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Fall/Winter 2001
The Congressional Sportsman's Foundation
An Interview With Congressman Chip Pickering
| In
this article, Wildlife Mississippi Magazine (WMM) interviews Congressman
Chip Pickering, Mississippi's first Co-Chairman of the Congressional
Sportsmen's Caucus and its partner, the Congressional Sportsmen's
Foundation. A native of Laurel, Mississippi, Pickering is a graduate
of the University of Mississippi and has a Master of Business
Administration from Baylor University. He is an avid deer and
duck hunter. He and his wife, Leisha, have five sons. When not
serving Mississippi in the third Congressional District, Pickering
is spending time with his wife and family. He occasionally serves
as a turkey guide in Mississippi for Supreme Court Justice Antonin
Scalia. |
WMM: What is the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus and its partner,
the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation?
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Congressman
Chip Pickering |
Pickering: The Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus is a bipartisan
group of United States Representatives and Senators who have taken responsibility
for preserving and promoting continued opportunities for Americans to
hunt, fish and pursue additional outdoor activities. The Congressional
Sportsmen's Foundation works in a liaison capacity with the Congressional
Sportsmen's Caucus to link the hundreds of hunting, fishing, wildlife
and conservation groups across America. Working together we have created
a very powerful voice on Capitol Hill to protect the rights of sportsmen
and women. Both organizations work to enact legislation and policies that
are favorable for conserving and managing the nation's fish and wildlife
resources.
WMM: When were the two organizations organized?
Pickering: The Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus was founded
in 1989 when Congressmen and women realized that a growing threat of
erosion of the rights of hunting and fishing enthusiasts was occurring
on Capitol Hill and that a protective organization was needed to protect
those rights. The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation was created shortly
afterwards when it was recognized that a need existed for an organization
to serve as a link between the Sportsmen's Caucus and hunting, fishing
and wildlife groups.
| 
Senator
Thad Cochran and his son, Clayton, frequently enjoy hunting duck,
deer and turkey |
WMM: What is the mission of the Caucus and the Foundation?
Pickering: It is the mission of the Congressional Sportsmen's
Caucus and the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, "to preserve
and promote the traditional rights of American citizens to hunt, fish
and pursue outdoor activities. To ensure that America's sportsmen and
women have reasonable access to federally managed public lands to enjoy
outdoor pursuits. To protect the sportsman's investment in wildlife
and fisheries management by safeguarding the integrity of user-fee trust
funds. To support efforts to enhance multiple-use habitat management
for wildlife and fisheries. To recognize the importance of hunting,
fishing, and other outdoor activities to our nation's economy and support
the maintenance and growth of outdoor-related industries and activities.
WMM: How many members of Congress are also members of the Caucus?
Pickering: 280 Members of the House of Representatives and 50
Senators.
| 
Senator
Trent Lott is an avid quail and rabbit hunter. He has even been
coon huting! |
WMM: Who are the current leaders of the Caucus?
Pickering: In the House, I serve as the Republican Chairman.
Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) is the Democratic Chairman. The Vice-Chairmen
are Robin Hayes (R-NC) and David Phelps (D-IL). On the Senate side,
Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) is the Republican Chairman and our neighbor,
Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), is the Democratic Chair. The Vice-Chairmen
on the Senate side are Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Max Baucus (D-MT).
WMM: What are the legislative priorities of the Caucus for the current
Congressional session?
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Congressman
Roger Wicker and his son, McDaniel, enjoy a father/son deer hunt
in Northeast Mississippi |
Pickering: Because we will be writing a new Farm Bill during the
107th Congress, our main priority is to work to enhance, promote and increase
efforts to expand Farm Bill conservation programs such as the Wetlands
Reserve Program (WRP), the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the
Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program. These conservation programs have
proved to be extremely successful in establishing and enhancing wildlife
habitat. For instance, CRP does a great job at providing nesting grounds
for waterfowl in the prairies while WRP provides essential wintering areas
for waterfowl in the Southern part of the United States. WHIP, which was
introduced by Senator Cochran, also a member of the Caucus, is probably
the most cost-effective conservation program in our Nation's history.
The programs are all very popular with farmers and landowners. The
programs assist landowners by protecting the environment and providing
additional income sources through hunting leases and federal financial
assistance. In addition to working to increase and expand conservation
programs, we are constantly faced with threats from some organizations
which continuously attempt to load bills with anti-hunting, anti-sportsman
and anti-gun language in the form of bill riders. The Congressional
Sportsmen's Caucus has been extremely successful in killing these attempts
and that is something that makes me very proud.
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There
is not much Congressman Bennie Thompson doesn't enjoy in the outdoors.
His favorites are duck, deer and rabbit hunting. |
The House has completed its work on the Farm Bill and now we are awaiting
the Senate's action. We have developed a strong balance between the
commodity and conservation titles.
WMM: Who are some of the members of the Board of Directors of the
Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation?
Pickering: The Board of the Foundation is made up of a group
of individuals with diverse backgrounds who represent a number of different
industries, organizations and businesses. This greatly enhances the
strength and credibility of the organization.
WMM: Programs such as the ones you mentioned earlier as well as
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Partners of Fish and Wildlife Program
and our National Fish Hatchery System are very important to Mississippi.
What is the Caucus doing to continue the authorization and funding for
these valuable programs?
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Congressman
Gene Taylor is an avid outdoorsman. |
Pickering: The Caucus is constantly working to protect and enhance
these programs because first, they are great for fish and wildlife, and
second, Mississippi garners great benefits as a state from these programs.
We contact Members of the Appropriations Committees in both the House
and Senate urging additional funding and expansion. We organize voting
blocks of Members to vote for these and similar programs when they are
included in bills which are being considered on the floor of either chamber.
We also work to organize conservation and hunting groups to assist us
in promoting these conservation efforts and to help us build support for
these and other programs among Members of Congress.
WMM: What members of the Mississippi Congressional Delegation are
members of the Caucus?
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Congressman
Ronnie Shows, an avid hunter, was recently hunting rabbit. |
Pickering: I am proud to say that Mississippi's members in both
the House and Senate are all members of the Congressional Sportsmen's
Caucus. We work as a great team in promoting the interests of Mississippi's
sportsmen and women such as fish and wildlife conservation while at the
same time protecting their rights to hunt, fish, own firearms and pursue
all outdoor activities.
The Board of Trustees of the Congressional Sportsman's Foundation:
Pete Trexler - Senior Vice-President, Delta Waterfowl Foundation
(Chairman)
Steve Ramsey - Brand Manager, Tahoe/Suburban of General Motors
(Vice- Chairman)
Les Brorsen - Government Relations Director for Earnest and Young
(Treasurer)
Robert Behn - Chief Executive Officer, Marlin Firearms Company
Michael Callahan - Director of Merchandising, Cabela's, Inc.
Earl Bentz - President, Triton Boats
Brian Dailey - Vice-President, Lockheed Martin Corporation
Buddy Kronsberg, Director Of Corporate Development, Ducks Unlimited
Mike McFadden, Vice-President, WalMart
Stephen Hornady, Hornady Manufacturing
Ellie Shimer, Director of Corporate Sales/Promotion, Bass Pro
Shops
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