“1. Salmon Are Smart

Fish are smart.

Oxford University scientist Dr. Theresa Burt de Perera recently discovered that fish learn even faster than dogs. Fish learn from each other, have long-term memories, and can recognize one another. They gather information by eavesdropping, and some species even use tools, which, until recently, was thought to be a uniquely human trait. Like the dogs and cats with whom we share our homes, they also like to play, investigate new things, and hang out with friends.”

Here’s to all you great sportsman fathers.

Happy Father’s Day.

Hunters Against PETA

Folks,

A very important piece of legislation was filed today in the United States Congress, the Government Litigation Savings Act (GLSA). The bill is aimed to stop abusive litigation practices and diversion of tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to anti-sportsmen groups. The bill does not stop private groups from suing to enforce federal law. Instead, the bill limits the number and amount of reimbursements that groups can receive from taxpayers for suing the government. As many of you are aware, the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) requires taxpayers to reimburse the litigation costs to plaintiffs in environmental lawsuits. It has become so easy to satisfy the EAJA requirements, that reimbursement are almost automatic in most of these cases.

Big Game Forever supports the Government Litigation Savings Act as yet another example of common sense pro-sportsmen legislation. Some preliminary research indicates that many of these cases are “won” on technicalities that have little to do with recovery of endangered wildlife species. As a result, it has become easy for anti-sportsmen groups to force an anti-sportsmen agenda at the government’s expense. Just as important, this bill could save tens of millions in unnecessary government spending. The press release below from Senator Barrasso and Senator Hatch explains the bill in greater detail.

Big Game Forever has been asked to support the legislation by a number of members of Congress. We feel this bill is a step in the right direction in restoring some common sense in wildlife management. If you are a constituent of Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Senators Barrasso (R-WY), Hatch (R-Utah), John Thune (R-S.D.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.), Representatives Rob Bishop (R-UT), Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), Mike Coffman (R-CO), Mike Conaway (R-TX), Jeff Denham (R-CA), John Duncan (R-TN), Trent Franks (R-AZ), Wally Herger (R-CA), Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Kristi Noem (R-SD), Devin Nunes (R-CA), Steve Pearce (R-NM), Denny Rehberg (R-MT), Mike Simpson (R-ID), Glenn Thompson (R-PA), Scott Tipton (R-CO), Don Young (R-AK) please let them know you are grateful for their proactive support of sportsmen.

Ryan Benson

http://biggameforever.org/

ryandbenson@msn.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Mark Eddington, (801) 375-7881
Heather Barney, (801) 524-4380

May 25, 2011

Barrasso, Hatch Introduce Bill to Curb Environmental Extremists’ Excessive Lawsuits against Federal Government, Taxpayers

WASHINGTON – Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and other members of the Senate Western Caucus today introduced a bill aimed at clamping down on the excessive lawsuits being filed by environmental extremists against the federal government that are costing U.S. taxpayers millions of dollars.
The Government Litigation Savings Act (GLSA) would reform the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), which environmental extremist groups are systematically abusing to halt the work of land management and other federal agencies to use taxpayer money to fund their nonstop litigation and further their own narrow political agenda.

“These environmental groups have sued the federal government more than 1,200 times and collected more than $35 million from taxpayers. That has got to stop,” Hatch said. “Our nation must not allow and cannot afford to let extremists hijack our laws and hold the American people hostage to their radical views. This legislation will help put a stop to the abuses of these deep-pocketed environmental groups, bring greater reporting and accountability to the process and lessen taxpayers’ burden to pay for the attorney fees incurred by these lawsuits.”

