Press RoomPress ReleaseFor Immediate Release
THEODORE ROOSEVELT CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP FOUNDER TO RECEIVE OUTDOOR LIFE MAGAZINE'S PRESTIGIOUS CONSERVATION AWARD AT SHOT SHOWNEWS RELEASE
Contact: George Cooper
(202) 508-3421 James D. Range, an influential environmental policy adviser who has played important roles in the enactment of some the nation's most important conservation laws, will receive Outdoor Life magazine's prestigious 2002 Conservation Award for his work to establish the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership at a ceremony on Friday, February 14th, in Orlando, Florida, at the 2003 Shooting, Hunting, & Outdoor Trade Show. The TRCP will work with the conservation community to pursue causes important to the nation's hunters and anglers with a sophisticated approach to advocacy, communications, and grassroots outreach. The editors of Outdoor Life wrote "Range is shifting the entire environmental debate to a more reasonable center. This is why we gave Jim Range the 2002 Outdoor Life Conservation Award." More than a year ago, Range, the honorary president of the Izaak Walton League of America, recruited Trout Unlimited, the Wildlife Management Institute, and the League, along with a group of people experienced in policy, advocacy communications, grassroots outreach, and strong connections across the conservation community, to establish this new Partnership. Their collective aim: To restore conservation as a national priority and extend the legacy of America's first conservation president — Theodore Roosevelt — deep into the 21st Century. The award's announcement brought a positive response from some of the nation's key conservation lawmakers in the Congress. "In short, he knows where the American people are and he would rather make progress than noise," says U.S. Sen. Christopher 'Kit' Bond R-MO. "He has never been good at guarding his left or right flank politically but since Jim is moving so fast down the center with common sense conservation policies, I believe any bullets will pass safely behind and I look forward to working with him and the Partnership he is building." "Jim Range has done much over the course of his career to build consensus and promote solutions relative to the conservation challenges our country faces," says U.S. Rep. John Tanner (D-TN), a recipient of OL's 1998 Conservation Award. "His commitment to good conservation covers a lifetime and is exemplified in the establishment of this Partnership. I look forward to working with the Partnership in part because of the opportunities it offers for consensus and solutions in the environmental arena that are long overdue." "Jim Range has been one of those rare individuals who has dedicated his life to bringing opposing parties together to unite for a common good," says U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "He did it as a senior staff in the United States Senate working on clean air, clean water, and wildlife issues. He is still doing it in the conservation field now with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. I truly believe that if extremists on both sides of the environmental spectrum could learn from Jim's wisdom and work, the whole country would be better off." "I'm very pleased that Jim is receiving this overdue recognition," says, U.S. Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY). "The only way we will make progress on the environment is through people like Jim who are willing to do the tough, prolonged, unglamorous work of forging compromises that make a real difference on the ground. Too much attention is paid to the shrill voices at the barricades and not enough to real heroes like Jim Range who are moving us beyond political stalemate." "Jim is one of the sportsmen's best friends in Washington, D.C., and I can think of few outdoorsmen more deserving of this award," says U.S. Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "I rest a little easier knowing that Jim's looking out for our interests and fighting to protect our outdoor heritage. I look forward to working with this exciting new Partnership." "Theodore Roosevelt's commitment to conservation is one of the biggest legacies of his leadership and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership is continuing to promote that legacy," says U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes (R-NC), a co-chair of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus. "Through his work in both the public and private sector, TRCP's Chairman, Jim Range, has shown a true to commitment to protecting America's hunting and fishing resources and I would simply like to commend him on all of his hard work. Jim is a very deserving recipient of the Outdoor Life Conservationist of the Year Award and I congratulate him on the award and encourage him to keep at it. I look forward to continuing to work with him." "From serving as key congressional staff in developing the Clean Water Act, to forming diverse conservation alliances today, Jim Range's imprint on America's landscape will continue to be felt for generations," says U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), a co-chair of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus. "Jim's very deserving of this award, and I look forward to working with him and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership in the years to come." "Jim Range is a long-time friend and great proponent for conservation issues," says U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-AK), chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. "An award like this is long overdue for someone as deserving as he is." "I know of no one who has had a more significant impact on the conservation of our natural resources than Jim Range over the past two decades," says Gary Myers, director of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. "He has worked tirelessly to help state fish and wildlife agencies promote the responsible stewardship of our resources and the interests of hunters, anglers and those who otherwise enjoy the outdoors. He deserves this recognition, and I look forward to working with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and its partners." The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership was formed in 2002 to work with America's anglers, hunters, and leaders in the conservation community to ensure that America's lands will always provide clean water, healthy habitat, bountiful fish and wildlife populations, and opportunities to hunt, fish and enjoy the outdoors. |