The Boone and Crockett Club today announced its support of The Wildlife Society (TWS) and their programs to certify the next generation of wildlife professionals.

"As champions of science-based wildlife management efforts and policy, the Boone and Crockett Club is pleased to partner with The Wildlife Society, a leader in wildlife stewardship through science and education," said Ben Hollingsworth Jr., president of the Boone and Crockett Club. "The greatest conservation issues of our time - such as the management of chronic wasting disease, challenges to the future of hunting, and pressures on the North American Model - require collaborative approaches that effectively meld sound science, education, and policy actions."

The Wildlife Society was founded in 1937 with a mission: "To inspire, empower, and enable wildlife professionals to sustain wildlife populations and habitats through science-based management and conservation." Its nearly 10,000 members are comprised of scientists, managers, educators, technicians, planners, consultants and others who manage, conserve, and study wildlife populations and habitats.

Hollingsworth Jr. said, "When your founder was Theodore Roosevelt - who was a strict believer that only the best science be used to manage wildlife and not politics or opinion - The Wildlife Society is a natural fit for the Club to support."

Using science to manage wildlife and ecosystems is known as the Roosevelt Doctrine, which later became one of the seven principles of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.

"We are proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Boone and Crockett Club, working together to emphasize the importance of science-based wildlife conservation and the role of hunter-conservationists in maintaining healthy wildlife populations," said Ed Thompson, CEO of The Wildlife Society.

Certifying our young men and women who have chosen careers as wildlife professionals is what TWS does, " Hollingsworth Jr. concluded. "Every conservation-minded organization should be onboard with this."

The Wildlife Society annually recognizes professional excellence, outstanding achievement, and highlights contributions to wildlife science and management through its Awards Program. The first TWS award (Honorary Membership) was bestowed on Boone and Crockett member, J.N. (Ding) Darling in 1938. The most recent Aldo Leopold Memorial Award was given in 2017 to Winifred Kessler, also a B&C member.