July 30, 2013
By Florida Sportsman
125 years of resource stewardship, for the public.
Twenty-sixth U.S. President; hunter; founder of B&C Club.
Many of us know of Theodore Roosevelt's love of hunting and firearms (to view a special photo gallery, log on to: www.petersenshunting.com/teddy), but he was also the most infuential conservationist in our nation's history.
Roosevelt believed so strongly in our need to protect America's valuable wildlife resources that he founded the Boone and Crockett Club in 1887.
As a strong advocate of personal self reliance, dedication to one's country and the United States being a world power, he strongly advocated for conservation as a national duty. Roosevelt also believed that only the best science available should be used to make critical decisions on natural resource use and management.
Through his efforts, the Club began providing seed money for some of the first wildlife research projects and careers in wildlife management.
Under the leadership of member Aldo Leopold, the Club began formulating flexible scientific management policies for wildlife and natural resources to achieve an ecological balance. The Club also called for the first President's Conference on Outdoor Recreation. This lead to the establishment of the National Recreation Policy, which coordinated resource management at federal, state and local levels.
Through Roosevelt's and the Club's efforts a system emerged that remains the most successful system of natural resource, use management and perpetuation devised by man—a system we know today as the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation (read about it at boone-crockett.org, under Conservation).
This Model is anchored by a Supreme Court decision that decreed that wildlife belongs to the people, and not government, corporations or individuals. It further directs how this natural resource is to be used and managed under sustainable guidelines for the betterment of wildlife and people.
This year the Boone and Crockett Club celebrates its 125th anniversary. The foresight of Theodore Roosevelt, the Club and its establishment of the North American Model are three reasons why we still have abundant wildlife populations in the U.S. and Canada and the opportunity to freely hunt, fish and enjoy this wildlife each in our own way. For more information log on to www.boone-crockett.org.
- Todd Smith
