North Florida Chapter Safari Club International April & May 2014 Membership Meeting - June 17 - Wild Creek Plantation Election of Officers Membership Meeting - July 15 - Queens Harbour Yacht & Country Club Installation of Officers Elementary students loved touching the little animals; Dr. Jeanne Prickett, the 17th and 1st female president of the FSDB in the 129 year history of the FSDB describing our warthog; High school students explore our wolverine; Derrell Griner described the Lion’s habitats to high school science students (lower right). PAGE 3 Officers & Directors 2013-2014 PRESIDENT PRESIDENT-ELECT VICE PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT SECRETARY TREASURER Shawn Pringle Ron Stafford Robert Bracewell Tom Powell Janet Pringle Derrell Griner Humanitarian, Conservation Fundraiser, Sensory Safari Fundraiser Chair, Sportsmen Against Hunger, Sensory Safari Meeting Planner, Fundraiser, Sensory Safari Meetings,Sportsmen Against Hunger, Fundraiser Hunt, Sensory Safari Education Sables, Fundraiser Docs, Sensory Safari Budget, Shooting Sports Fundraiser, Sensory Safari 626-8960 662-5769 629-2779 353-3181 766-1347 764-2324 thegrizz200@gmail.com ron@staffordadventures.com Bracewellrd3053@comcast.net tpowell@cwpowellins.com safariclub.janet@gmail.com bettygriner@comcast.net DIRECTORS Carol Blodgett Jeff Boyd Jim Davis James Frudaker Stan Goeckel Dorothy Gillette Betty Griner James Higman Dale Loosier David Mann Clara McGehee A. J. Pionessa Georgianne Pionessa Shuri Speed Doug Speed Gary Thigpen Patricia Vane Terry Vane Paul Workman Wayne Weber Education Sables Co-President, Sensory Safari, Fundraiser 886-9595 Fundraiser, Education Sables, Shooting Sports, Sensory Safari, Fundraiser 743-3033 Sportsmen Against Hunger, Sensory Safari, Fundraiser 273-4814 Sensory Safari, Fundraiser Fundraiser 502-9080 Grants, Fundraiser, Shooting Sports, Humanitarian, Sensory Safari, Fundraiser 268-7695 Fundraiser, Sensory Safari, Family Fun Shoot, Sables Tea Chair 751-4942 Treasurer Assistant, Education Sables Rep, Budget, Sensory Safari, Fundraiser 764-2324 Government Action, Sensory Safari, Fundraiser 352-373-1178 Sensory Safari, Fundraiser 612-4138 Sensory Safari, Fundraiser 410-3109 Sensory Safari, Fundraiser, Education Sables 619-0018 Shooting Sports, Sportsmen Against Hunger, Famliy Fun Shoot, Sensory Safari, Fundraiser 727-7112 Photographer, Newsletter, Sportsmen Against Hunger, Family Fun Shoot, Sensory Safari, Fundraiser Education Sables 727-7112 Education Sables, Sensory Safari, Fundraiser, Family Fun Shoot 280-5265 Sensory Safari, Fundraiser 280-5265 Webpage, Sensory Safari, Fundraiser 703-2289 Newsletter Editor, Education Sables Co-President, Sensory Safari, Fundraiser 220-4009 Government Action, Sensory Safari, Fundraiser 220-4009 Sensory Safari, Fundraiser 268-9673 Education Sables, Sensory Safari, Fundraiser, Family Fun Shoot 874-8444 rebcat@comcast.net jeffbeth_boyd@bellsouth.net jamdavis@fdic.gov captjfrudaker@gmail.com sbgcpa@bellsouth.net gtrmom00@aol.com bettyjgriner@gmail.com jameshigman@gmail.com jdl3535@aol.com dmann@lulussauces.com clara@mcgehee.net ajp19@comcast.net ajp19@comcast.net the2speeds@aol.com the2speeds@aol.com gltjax@gmail.com patriciavane@bellsouth.net tvane@tvanelaw.com paul.h.workman@att.net waweber@adt.com PAST PRESIDENTS Tom Powell Ray Pringle (2) Cliff McGehee (3) George Bowser David Alan DeBerry Terry Vane Bill Pullen Bob Olson 353-3181 766-1347 998-9339 645-9050 757-8424 353-8285 281-252-8083 630-7389 Sharon Temple Steve O’Hara Doug Speed Craig M. Larimer D. L. Seals Warren A. Tyre (3) Rene Dostie Charles R. Bassett 260-3303 346-3166 280-5265 1953-2009 285-8602 398-5100 880-6441 1932-2005 Scott Miller 396-9371 Mitch Montgomery 821-7171 Fred Kitchens Tyrie W. Boyer (2) 398-1194 Mag Black 310-550-1980 M. Gordon Vines, Jr. 389-6687 Murray Black 1930-2004 Tillman Cavert, Jr./Founder 1916-2013 HONORARY DIRECTORS Ernest F. Dorsey Willie B. Dyal Tyrie A. Boyer Joe Colvin 706-945-4066 1921-2009 1924-2013 -2000 Cover Photos: top left & clockwise: Betty Griner describes a fallow deer to elementary age students; Doug Speed with high school student; Dr. Kathy Foley, Science teacher of the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind (FSDB) with middle school students; Students assisted in experiencing bear teeth and claws under the watchful eye of Terry Vane. N O R T H F LO R I DA C H A P T E R S A FA R I C LU B I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P R I L - M AY 2014 PAGE 4 President’s Report ~ April - May 2014 Hello friends, I hope this finds you in good health and happy that spring has arrived. Hopefully everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day while remembering those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms, the