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PHOTO BY BRITTA BLODGETT

A Q U A R T E R LY R E P O R T F O R O U R I N N E R C I R C L E • THE TRCP ANNUAL REPORT

SUMMER/AUTUMN 2009

W W W. T R C P. O R G
Message from the Chairman Message from the President
elcome to the “Annual Report Issue” of our Rough Rider Reader. don’t know if the TRCP ever will experience a sadder yet more rewarding year than we
have during the past 12 months. While we have been devoting considerable time and at-
Seven years ago, Jim Range had the vision of an organization focused on enabling the sportsmen’s com- tention to memorializing my close friend, board chairman and co-founder Jim Range, the
munity to have a more effective political voice in Washington, D.C. He astutely observed that the views
TRCP also has enjoyed unprecedented success in advocating for sportsmen’s issues and estab-
of 50 million hunters and anglers too often were overlooked in critical policy issues because sportsmen
lishing a plan to chart the future of the our group.
lacked an insider’s knowledge of key decision makers and how to get involved. Consequently, he pio-
neered the creation of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. In January 2009, the TRCP released the first strategic plan in our organization’s history. Led
PHOTO BY DUSANSMETANA.COM by the efforts of Chairman Range, our plan refined the TRCP’s mission and established a bold
Seven years ago, Range recruited me onto the TRCP board. As a lifelong fisheries biologist from Oregon and a committed vision for the future of this group. We outlined goals in five areas for the organization to accom-
hunter and angler, I understood immediately how an organization with the strength of TRCP could help sportsmen weigh in TRCP BOARD OF DIRECTORS plish by 2012: initiative effectiveness, partner relationships, union partnerships, communications
more effectively on policy issues. Following the loss of Range, I was proud to step forward and answer the call of my fellow CHAIRMAN, JAMES T. MARTIN value and funding sustainability. In the months since enacting this plan, we’ve made strides
board members ‒ world-class conservationists all ‒ to accept the role of TRCP board chairman. I am excited and humbled to to Berkley Conservation Institute
toward accomplishing all five of these goals.
take on this challenge and follow in my mentor’s footsteps. SECRETARY, HOWARD VINCENT
Pheasants Forever
R. THOMAS BUFFENBARGER
In the following pages, you’ll read about our initiative effectiveness. This year, the TRCP has
This edition of the Rough Rider Reader presents information about the TRCP’s conservation initiatives and our recent accom- International Association of Machinists and established three working centers: the Center for Western Lands, the Center for Agricultural
Aerospace Workers
plishments in the interest of American sportsmen. Important to note is that our group did not achieve our objectives alone. The CHARLES H. COLLINS Lands and the Center for Marine Fisheries. Instrumental in our work with our partners, these
TRCP is part of a broader community of hunting, fishing and conservation organizations pushing for sustaining huntable and The Forestland Group
centers help ensure that the sportsman’s voice is heard early and often in natural resource policy-
SID EVANS
fishable wildlife populations and the habitats on which these populations depend. Garden and Gun making. In the past year, the TRCP has collaborated with the partners in our working groups to
MIKE FITZGERALD JR. include fish and wildlife conservation measures in climate change legislation, advance new clean
Whether working on the Farm Bill in America’s heartland or on energy policy that Frontiers Travel
We constantly remind ourselves of MATT HOGAN water and wetlands policy, and present principles for assuring balanced offshore energy develop-
affects habitats from the Rocky Mountains to the outer continental shelf, the TRCP Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
is there, fighting for fish and wildlife populations. On the following pages you’ll see ment, among many other achievements.
how T.R. would do it if he were BILL HITE
United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters
how we are working on mining law reform, roadless area management, conserva- Our Union Sportsman’s Alliance continues to grow, adding more than 1,000 members per
tion funding in the climate bill, the restoration of Clean Water Act protections to here today, standing shoulder to CHRISTOPHER MERRITT
Beretta USA month. The TRCP’s partnership with unions has provided another voice advocating for hunting,
wetlands, sportsmen’s access and our growing Union Sportsmen’s Alliance, all in J. MICHAEL NUSSMAN fishing and conservation-related interests within federal policymaking.
shoulder with us in the fight. American Sportfishing Association
the name of guaranteeing all Americans quality places to hunt and fish. KIRK OTEY
Citizen Conservationist
To further promote interaction and communicate with all of our partners, we have launched a
The TRCP is proud to demonstrate how the conservation legacy of Theodore Roosevelt is alive and well today as applied to the DAVID D. PERKINS new dynamic Web site, trcpsquaredealer.org.
Orvis
most modern conservation challenges of the 21st century. We constantly remind ourselves of how T.R. would do it if he were Even though Jim Range was not able to witness these accomplishments, his vision continues to
MARC A. PIERCE
here today, standing shoulder to shoulder with us in the fight. He would neither waver nor shuffle about, trying to be politically Big Sky Carvers
guide the TRCP. The one goal that Jim was most adamant about achieving in our strategic plan
correct. He would tell it like it is, with science as his sword, and he would be looking out for the hunters and anglers of America CHARLES S. POTTER JR.
Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation was funding sustainability. Jim was supposed to be personally leading this effort, and, through
and their children to come. DONALD L. ROLLINS our recent establishment of the Jim Range Conservation Fund, he still is. The state of the
Citizen Conservationist
The TRCP is funded with grants from conservation foundations and major donations from outstanding conservationists and MILLS SCHENCK economy makes it a tough time to initiate a new effort toward establishing a stronger funding
Citizen Conservationist
companies across America who want to give back. We also benefit from small donations from everyday sportsmen who under- base. But being able to memorialize Jim through these efforts has pushed our staff, board and
JOHN M. "MICK" SEIDL
stand what’s at stake in the conservation policy battle currently underway in our nation’s capital. Citizen Conservationist the JRCF Leadership Council to attack this organizational priority with the kind of passion and
DR. ROLLIN D. SPARROWE
Citizen Conservationist
commitment that our friend Jim would have commended.
This year, the TRCP has launched a funding initiative in honor of our founder and visionary called the Jim Range Conservation ERIC WASHBURN
BlueWater Strategies
As the TRCP family continues to grow with new staff members, board members, friends and
Fund. Hunters and anglers from across America are sending checks and volunteering to help us fight the battles that will make a
DR. ALAN WENTZ their new children and grandchildren, I realize the importance of the TRCP’s mission more
long-term difference in our sporting legacy. If you are as excited about the conservation opportunities before us as we are, please Ducks Unlimited
and more. Jim always said, “Leave it a little bit better than you found it.” That is exactly what the
join us with your check and your voice to Congress and the president. Every day, important actions affecting our wildlife legacy DR. STEVEN A. WILLIAMS
Wildlife Management Institute TRCP intends to do. With your help and support, with the continued hard work of everyone
are being pursued in Washington. And the TRCP is here to ensure that sportsmen’s values are represented in these far-reaching
decisions. here at the TRCP, and with the combined efforts of our partners, we can ensure that all Ameri-
cans have access to quality places to hunt and fish – not just for this generation, but for my son’s
Check out this special Rough Rider Reader and join us in our campaigns any way you can. T.R. would be smiling, if he were and daughter’s generation, as well.
here, and so would Jim Range.

George Cooper, President and CEO

Jim Martin, Chairman of the Board
Conservation Director of the Berkley Conservation Institute
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