Washington, D.C. February 14
- Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton addressed
Members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s
Caucus and the hunting and fishing community
today at the Congressional Sportsmen’s
Foundation’s first Breakfast Briefing
of the 107th Congress.
In
her first public address to the hunting and
fishing community, Secretary Norton opened her
remarks to a crowd of more than 80 people, including
18 Congressmen and Senators, by acknowledging
the important role sportsmen have played in
the conservation of America’s wildlife.
ȁI understand how important sportsmen
are to the history of my Department,”
she stated. She continued by harking back to
the days of President Theodore Roosevelt and
noting, “sportsmen have been at the core
of our efforts to conserve habitat since the
1800’s.”
Secretary Norton went on to
discuss her outlook for public lands management,
noting that one out of every four acres of the
United States is federal land managed by the
Department of Interior. “s Secretary
of the Interior, I pledge that sportsmen will
have a voice in decisions that affect the future
of our fish and wildlife resources and America’s
public lands.”
She concluded her remarks by
stating that “conservation of our natural
resources is the number one job of the Department
of the Interior,” and ended by saying
she looks forward to working with the Congressional
Sportsmen’s Caucus and the hunting and
fishing community on the important issues facing
the wildlife and wild places of America.
Congressional Sportsmen’s
Foundation’s Executive Director, Melinda
Gable, commended Secretary Norton for taking
the initiative to address the Congressional
Sportsmen’s Caucus and said, “this
is an indication of good things to come for
America’s hunters, anglers, and wildlife
conservation.”
Caucus Co-Chair Congressman
Chip Pickering (R-MS) stated, "I’m
pleased that Secretary Norton attended today’s
Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus meeting.
Secretary Norton’s attendance demonstrates
her willingness to work in cooperation with
sportsmen as she works to bring a balance of
conservation policy and sportsmen’s interests.”
