(Houston, TX- February 22, 2024) This week “Hunting Matters” welcomes Heidi Rao!
Heidi Lyn Rao was hired by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) in 1998 and has recruited, trained, and retained volunteers, as the Hunter Education Specialist for Southeast Texas. In 2010 she also assumed the role as statewide Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) Coordinator.
During her TPWD career, she developed many partnerships and organized many education & outreach events. She started “Take Me Outdoors Houston” in 2009, when the Texas Wildlife Expo ended, and brings this annual family-friendly, free, hands-on outdoor event to Discovery Green, Downtown Houston. She hosts wildlife workshops ranging from alligators to big game. She promotes hunting and outdoor safety to groups ranging from elementary school aged to flying offshore via helicopter to speak to oil and gas employees in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico on a platform. From teaching firearm safety to Rodeo Clowns during the Houston Rodeo, to hosting Hunter Education classes at the Sam Houston (horse) Raceway, conducting National Archery in the Schools Program and Student Air Rifle certifications, and partnering with many hunting, shooting and conservation organizations across Texas.
She has coordinated twenty-seven statewide BOW workshops across Texas, including the first-ever VIRTUAL BOW in 2020. She has reached over 7,000 Ladies who have attended BOW and continued their outdoors skills ultimately becoming hunters, anglers, and archers, especially through mentored BOW hunts. To date, ten Texas Outdoor Women Network (TOWN) groups have launched across the state because of the statewide BOW.
She received IHEA’s Professional of the Year; IHEA’s Executive Director’s Award; TPWD’s Terry Erwin Hunter Education LEGACY award, Houston Safari Club Educator of the Year and she is also in the Texas Hunter Education Halls of Fame.
About Hunting Matters “Hunting Matters” co-hosts HSCF Executive Director Joe Betar and Ramon Robles engage in conversations with guests from the worlds of hunting, fishing, shooting, conservation and the great outdoors. “Hunting Matters” airs Saturday, 6am-7am CDT on iHeart Media affiliate KPRC AM 950 and is available via podcast on Apple/iTunes, iHeartMedia, Google, Overcast, PodBean and Spreaker. Hunting Matters is an award-winning podcast and has been recognized by AVA Digital, NYX/Marcom, MarCom, Davey, and the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts. Subscribe, listen, rate and review.
About Houston Safari Club Foundation Houston Safari Club Foundation (HSCF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve the sport of hunting through education, conservation, and the promotion of our hunting heritage. HSCF has awarded 668 scholarships totaling $3.05 million dollars. HSCF conducts youth outdoor education programs, career training, hunter education and field experiences throughout the year. HSCF has provided over $4 million in grants worldwide. Visit our website at wehuntwegive.org or call 713.623.8844 for more information. HSCF. We Hunt. We Give.
(Houston, TX- February 6, 2024) – Houston Safari Club Foundation (HSCF) is proud to announce HSCF Life member and Board member Derek Ham as the recipient of the 2024 HSCF President’s Award.
The HSCF President’s Award is given each year to acknowledge the outstanding HSCF member whose contributions exceed the expectations of an HSCF member, in support of HSCF’s mission. Individuals receive this award for their leadership, outstanding service contribution, superior performance, team collaboration, and serve as an inspiration to others.
“I am remarkably humbled to have been chosen for this award and what it symbolizes. There are many other equally dedicated HSCF members, and I am proud to be working alongside them to further the message and cause of HSCF. We Hunt. We Give. With sincere gratitude, I want to thank HSCF President Monica Williamson and HSCF,” stated Derek.
“It has been a genuine pleasure working with Derek on the HSCF Board this year. Derek brings innovative ideas to our planning discussions, has served HSCF in many capacities over the years, and is a true believer in what HSCF does to support the future of hunting,” stated HSCF President Monica Williamson.
Derek Ham is an accomplished businessman with a passion for the outdoors, hunting and conservation. He is especially passionate about getting kids and others involved in hunting and guiding them to understand the link and truth between hunting and conservation. He began his first career in Los Angeles working in the music industry. He later moved back to Texas in support of his family and pursued a career in Commercial Construction. Ultimately, his passion for the outdoors led him to Farm and Ranch Real Estate where he currently represents Ruple Ranch & Land.
Derek’s passion for the outdoors was fostered as a young boy by his father who grew up on the famed LX Cattle Ranch in the Texas panhandle. His father set the groundwork for his love of hunting and fishing. Derek has been an avid hunter and conservationist for the majority of his life traveling around the world hunting both unique and more traditional game alike. His most notable hunting accomplishment was being dropped by float plane in Alaska for a week for a self-guided hunt where he harvested the Number 11 all-time Pope & Young Moose with his recurve bow. Among other countries, he has also been a successful hunter in New Zealand, Spain, Greenland and Newfoundland. But, of course, he has and does most prominently hunt in our great state of Texas.