As adopted by Congress in 1980, the EAJA was aimed at removing a barrier to justice by helping individuals, small businesses and nonprofit organizations recoup the money and other resources they spent in suing the federal government. For the past 15 years, Hatch noted, Congress and federal agencies have stopped tracking and reporting payments paid through the law, meaning there has been almost no accountability and oversight. As a result, the law has been subverted by a cadre of environmental groups to create a cottage industry of taxpayer-funded litigation.
If passed, the GLSA would change that by:

Requiring EAJA filers must show a “direct and personal monetary interest” in the action;

Removing the $7 million net worth eligibility exemptions granted to nonprofits organizations and Agriculture Cooperatives;

Establishing a cap of $175 per hour for attorney’s fees, pegged to inflation; all additional multipliers are removed;

Requiring an agency to disallow EAJA reimbursements if the claimant unreasonably protracted the proceedings or acted in bad faith;

Capping total EAJA reimbursements to $200,000 for any single action, and allowing no more than 3 EAJA awards in a calendar year;

Establishing reporting requirements government-wide, and consolidating reporting into the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS); the report must include an explanation from the agency explaining why its position was not substantially justified;

Establishing an online, searchable database for funds paid out of EAJA and requiring that funds paid from EAJA in sealed settlement agreements must be included in the online report;

Requiring judges to disallow EAJA payments if the claimant unreasonably protracted the final resolution of the matter in controversy, or acted or in bad faith;

Requiring that as part of the annual report of payments under EAJA, the Attorney General must also make available to information about payments made from the Judgment Fund;

Ad Requiring the GAO to conduct an audit of EAJA payments over the past 15 years.

In addition to Hatch, co-sponsors include Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.). Members of the House Western Caucus have introduced a companion bill in the House.

Adilene Chapina
adilenechapina@yahoo.com

Sincerily,
A Supporter of Wildlife“

Folks,

Big Game Forever has been getting a number of requests for updates on what has been happening in Congress with wolf delisting. H.R. 509 and S.249 continue to gain more ground. Wolf language has also been included in versions of the Continuing Resolution (CR). We continue to work diligently on H.R. 509 and S.249 while also monitoring the language on the CR.

An article appeared in a Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call entitled, “Wolf Fight Draws Howls in Montana.” Roll Call is a newspaper sent to every Senator, Representative and staffer on capitol hill. In other words, wolves are a hot topic in the halls of Congress. While the article is focused on Montana, it shows the nature of the debate on wolf delisting legislation before Congress.

Quote: “Everybody agrees that wolves should be hunted now. The question is who gets to decide — [President] Barack Obama or [Montana Gov.] Brian Schweitzer,” said Iverson, Rehberg’s consultant. “It’s a livelihood issue out here for folks. They make their living off the land, and wolves are literally destroying their livelihood.”

Wolf Fight Draws Howls in Montana

* By Steve Peoples
* Roll Call Staff
* March 14, 2011, Midnight

It doesn’t matter whether any voters live in Kootenai or Lolo — western Montana’s national forests are home to a fierce and breathing debate ­likely to play prominently in the state’s 2012 Senate contest.

The wolves aren’t going away.

As Washington has clashed over how many billions of dollars to cut from the federal budget, some Montanans focused on a provision tucked into the massive spending bills that would have allowed them to begin hunting gray wolves, which have been protected by the federal Endangered Species Act for more than three decades.

While some environmental groups are howling, the consensus among the state’s political elite in both parties supports the immediate hunting of gray wolves, which numbered at least 524 in Montana at the beginning of 2010, according to state data.

Sen. Jon Tester (D) and his likely GOP opponent, Rep. Denny Rehberg , favor wolf hunting, but their differing Congressional solutions have fueled political attacks that may intensify in the coming months….

For full article visit:

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/56_95/-204066-1.html

Ryan Benson

http://biggameforever.org/

ryandbenson@msn.com
(801)870-5307

Thanks for the update, as always we love and appreciate everything you’re doing Big Game Forever – Hunters Against PETA

We need your help today and tomorrow. Please call Senator Ben Nelson from Nebraska (202)224-6551. Ask Senator Nelson to join Senator Hatch as a cosponsor of S.249, the American Big Game and Livestock Protection Act.

Senator Nelson is a prominent democratic senator and an avid hunter. Thank him for his leadership on hunting issues in Congress for many years. He is a true champion for protecting the rights of all Americans to hunt and fish.

We need his leadership once again in following the lead of Teddy Roosevelt and others who worked past politics to ensure the future of America’s wildlife. Let’s flood his office with calls of support for joining S.249.
–
Ryan Benson
http://biggameforever.org/
ryandbenson@msn.com