Heward (rancher, Bates Hole/Shirley Basin Sage Grouse Working Group)
- Robert Manes (The Nature Conservancy)
- Frederick D. Maulson (Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission)
- Robert Model (Boone and Crockett Club)
- Joanna Prukop (Freedom to Roam)
- Stephen L. Sanetti (National Shooting Sports Foundation)
- Larry Schweiger (National Wildlife Federation)
- Christine L. Thomas (College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin)
- George C. Thornton (National Wild Turkey Federation)
- John Tomke (Ducks Unlimited)
- Howard K. Vincent (Pheasants Forever)
- Steve Williams (Wildlife Management Institute)