Derek is a Lifetime member Houston Safari Club Foundation where he has chaired the Annual Sporting Clays Event for the last two years raising money for Youth Programs. Prior to his time at HSCF, he chaired the Adventures program for Sky High for Kids where he organized and executed hunts for pediatric cancer patients for over five years.
Derek shares his passion for hunting with his wife Jeni and daughter Sydney. Both of whom have traveled with him on his hunting adventures. He takes care to demonstrate his concern for a healthy wildlife population and ensure that the hunt is more than the harvesting of game but, more importantly, it is about the experience.
About Houston Safari Club Foundation Houston Safari Club Foundation (HSCF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve the sport of hunting through education, conservation, and the promotion of our hunting heritage. HSCF has awarded 625 scholarships totaling $2.8 million dollars. HSCF conducts youth outdoor education programs, career training, hunter education and field experiences throughout the year. HSCF has provided over $4 million in grants for hunter-funded wildlife, habitat and various conservation initiatives. HSCF is an independent organization, is not affiliated with Safari Club International (SCI) or its affiliates and is not a chapter or affiliate of any other organization. Visit our website at wehuntwegive.org or call 713.623.8844 for more information. HSCF. We Hunt. We Give.
(Houston, TX- February 1, 2024) – The application period for Houston Safari Club Foundation (HSCF) Dan L Duncan scholarships is now open through April 15, 2024. Houston Safari Club Foundation is committed to furthering the education of students pursuing conservation-related career paths, supporting the future of tomorrow’s conservation leaders and protecting the future of hunting.
HSCF’s Dan L Duncan Scholarship Program annually awards scholarships to students involved in the study of Wildlife Management, Range Management, Biology and Wildlife and Fisheries Science. Students must be enrolled in an accredited Texas university.
HSCF proudly recognizes and encourages students who have exhibited academic excellence and exemplary character, through its prestigious scholarship program. HSCF understands the future of conservation depends on the education of bright and gifted scholars who will work to protect hunter’s rights and wildlife conservation for decades to come. Many past HSCF scholarship recipients have become some of the top thought leaders, decision makers, educators, and research scientists in the conservation world. To learn more: https://hscfdn.org/giving-back/scholarships/.
About Houston Safari Club Foundation Houston Safari Club Foundation (HSCF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve the sport of hunting through education, conservation, and the promotion of our hunting heritage. HSCF has awarded 671 scholarships totaling $3.07 million dollars. HSCF conducts youth outdoor education programs, career training, hunter education and field experiences throughout the year. HSCF has provided over $4 million in grants for hunter-funded wildlife, habitat, and various conservation initiatives. HSCF is an independent organization, is not affiliated with Safari Club International (SCI) or its affiliates and is not a chapter or affiliate of any other organization. Visit our website at wehuntwegive.org or call 713.623.8844 for more information. HSCF. We Hunt. We Give.
HSC Signs On To Letter Supporting Habitat Enhancement Now Act (H.R. 6854 – HEN Act)
The HEN Act will authorize $1.5 million in competitive grant funding each year for 5 years. This relatively small investment would result in the construction, installation, and maintenance of nearly 20,000 hen houses resulting in the production of tens of thousands of additional mallards throughout the country. Breeding duck populations in California face ever-increasing pressure from wetland habitat loss. The HEN Act will authorize an additional $1.5 million annually for 5 years to incentivize willing landowners to establish nesting cover and create essential brood habitat on their property in California.
HSC Signs On To Letter Supporting Funding for Migration Corridors
A letter was sent to the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the White House Office of Management and Budget requesting support of fiscal year 2025 funding for the efforts of the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to maintain, conserve, and enhance wildlife migration corridors and seasonal ranges, particularly for big game species. Funding priorities include DOI coordination and support, USGS science and mapping support, USFWS science applications program, dedicated wildlife corridors funding for NFWF and the USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program.
New York Big 5 Act
The state of New York is once again attempting to ban the import of legally and ethically hunted game animals. The “Big Five African Trophies Act” to ban the importation, transportation and possession of certain African wildlife species and products has been reintroduced for the 2023-2024 session. The animals included are the African Elephant, African Leopard, African Lion, Black Rhinoceros, White Rhinoceros and African Giraffe. The bill also requires the owner of any part or taxidermy of the listed animals to obtain a certificate of possession from the secretary of state, even if they are in possession of such if this law should be passed. Status (1/3/24): Died in Assembly, Returned to Senate, Returned to Environmental Conservation Committee.