same freedoms that every day are in jeopardy of being taken away. This past month president-elect Ron Stafford went to DC as my proxy to the national board meeting. He met with our senators and congressman to get their backing on important issues with our hunting rights, of course all of those he met with were already on our side. We are very blessed here to have so many representatives that are on our side, it’s not that way in many other states. It’s almost hunting season again and I can hardly wait, I built my daughter a 6.8 AR “with the help of my dad” for her to hunt with and it’s about to drive me nut’s looking forward to seeing her harvest her first deer. I think I’ll be happier than she will be. We all need to be involved in getting our young ones involved in shooting and hunting. This year I will be the skeet team coach at my daughters school. Helping youngsters with shooting sports and hunting gives them valuable life lessons in safety, self control and discipline of which will help them in all aspects of their life in every thing they do. We just had a sensory safari at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine and thanks to our 15 members including two youths who helped, it was a great success. Well I’m coming down to my last couple months as president and I have to say, I have learned alot, met some great new friends, been to some interesting places and I couldn’t have done any of it without all of you. You all are the backbone of this club and without your help nothing happens and I thank each and every one of you for it from the bottom of my heart. God bless. Shawn T. Pringle President Safari Club International North Florida Chapter Thank you letter written in Braille by fourth grader at FSDB N O R T H F LO R I DA C H A P T E R S A FA R I C LU B I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P R I L - M AY 2014 PAGE 3 PAGE 5 CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2013 - 2014 December 6 December 8 January 6 January 7 January 20 January 25 February 3 February 4 February 18 February 28 March 1 March 2 April 1 April 5 April 11 April 22 April 16 May 6 May 20 May 21 June 3 June 10 June 17 July 1 July 15 May 2, 2015 Christmas Party, Sleiman Home Delivery of toys to USO Fund Raiser Meeting - Powell Office Board meeting - Athens Cafe Fundraiser Meeting - Powell Office Family Fun Shoot - Jacksonville Gun Club Fundraiser Meeting - Powell Office Board of Directors Meeting Membership Meeting, TBA Fundraiser Set up - Morocco Shrine Fundraiser - Morocco Shrine Take Down - Morocco Shrine Board of Directors Meeting Sables Tea With a Twist - Queen’s Harbour Sports Complex Mini Sensory Safari at FSDB Membership Meeting - Thigpen’s Farm Brooks Adaptive Shooting Jacksonville Skeet & Trap Club Board of Directors Meeting - Athens Cafe Membership Meeting - Jacksonville Gun Club Duval County School Science Fair Board of Directors Meeting - Athens Cafe Elections for the Sables Board Membership Meeting - Wild Creek Plantation Board of Directors Meeting - Athens Cafe Installation of New Board Members - Queens Harbour Clubhouse Annual Fundraiser & Banquet at the Morocco Shrine INSIDE THIS EDITION President’s Message 4 Florida School for the Deaf & Blind 6 AWLS - 23 years ago 7 Sensory Safari at FSDB 8-10 GAC Notes 11 Member Meeting Thigpen’s Residence 12-14 Able Sables 15 Member Meeting - Jacksonville Gun Club 16-18 Stafford Goes to Washington Tea With A Twist 20 Back Cover Brooks Adaptive Sports Trap Shoot meets at the Jacksonville Skeet and Trap Club at 4:00 PM the 3rd Wednesday of each month Volunteers are welcome and needed to help the shooters. Dinner is available for $15.00. Reservations required to reserve a meal. Call (904)757-4584 and request steak or salmon. N O R T H F LO R I DA C H A P T E R S A FA R I C LU B I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P R I L - M AY 2014 PAGE 6 Sensory Safari - Florida School for the Deaf & the Blind - April 11 leadership school, an accredited program. Chapter members can also take advantage of the Blue Bag program that provides medical and hygiene supplies those who visit Africa or South America. Students See Wildlife Through Sensory Safari An extraordinary event took place on April 11, 2014 on the FSDB campus. Representatives of the North Florida Chapter of Safari Club International presented a “touchable” Sensory Safari experience for blind and visually impaired students in the Wilson Music Building. More than 20 mounted animal displays were on hand, with volunteer docents at each station who gave facts about each animal’s size, sounds, habitats and behaviors. Postscript: We have since learned from the Safari Club International Foundation that about 75,000 students have benefited