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"All really wild scenery is attractive. The true hunter, the true lover of wilderness, loves all parts of the wilderness, just as the true lover of nature loves all seasons. There is no season of the year when the country is not more attractive than the city; and there is no portion of the wilderness, where game is found, in which it is not a keen pleasure to hunt.”
- Theodore Roosevelt |
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As early settlers made their way West, North America’s wildlife populations dwindled from overhunting and habitat loss. Many species – elk, pronghorn, bison and waterfowl included – went from countless numbers to just a few thousand at the close of the 19th century.
Beginning in the late 1800s, hunters and anglers such as Teddy Roosevelt realized they needed to set limits in order to protect rapidly disappearing wildlife, and assume responsibility for managing wild country. They pushed for hunting regulations and established conservation groups to protect habitat.
Their efforts are the backbone of the North American Wildlife Conservation Model, the only one of its kind in the world. The model’s two basic principles—that our fish and wildlife belong to all North American citizens, and are to be managed in such a way that their populations will be sustained forever—are explained through a set of guidelines known as the Seven Sisters for Conservation.
Today hunters continue to sustain wildlife conservation. Hunting license fees and special taxes on hunting equipment fund state game and non-game management programs. By contributing to conservation groups like the Elk Foundation, hunters also support habitat enhancement and land protection projects.
To learn more about the North American Wildlife Conservation Model, check out Opportunity for All, a stunning video created by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Shane Mahoney, conservation biologist and leading North American Model authority. Also read Shane's articles from Bugle magazine below.
• The North American Wildlife Conservation Model
• Triumph for Man and Nature
• The Seven Sisters: Pillars of the North American Wildlife Conservation Model
• George Bird Grinnell: The Father of American Conservation, Part 1
• George Bird Grinnell: The Father of American Conservation, Part 2
• The American Wilderness and John Muir, Part 1
• The American Wilderness and John Muir, Part 2