147 



National Affairs Office 



The Wildlife Legislative Fund of America "" Connecticut Avenue. n_w^ 



^ auite IzUU 



To protect the Hentaee of the American Sportsman to hunt, to fish and to trap ,., . rv .- -»^/\-i^ 



Washington, U.C zUUio 



[Entrance on M Street] 



202/862-8364 FAX 202/659-1027 



STATEMENT OF WILLIAM P HORN 



WASHINGTON COUNSEL FOR 



THE WILDLIFE LEGISLATIVE FUND OF AMERICA 



BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES, 



U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 



MAY 15, 1996 



Mr. Chairman: 



My name is William P. Horn and I appreciate the opportunity to appear before the 

 Committee on behalf of the Wildlife Legislative Fund of America (WLFA). The WLFA is 

 an association of sportsmen's conservation organizations established to protect the heritage 

 of American sportsmen to hunt, fish, and trap. Through its associated organizations, the 

 WLFA represents an aggregate membership of more than 1.5 miUion sportsmen- 

 conservationists. 



We thank you for scheduling this hearing to address a wildhfe regulatory issue that 

 is overdue for reform. Existing regulations regarding the use of bait for the take of 

 migratory birds are too subjective, too obscure, and put thousands of law abiding hunters 

 at risk for potential violations. Please understand our position, however, we DO NOT 

 support baiting as a technique for the hunting of migratory birds — we DO support the 

 establishment of clear objective rules that a diligent hunter can understand and comply with. 

 No one can say that the existing regulations and policies satisfy this reasonable requirement. 



Let me add that the WLFA position on this issue arises from three perspectives. 

 First, our President, Richard Pierce, is the former head of the Ohio Division of Wildlife and 

 former Chair of the Mississippi Flyway Council. Second, I had the privilege to serve as 

 Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. Third, and most important, 

 we and our members are hunters who struggle with these rules every time we step into a 

 duck blind or set up in a dove field. Regulatory reform is needed to end, or at a minimum, 

 reduce the level of "struggle". 



The sporting community, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), have long 

 recognized the need for clarification and simplification of these rules. The Director's 1990 

 Law Enforcement Advisory Commission specifically proposed a revisitation of the 

 regulations at 50 CFR 20.21 (see Section IV, Recommendation 6). Moreover, the 

 Commission raised the issue of "strict liability" and the Service's discretion to not prosecute 

 unknowing violations. 