from the mobile Sensory Safari program since July 2013. Contributed by Kathleen Foley, Science Teacher, Blind Middle School Students from the Early Learning Center and the Blind Elementary, Middle and High Schools had the rare opportunity to “see” wildlife through the sense of touch – from horns to hooves, beaks to feathers, and snouts to tails. While everyone touched the honey badger, wart hog, gray squirrel, armadillo and numerous horned and feathered creatures, it took a brave soul to place his hand into the enormous, toothy mouth of the massive upright Alaskan Brown Bear. The lion and bears were favorites among the students, who peppered docents with questions that they graciously answered. Blind Middle School Teacher Kathleen Foley, who made the event possible, said, “The Sensory Safari was powerful for students, whose understanding of the world expanded as they found their way through the various animal displays. The expressions on the students’ faces when they were challenged to stretch their arms between the tail and head of the Eurasia Bear nailed it for me. The whole experience for students was an immersion in learning.” Students attending the event learned not only about wildlife facts; they also learned about taxidermy as a career and Safari Club International animal conservation efforts. Docents also explained hunting methods and protocols as well as wildlife protection efforts. SCI North Florida Chapter programs, apart from the Sensory Safari, include the Sportsmen Against Hunger event where members prepare and serve meals at the Salvation Army in Jacksonville. The chapter supports the USO (United Service Organizations) by providing toys and funds. They have an Adaptive Shooting workshop event to teach skeet shooting to individuals with disabilities. An Annual Family Fun Shoot event is facilitated to teach children the importance of gun safety and wildlife conservation. The chapter also sponsors three to six teachers each year at the American Wilderness N O R T H F LO R I DA C H A P T E R S A FA R I C LU B I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P R I L - M AY 2014 PAGE 7 Looking Back: An AWLS Experience 23 years ago by Carol Cowan, Teacher Florida School for the Deaf & Blind In 1991, I was selected to go to the American Wilderness Leadership School (AWLS) through the Jacksonville chapter of the Safari Club. At the time, the program was about ten days in length. While based at Granite Ranch, we visited a trout hatchery, made flies and tried them out in the creek (mine were not tempting to the fish in the least), hiked in the back country of Yellowstone and camped out there, got chased by a mama moose, visited the Wind River high desert area, toured the Tetons, swam in a hot spring, spent an evening being tourists in Jackson Hole, shot black powder guns, rifles and shotguns at targets, completed curriculum training activities for Project Wild/Advanced Wild, attended classes and lectures, and became a cohesive group made up of individuals from many different professions, states/countries, and backgrounds. The memories of this experience are still very clear. Almost everything presented during the session was new information, new activities, and new locations to me. On my return to Florida and my classroom, I showed photos of my adventures to anyone I could convince to look at them. I used several of the Project Wild activities with my students along with activities from an AWLS curriculum guide. There were plans made to bring a Sensory Safari to my school, but this was put on hold at the time. We did bring students to a Sensory Safari held in a Jacksonville public school a few different times in following years. I was very happy to see that another teacher did succeed in bringing the Sensory Safari to our school this year, and was also eager to meet chapter members in attendance. This brought lots of good memories back to mind. Attending AWLS was an honor and an experience that is honestly one of those “once in a lifetime” events. I am still very appreciative of being selected to represent your club, and have had my AWLS certificate hanging on my classroom wall for the last 23 years. N O R T H F LO R I DA C H A P T E R S A FA R I C LU B I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P R I L - M AY 2014 PAGE 8 Sensory Safari - Florida School for the Deaf & the Blind - April 11 Pictured right: Wesley Wallace, whose father, John M. Wallace was president of the Florida School for the Deaf & the Blind from 1952 - 1966 Jeff Boyd Principal of the blind elementary, middle & high schools, Mary Lou Hoffman with Patricia Vane Beth Boyd Dale Loosier entertains during our lunch break Richard Benoit N O R T H F LO R I DA C H A P T E R S A FA R I C LU B