H.R. 615 & S. 1185: Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act of 2023
To prohibit the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture from prohibiting the use of lead ammunition or tackle on certain Federal land or water under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, and for other purposes. Status: H.R. 615: Committee on Agriculture discharged 09/20/23; S.1185: Introduced in Senate 04/18/23.
S.873 – America’s Outdoor Recreation Act of 2023
To improve recreation opportunities on, and facilitate greater access to, federal public land, and for other purposes.
Improved recreation infrastructure: target shooting ranges, biking, climbing, internet connectivity, expand recreation seasons, expand federal land access, parking, mapping, modernization of federally owned campgrounds, forest service pay for performance projects, ID of new recreation opportunities, Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation. Status: 07/26/2023: Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Manchin with amendments. With written report No. 118-79.
Feds seek input on grizzly bear reintroduction in North Cascades (WA)
The next step for the National Park Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to reintroduce grizzlies to the North Cascades Ecosystem encompassing the park and surrounding public land. A second component of the project involves the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service plans to release a proposed rule under section 10(j) of the act on Friday. Status: commentary period ended Nov. 13; Update pending. Information is available now in the Federal Register: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/09/29/2023-21418/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-establishment-of-a-nonessential-experimental.
Pebble Mine: Alaska
January 2024: The U.S. Supreme Court denied Alaska’s bid to revive the copper and gold Pebble Mine proposal blocked by EPA. In 2023 the EPA stopped the mine proposal, citing concerns with potential impacts on a rich aquatic ecosystem that supports the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery.
Report: European Acceptance of Trophy Hunting
This report shows that a majority of EU citizens accept hunting. Only 23% disagree with keeping animal parts, a practice often referred to as “trophy” hunting, whilst 77% either approve or are neutral. This starkly contrasts the claim that 85% of Europeans oppose “trophy” hunting made by the Humane Society International. This misdirection has resulted in several national parliaments initiating efforts to ban “trophy” imports. Conducted Nov. 2023 by YouGov1 and commissioned by the European Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FACE) and partner organizations. See: https://www.cic-wildlife.org/europeans-are-accepting-of-hunting-trophies-according-to-yougov/.
Grizzly bear reintroduction to the Bitterroot Mountains: MT
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has until late 2026 to issue a new environmental impact statement for the recovery of grizzly bears in the Bitterroot ecosystem of southwestern Montana and eastern Idaho. Located on the western border between Montana and Idaho, the area was historically home to thousands of bears. Public comment is being accepted until March 18. See: https://www.regulations.gov/document/FWS-R6-ES-2023-0203-0001.
Louisiana Federal Court Upholds 2016 Delisting of the State’s Black Bear
1/29/24: the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana dismissed a plaintiffs’ challenge to the removal of Louisiana black bear from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) list of threatened species. Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission is in the final stages of considering whether to open a limited black bear hunting season to begin in December 2024. The Commission would issue a maximum of ten permits to hunt the Tensas River subpopulation of black bears.
Houston Safari Club (HSC) is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization dedicated to legislative and policy initiatives that may affect the future of hunting. HSC supports initiatives that protect the tradition of hunting and hunters’ rights. We take an active role in efforts to effect policy, protocols, and legislation. Our mission is to protect the rights of hunters and the hunting heritage through advocacy, policy, and legislation. Houston Safari Club (HSC) is a non-profit organization, exempt from federal income tax, under section 501(c)(4) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. Payments to HSC are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Please contact your tax advisor concerning deductibility of any payments as business deductions. HSC EIN: 76-0082197. HSC is an independent organization, is not affiliated with Safari Club International (SCI) or its affiliates and is not a chapter or affiliate of any other organization.
(Houston, TX- January 23, 2024) – Houston Safari Club Foundation (HSCF) is proud to announce Kevin Comiskey as the recipient of the 2024 HSCF Frank Green Award.
The Frank E. Green Award of Commitment recognizes those extraordinary members of Houston Safari Club Foundation who have given tremendous time and effort for the enhancement and betterment of HSCF and its members. This prestigious award recognizes those individuals who have continuously given of themselves for the betterment of Houston Safari Club Foundation, over a period exceeding three years.
“I am truly honored to be this year’s Frank Green Award recipient. To be recognized by my peers and the Houston Safari Club Foundation’s past presidents is an honor I will always treasure. Thank you to the Houston Safari Club Foundation for providing a platform to establish invaluable relationships, experience unforgettable adventures and contribute to such important and meaningful causes,” stated Kevin.
