The Boone and Crockett Club today announced its support of the Western Governors' Association (WGA) and their upcoming annual meeting.
"One look at a map of the United States with an overlay of where the majority of our public land is located is all one needs to know," said Boone and Crockett Club President Ben Hollingsworth Jr. "The Western Governors' Association, more specifically the men and women that are its backbone, represent a powerful ally to anyone who values wild things, open spaces, healthy ecosystems, and the opportunity to enjoy them. In a very real sense, they are the ones who check all the boxes to ensure what needs to be done is done to properly manage and enhance these natural resources."
The Club's sponsorship was made possible by a generous Club member who believed that bringing the scientific knowledge base and significant policy influence of the Club together with the natural resource based agenda of the Western Governors' Association is a tremendous stride for conservation. This partnership will help ensure the wise and shared use of the nation's Midwest and Western landscapes.
The Western Governors' Association was established in 1984 to represent the governors of 19 Western states and three U.S. territories in the Pacific. The association is an instrument of the governors for bipartisan policy development, information exchange and collective action on issues of critical importance to the western United States. A few of the Association's focus areas include:
- Agriculture
- Air Quality
- Economic Development
- Energy
- Environmental Management
- Forest and Rangeland Management
- Nature Resource Development
- Species Management
- Water
- Wildlife
Hollingsworth Jr. explains, "The math is pretty simple, 78 percent of the nations state public lands and 94 percent of the total federal public land fall under WGA authority. From a conservation and sustainable use perspective, having all these governors sharing information, challenges, and solutions to these challenges is how the system ought to work. The Club is proud to partner with them in any way we can."
Western Governors will have their annual meeting June 25-27 in Rapid City, South Dakota, hosted by WGA Chair and South Dakota Governor, Dennis Daugaard.