I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P R I L - M AY 2014 PAGE 9 Sensory Safari - Florida School for the Deaf & the Blind - April 11 Suzanne Berglind Debbie Benoit Logan Lingerfelt N O R T H F LO R I DA C H A P T E R S A FA R I C LU B I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P R I L - M AY 2014 PAGE 10 Sensory Safari - Florida School for the Deaf & the Blind - April 11 Richard Benoit holding up child The Florida School for the Deaf & the Blind library. The classics in Braille. Rick Coleman Standing L-R: Doug Speed, Derrell Griner, Dale Loosier, Betty Griner, Logan Lingerfelt, Richard Benoit, Suzanne Berglind, Jeff Boyd, Beth Boyd, Richard Benoit, Debbie Benoit, Terry Vane Sitting L-R: Georgianne Pionessa, Patricia Vane, Dr. Jeanne Prickett, President, Florida School for the Deaf & the Blind, Dr. Thomas Zalveson, Trustee, Dr. Kathlee Foley Volunteer group during tour of the Florida School for the Deaf & the Blind prior to Sensory Safari. L-R: Rick Coleman, Doug Speed, Patricia Vane , Wesley Wallace & Terry Vane N O R T H F LO R I DA C H A P T E R S A FA R I C LU B I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P R I L - M AY 2014 PAGE 11 GAC NOTES - APRIL - MAY, 2014 by Terry Vane Blue Bag Emergency Request from Past President Tom Powell: The children of the small rural and impoverished village of Las Lajitas in Argentina are in need of a Blue Bag from our chapter. Tom will be returning to Argentina in August and intends to purchase at his own expense a Blue Bag for the undernourished and underfed children of Las Lajitas. He has requested that we supplement the contents with our own contributions of small toys, un-inflated soccer balls, non-perishable food items, educational and school supplies, personal hygiene items and nonprescription medications and first aid supplies. Cash donations to set up a pre-paid account at the local pharmacy for medical needs at cost are also welcome. Please contact Ron Stafford or Terry Vane if you have any questions or need to have any items picked up for inclusion in the Blue Bag. Items can also be brought to the June 17 member meeting for collection. Tom will be delivering the Blue Bag personally in Las Lajitas. Elephant Imports From Zimbabwe and Tanzania Banned by USFWS: The Big Zero administration continues to hammer its political enemies whenever possible even if there are innocents negatively affected. In this case the innocents are the villagers in the two countries who are dependant on the revenue produced by licensed hunting and the elephants themselves now left to the poachers. Any elephants taken after April 4, 2014, will not be permitted importation into the U.S. Conservation efforts in the affected countries will also be severely impaired, since they also depend on revenue from hunting. Georgia Expands Concealed Carry: Governor Nathan Deal (R) signed into law an act effective July 1, 2014, that will expand the places listed where concealed carry permit holders may take their weapons, to include areas in airports that are outside the screening checkpoints. School districts will also be able to allow employees to be armed. Bear Attacks Increase in Florida Due to Hunting Prohibition: A Seminole County woman was attacked by a bear in her garage on April 12, 2014, the second attack in six months, which resulted in the FWS trapping and killing seven bears that appeared aggressive and unafraid of humans. Instead of regulated hunting, the FWS kills an increasing number of bears each year. In 2013 the FWS killed 25 nuisance black bears. In 2012 the FWS killed 22 black bears. Since the bears are trapped and then killed by lethal injection, the meat goes to waste as well. The increase in dangerous encounters is due to population growth uncontrolled by hunting and the consequent lack of fear of humans by Florida black bears. It will probably take a few fatal such encounters before the legislature recognizes the problem. HSUS Loses a Big One: The Humane Society of the United States has been harassing Ringling Brothers Circus for 14 years with frivolous complaints, publicity and litigation accusing the circus of mistreating elephants. The circus owner fought back and the parties have finally settled the litigation by HSUS agreeing to pay the circus owner $15.75 million. You can be sure there will be a flurry of fundraising activity by HSUS as they try to keep their $20 million plus war chest from being depleted. HSUS is by no means on the ropes, however. It continues to infiltrate state wildlife agencies and load attendance at stakeholder meetings in its campaign to end all use of lead ammunition and eventually all hunting. GAC Update continued on page 18 N O R T H F LO R I DA C H A P T E R S A FA R I C LU B