Kevin Comiskey’s passion for hunting ignited in South Texas at an early age, where exploring the brush country for those impressive South Texas bucks fueled his love for the world of hunting. Kevin went on his first South African safari in 2005 and decided that it might be worthwhile to join the Houston Safari Club Foundation. He became a member of the Houston Safari Club Foundation in 2006 and a dedicated life member in 2012. Kevin’s commitment to HSCF includes serving as an HSCF Director from 2009-2013 and again in 2021-2023. He received the esteemed HSCF President’s Award in 2014 and served as president from 2014-2015. Kevin has served as the convention chairperson, membership chairperson and is currently the hunting awards chairperson. His involvement also includes sponsorships of the clay shoot, Dan L Duncan scholarship, corporate sponsorship, hunting awards and youth wildlife conservation experience (YWCE). Despite his global hunting experiences, the allure of South Texas remains strong for Kevin. He dedicates as much time as possible to the family’s Rocking C South Ranch in Cotulla, Texas. Kevin is happily married to Amy (Dunn) Comiskey and is the proud father of three sons: Cameron, Colton, and Chase.
About Houston Safari Club Foundation Houston Safari Club Foundation (HSCF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve the sport of hunting through education, conservation, and the promotion of our hunting heritage. HSCF has awarded 625 scholarships totaling $2.8 million dollars. HSCF conducts youth outdoor education programs, career training, hunter education and field experiences throughout the year. HSCF has provided over $4 million in grants for hunter-funded wildlife, habitat and various conservation initiatives. HSCF is an independent organization, is not affiliated with Safari Club International (SCI) or its affiliates and is not a chapter or affiliate of any other organization. Visit our website at wehuntwegive.org or call 713.623.8844 for more information. HSCF. We Hunt. We Give.
The Coastal Prairie Conservancy (formerly the Katy Prairie Conservancy) was formed in 1992 to conserve the coastal prairie for people and wildlife before it disappears. They are a nationally accredited 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Houston, Texas, and a trusted leader in local land protection. They are also one of the largest local land conservation organizations, by acreage, in southeast Texas, protecting over 30,000 acres of coastal prairie.
“We are immensely grateful to the Houston Safari Club Foundation for the generous grant supporting CPC’s restoration and enhancement of the Katy Prairie Preserve. This impactful gift goes beyond conservation – it’s a commitment to creating thriving habitats for wildlife, helping improve air and water quality, and ensuring that the beauty of nature is accessible to all. Together, we are caring for the prairie to ensure the current and future generations can enjoy it,” says Coastal Prairie Conservancy President and Chief Executive Officer, Mary Anne Piacentini.
Jeff Garrett, HSCF Grants Chairperson, stated “HSCF is happy to support the Coastal Prairie Conservancy in its efforts for the preservation of habitat on the Texas Gulf Coast. Maintaining a healthy habitat is an especially important element of waterfowl conservation. Their work clearly fits within our goals and missions.”
On the historic Katy Prairie in Harris, Ft. Bend, and Waller Counties, the Coastal Prairie Conservancy owns more than 13,500 acres and protects 5,000 acres through conservation agreements with private landowners. The Coastal Prairie Conservancy is also working to protect coastal prairie in other Texas counties and through conservation agreements protects over 11,500 acres in Brazoria, Galveston, Matagorda, and Jackson Counties.
About Houston Safari Club Foundation
Houston Safari Club Foundation (HSCF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve the sport of hunting through education, conservation, and the promotion of our hunting heritage. HSCF has awarded 550 scholarships totaling $2.5 million dollars. HSCF conducts youth outdoor education programs, career training, hunter education and field experiences throughout the year. HSCF has provided over $4 million in grants for hunter-funded wildlife, habitat, and various conservation initiatives. HSCF is an independent organization, is not affiliated with Safari Club International (SCI) or its affiliates and is not a chapter or affiliate of any other organization. Visit our website at wehuntwegive.org or call 713.623.8844 for more information. HSCF. We Hunt. We Give.
Houston Safari Club Foundation (HSCF) is a non-profit organization, exempt from federal income tax, under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. The charitable deduction for contributions to HSCF is the cash amount of the contribution, less the value of goods and services received, to the extent permitted by law. HSCF EIN 74-2177975. Please contact your tax advisor concerning deductibility of any payments as business deductions. HSCF is an independent organization, is not affiliated with Safari Club International (SCI) or its affiliates and is not a chapter or affiliate of any other organization.
