ATA Pledges Support to Bush Administration
Unlike previous Administration, President Bush offers sportsmen a direct link to the White House, says Jay McAninch, ATA President and CEO.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Bush reaffirmed his lifelong devotion and passion for hunting, fishing and conservation, and said he will continue to pursue policies that demonstrate that commitment, when he met Friday with 20 leaders of national conservation organizations, including the president of the Archery Trade Association.

President Bush met with the group more than an hour, in part to thank the organizations for supporting his Healthy Forest Initiative, which he signed into law Nov. 21 as the Healthy Forest Restoration Act. Also attending the meeting was Gale Norton, secretary of the Interior; Ann Veneman, secretary of Agriculture; Steve Williams, director of the Fish and Wildlife Service; and Jim Connaughton, chairman of the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality. The meeting ended with the president taking the group on an impromptu tour of the Oval Office.

Jay McAninch, president and CEO of the Archery Trade Association and its Bowhunting Preservation Alliance foundation, told the president that his administration has the archery industry’s support.

“While we likely will not agree 100 percent on all the issues, nor will we be completely happy with all decisions the president makes on conservation issues, we support the Bush Administration now and in the upcoming election,” McAninch said. “We want to continue to have a direct influence on policies that affect hunting and fishing. We’ve experienced the frustrations of being locked out of discussions, such as those routinely held during the Clinton Administration that included ‘green’ groups but not many sportsmen and sportswomen. The Bush administration welcomes hunting and fishing on federal lands, and he knows hunting and trapping are sound, scientifically proven methods for managing healthy wildlife populations.”

McAninch came away impressed with the president’s commitment to conservation. “President Bush repeated his support for wetlands protection, underscoring his commitment to his policy of no-net-loss of wetlands,” McAninch said. “We were all impressed that we have a president who actively manages trees, bass and quail on his own land, and who says, ‘If you’re a landowner, every day is Earth Day.’

“The president voiced a well-rounded, far-reaching understanding of conservation issues and the role of America’s hunters, fishermen and trappers in protecting our natural resources,” McAninch continued. “It was also heartening to realize firsthand that the president knows bowhunters are part of our nation’s conservation heritage, and includes them in these discussions.”