I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P R I L - M AY 2014 PAGE 12 Membership Meeting & Dinner G & G Farms - Glenn & Gary Thigpen’s - April 22, 2014 L-R: Richard & Debbie Benoit, Susan & John Wilson Feeding the cat is A.J. Poinessa. Sitting next to A.J. is Jeff Boyd. Standing is Stan Goeckel & Clara McGehee Glo Smith (Running for Congress) with Terry Vane L-R: Mark & Anne Seiden, Dorothy & John Gillette Always a favorite; firing up the grill for roasted oysters N O R T H F LO R I DA C H A P T E R S A FA R I C LU B I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P R I L - M AY 2014 PAGE 13 Membership Meeting & Dinner G & G Farms - Glenn & Gary Thigpen’s - April 22, 2014 L-R: Charlie Goldenberg, Ron Stafford, James Frudaker, Joe & Eileen Brown 50-50 Winner Donnie Boree. Presented by Betty Griner L-R Front row: Stan Goeckel, Patricia Vane, Clara McGehee. Back: Betty & Derrell Griner Mini Sensory Safari Committee. To be held at the Morocco Temple on May 21 Marc Thigpen with hosts Glenn & Gary Thigpen Pictured Left: Amy Goodbread & Tommy Lee Picture right: T.L. & Bud Larsen N O R T H F LO R I DA C H A P T E R S A FA R I C LU B I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P R I L - M AY 2014 PAGE 14 Membership Meeting & Dinner G & G Farms - Glenn & Gary Thigpen’s - April 22, 2014 Three Candidates: Thuy Lowe & Glo Smith are both running for US Representative and Jimmy Holderfield is running for Duval County Sheriff Some of the volunteer docents at the Florida School for the Deaf & Blind Sensory Safari held on April 11. Back row: Jeff & Beth Boyd, Betty Griner, Rich Benoit, Derrell Griner, Terry Vane Front row: Patricia Vane & Debbie Benoit Our speaker, Jim Bury, director of the Airport USO spoke about the many ways the USO serves all over the world & also the services that our Airport USO provides. Shawn Pringle & Robert Bracewell listen attentively L-R: Paul Workman, Mark Seiden, Anne Seiden, Dorothy Gillette, Lisa & Wayne Weber N O R T H F LO R I DA C H A P T E R S A FA R I C LU B I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P R I L - M AY 2014 PAGE 15 Greetings Everyone: Our Sables 6th Annual Tea With A Twist “Prom Queen” theme was a delight! Replete with tasty canapés, desserts and champagne served by our Safari Servers: Thom, Rob and Tim. All “tips” collected by the Safari Servers are returned to our Sables chapter. Duval County Annual Science Fair Able Sables Our location at Queens Harbour was just the right size for all of those who attended. An enormous thank you to Dorothy Gillette who saw to each and every detail. A lucky “Prom Queen” at each table got to take home a decorative teapot centerpiece filled with spring flowers, artistically arranged by Dorothy. NFCSCI volunteers participated in the Duval County Annual Science Fair at the Morocco Shrine on May 21. The mini Sensory Safari consisted of Florida animals that are commonly seen in the back yards of our city as well as country homes. Clara McGehee arranged a small boutique table filled with small African treasures for sale. We have already chosen a theme for next year: Vintage Hollywood: The Great Gatsby. Our hostess will be Martha Moore Saylor. Come as your favorite movie star! On May 21st we did a small Sensory Safari for the Duval County Science Department. Betty and Derrell Griner, Clara McGehee and I talked with all the boys and girls who enjoyed touching the animals they see in their yards but are never able to see up close. Sables are looking for members who would like to serve on the 2014-15 board. Nominate self or another by calling or emailing Patricia Vane or myself before June 10th. Our numbers appear in the front of this issue on the Board of Directors page. A warm welcome to new Sables member Ron Stafford. Happy Summer! Carol Blodgett The students all enjoyed touching the animals and learning some of the facts about each animal. It also gave us an opportunity to talk to several teachers about Sensory Safari and what we offer to elementary schools for a 2 day Sensory Safari. SABLES BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2013-2014 Co-President Co-President/Event Planner Vice President/Tea Chairman Treasurer Recording Secretary Membership Chairman Co-Event Planner Photographer Historian Sables Reps to National Carol Blodgett Patricia Vane Dorothy Gillette Betty Griner Glenn Thigpen Beth Boyd Shuri Speed Georgianne Pionessa Carol Higman Betty Griner & Beth Boyd N O R T H F LO R I DA C H A P T E R S A FA R I C LU B I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P R I L - M AY 2014 PAGE 16 Membership Meeting - Jacksonville Gun Club - May 20, 2014 Our first speaker, Fred Stokes, owner of Feather Touch Turkey Calls gave a presentation about turkey calling. Here pictured chatting with Paul Workman & Mrs. Stokes Our second speaker was Amy Moring, Director of Development, Advancement Office of the Florida School for the Deaf & the Blind. Amy presented a brief slide show and expressed appreciation to our chapter for the mini one day Sensory Safari held on April 11 Pictured above: Anne & Mark Seiden with Tom Sanders & Bandit Janet Pringle & Shuri Speed check in for dinner, raffle & turkey shoot tickets & sign up N O R T H F LO R I DA C H A P T E R S A FA R I C LU B I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P R I L - M AY 2014 PAGE 17 Membership Meeting - Jacksonville Gun Club - May 20, 2014 Mike Mooney Mike Mooney, Jody Brandenburg, Gary McKendree, Charles Denny & Keith Stinnett enjoy a breezy evening at the gun range Pictured right: Bob Olson & D Seals Jody Brandenburg Peggy Powell, Stan Longenecker & Rosana Stafford enjoy a perfect May evening N O R T H F LO R I DA C H A P T E R S A FA R I C LU B I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P R I L - M AY 2014 PAGE 18 Membership Meeting - Jacksonville Gun Club - May 20, 2014 Terry Vane, acting range master, awards Betty Griner certificate for winning shot Betty Griner Derrell Griner President-elect, Ron Stafford’s son, Bryan with Chelsea Dierickx Gary McKendree, Charles Denny, Keith Stinnett Gary Thigpen N O R T H F LO R I DA C H A P T E R S A FA R I C LU B I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P R I L - M AY 2014 PAGE 19 GAC Update continued from page 10 Operation Chokepoint the Latest Big Zero Regulatory Scandal: The latest federal agency to be engulfed in the long arm of corruption of the current administration is the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The FDIC has placed gun sellers in the high risk category for bank lending. As a result, many gun dealers are losing their bank financing by a stroke of The Cipher’s pen. If credit to gun sellers and manufacturers is curtailed, it will put some of them out of business or substantially increase their cost of credit. The Empty Suit is still picking the winners and losers in his war on our recessionwounded economy. Gun-Grabbers Lose No Time in Politicizing the Latest Gun Tragedy: A bill called the “Promoting Healthy Minds for Safer Communities Act of 2014” has been introduced by Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA). Persons prohibited from possession of firearms would be greatly expanded. States not capitulating would have federal grants held up. The definition of mental illness would be expanded to individuals deemed by police to pose an “elevated risk of harm”. The affect would be to discourage anyone from seeking any form of psychotherapy or mental health assistance for fear of being labeled unstable. Any vet seeking help with PTSD would be branded. Recall that the feds in the land of Chicken Little once categorized veterans and conservatives as potential homeland security threats. The progressives would like nothing more than to have the freedom to adopt regulations identifying specific classes of the citizenry as potentially dangerous. Anyone disagreeing with their Marxist agenda is obviously unstable, in their view. Bloomberg Scores a Win in the U.S. House: A Bloomberg supported amendment to H.R. 4660, the Commerce, Justice, Science funding bill was added by Mike Thompson (D-CA) – there he is again - and Peter King (R-NY) – both F rated on gun issues – which would add $19.5 million to induce states to increase the number of the names of citizens reported to NICS. Look out veterans. The bill still has to go through the senate where the amendment may be jettisoned (we hope). There were 76 House Republicans who voted “Yes” on the amendment. A majority of House Republicans voted “No” on the amendment, including Kingston (GA-1) from Georgia and DeSantis (FL-6), Mica (FL-7), Miller (FL-1), Southerland (FL-2) and Yoho (FL-3) from Florida. Ander Crenshaw voted in favor, along with Corinne Brown. In fairness, this was a late night stealth amendment but any time one votes the same as Corinne Brown, on an amendment crafted by two F rated anti-gun zealots, one should give it some thought. We must be very careful in giving the feds any further power to define who among us may be stripped of our Second Amendment protected rights. Curry Thomas Hardware owner, Steve Thomas, has generously offered North Florida Chapter Members a 5% discount on all ammunition and a 10% discount on most firearms and related accessories, and a broad variety of outdoor items. Curry Thomas carries a surprising variety of hard-to-find ammunition including 6.5 Swedish, 7.5JAP, 8mm Mauser, .257 Roberts and .35 Whelen, along with the more popular calibers. With the extensive variety of trophy game mounts from around the World, simply shopping there is a “hunting” experience! Thank you Steve, for all the ways you support NFCSCI! Welcome New Members: Tommy Lee Anthony Bozzella Thomas G Wright Safari Club International _________________________ New Member North Florida Chapter Donnie Boree John Wilson John Pope James Pickard (SCI Life Member) Dean Black R. G. (Jerry) Fisher SCI Members, look for the paw print on SCI badges and introduce yourself and welcome new members! Mark Seiden Robert Ausherman N O R T H F LO R I DA C H A P T E R S A FA R I C LU B I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P R I L - M AY 2014 PAGE 20 Mr. Stafford Goes to Washington Being a member of SCI on and off for close to 30 years, one of the questions I have always had was how exactly does SCI really work and how do they really support hunters rights. This past Month I had the opportunity to attend the annual SCI May board meeting and lobby day in Washington DC, and what a learning experience it was. I can now honestly say that I have better knowledge of many different divisions, committees and lobbying groups that we support, so to say it was extremely educational is an understatement. The “May Meetings” last for three days with various meetings from Wednesday to Saturday. Thursday is the “Lobby Day” where we all go out in force to visit our respective congressmen and senators, stressing the need to fight the anti-hunting left-wingers and even sometimes the US Fish and Wildlife Service on their idiotic policies. Friday is full of different committee meetings, all of which give a better understanding of what SCI does behind the scenes. Saturday morning is the national board meeting where for the second half you have to be a voting member to sit in and attend the meeting. The most important day for me was the lobby day. The day started with the usual early breakfast where we had a short prep course on the main 5 talking points and the bills that are on the floor that we needed to cover. These are the “Sportsman’s Act of 2014” to protect hunting, fishing and target shooting on Forest Service land, modernizing the Endangered Species Act, elephant import bans, the possible confiscation of Ivory less than 100 years old (really), and the proposed change of lions to the endangered species list. SCI’s Washington office staff set up meeting schedules for each of us attending. I personally was scheduled to meet with only three congressmen but did a few drop-in’s and ended up visiting Congressmen Steve Southerland, Ted Yoho, Tom Rooney, Ron DeSantis and Dennis Ross’s offices. We also tried to visit a few others but as congress is in session, it did not work out. Being my first time there, I went pretty much with my schedule but next year I think I will be more aggressive trying to do more drop-in’s and meet with more politicians on the other side of things. During the many SCI meetings, one of our SCI lobby groups did a quick presentation on “Green Decoys”, showing how these anti-hunting agencies are being funded by different corporations. I suggest looking at www.greendecoys.com to see how big corporations and foundations are tricking people into donating. As well, look at www.humanewatch.com and see the clever advertisements against the corrupt deception policies of the Humane Society of the United States and their attempt to stop hunting and hiding millions in overseas accounts. Did you realize that the HSUS is only giving 1% of their proceeds to the local shelters? The scariest of all is what is happening with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We had the Deputy Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service address our meeting and he actually admitted without realizing it, that they have no science to back up anything they are proposing in regards to elephants and lions! He said the information we gave him, all of it easily proven and readily obtainable was all new to him! In addition SCI had representatives from Zimbabwe, Tanzania and South Africa hunting organizations there to give him more firsthand facts and information. Honestly I felt sorry for the guy as once questions from the floor started, and may I add they were all polite and extremely well stated, you could see him wilting behind the podium due to his lack of knowledge on the issues. Make no mistake everyone, we are being attacked by the anti-hunting, anti- gun left-wingers and they have taken over the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as well as other pro sportsmen organizations. I urge everyone to attend one of the annual May SCI - Washington board meetings and Lobby Day as you do not need to be a chapter president, proxy voter or national board member to sit in and participate. Actually we had two guys from Orlando that flew up just for the lobby day to help out with the efforts which I thought was great and enjoyed their enthusiasm in our Mr. Stafford Goes to Washington continued on next page N O R T H F LO R I DA C H A P T E R S A FA R I C LU B I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P R I L - M AY 2014 PAGE 21 Mr. Stafford Goes to Washington continued from previous page meetings. Again, you do not need to be a SCI National board member to attend, just register and attend! If anyone is interested in going next year, please let me know as I will be glad to help in getting you set up. Sincerely, Ron Stafford, President-Elect New Website Address! Visit North Florida Chapter’s Website at: northfloridasafariclub.com Membership Application available on line. Click on “Become a Member” then click on “Download Membership form” Not on our Email List? Derrell Griner with Abie Farhat of Green Acres Sporting Goods on April 24, 2014. Derrell and Ron Stafford purchased two (2) Smith & Wesson Bushmasters (and got a good deal) for the 2015 May 2nd, 2015 Fundraiser. Hunt Stories Needed! Send your stories & pictures to Patricia Vane 220-4009 patriciavane@bellsouth.net Please limit articles to 1,000 words or 2 pages. The NFC reserves the right to edit submitted articles. Send your email address to Janet at safariclub.janet@gmail.com North Florida Chapter Safari Club International 11225 Old Kings Road Jacksonville, FL 32219 Phone: (904) 813-2298 Janet Pringle, Secretary Email: safariclub.janet@gmail.com Meeting Information Drink Charges at Meetings are as follows: Chapter Catered Events: $6 charge for call brand $3 for beer / $4 for wine. No charge for soda and water. Events at Facilities with Cash Bar: Cost is Set by the Venue. We can no longer charge dinners at monthly member meetings. Cash or check only. Thank you. N O R T H F LO R I DA C H A P T E R S A FA R I C LU B I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P R I L - M AY 2014 PAGE 22 Taxidermy Studio Tony and Leslie Breedlove 3188 Southeast County Road 21-B • Melrose, Florida 32666 352-475-3159 We are a full service taxidermy studio offering custom quality work on all trophies from all over the world USDA approved for receiving your shipment. NO JOB TOO BIG OR TOO SMALL -- your trophy is our top priority Trophy room design and natural dioramas to complement your treasured trophies. Servicing the North Florida Safari Club over 20 years. We now offer Cleaning and Maintenance Services for your trophy room. Taxidermy is a fine art. Keeping your mounts and habitats clean can be difficult. Whether it is daily occurrences such as household dust or serious pest infestations, your investment can begin to depreciate as soon as it comes into your home. Most household cleaning services are not familiar with mount cleaning technique may not be familiar with the signs of a developing problem. Tony is available for consultation regarding full scale cleaning, restoration, and pest control of your trophy room. TERENCE G. VANE, JR. ATTORNEY AT LAW TERENCE G. VANE, JR., P.A. (904) 353-8285 BLACKSTONE BUILDING, SUITE 620 FAX (904) 354-2739 233 EAST BAY STREET tvane@tvanelaw.com JACKSONVILLE, FL 32202 Photography for all Occasions by Georgianne Pionessa Phone: 727-7112 Cell: 655-7471 Fax: 805-0870 Tony has taken over maintenance of the Sensory Safari trophies to keep them in top condition for everyone to enjoy. Prior to departing for that “hunt of a lifetime” contact us to obtain your custom tag and reference package filled with important information on skinning and trophy preparation. Advance planning is the key to your trophy being the best it can be. Call for references • Check out our website at www.wildlifeartcreatons.net and find us on Facebook NFC/SCI Newsletter Advertising Rates Three Typed Lines: $10.00 • Business Card: $35.00 ¼ Page: $50.00 • ½ Page: $75.00 • Full Page: $125.00 Contact Patricia Vane at 220-4009 or patriciavane@bellsouth.net for more information or to place an ad. N O R T H F LO R I DA C H A P T E R S A FA R I C LU B I N T E R N AT I O N A L A P R I L - M AY 2014 Shuri Speed, Debbie Benoit, Carol Blodgett Above: Lourdene & Patricia Vane with Safari servers, Rob Miller, Tim Obi, & Thom Wright. Above: Glenn Thigpen with Safari servers, Tim Obi, Rob Miller & Thom Wright. Thom is a member of our SCI Chapter Brenda Onur and Elena Kennedy in Goth get up Tea Chairwoman & the #1 Prom Queen Dorothy Gillette Sables 6th Annual Tea With A Twist April 5th Clara McGehee with Safari servers, Rob Miller, Tim Obi & Thom Wright Suzanne Berglind with Safari servers Above: Lindsey Stinnett Right: Georgianne Pionessa Sisters Laura McElhanay & Martha Saylor with Safari servers
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