Adirondack-Catskill Chapter

Safari Club International

What Do My Dues Do?

After receiving a notice that I owe our local chapter $20 for dues, I asked Dick Hazard for a run down on where our money goes. Well, to make a long story short, it goes a long way!  Dick broke our donations and programs down into the following categories:

National programs;  Conservation projects;  Education projects;
  Humanitarian programs;  Other projects

On an annual basis, we donate 30% of the proceeds generated at our fundraiser to the National SCI.   In the past eight years that amount has come to $55,505. That money is then used for major SCI programs including political action, hunter’s rights advocacy, worldwide conservation projects, and the American Wilderness Leadership School.

I would like to thank Dick Hazard, our current treasurer and chapter historian, for helping me with the information needed for this article. The information outlined in this and the previous edition of our newsletter will be in our new website. My hope is that it will serve two purposes. First as a memory jog for those of us who are getting up there in years and really can't remember from one day to the next, and second, as an information source you can use to encourage others to become a member of SCI.

Conservation projects that our Adirondack-Catskill Chapter has been involved in include the following:

 Winter wildlife feeding station

 SCI/BOCES joint project building and locating wood duck boxes

 Donation of two robotic deer for NYSDEC to aid in their anti poaching efforts

 Construction of a boardwalk around the Utica marsh wetland area

 Co-sponsored the New York State Legislative Sportsman’s Caucus

Bridge construction for the Bullthistle Hiking Club in Chenango County

Education projects

 Purchase of habitat videos and workbooks for distribution in area elementary schools

 SCI promotional video (joint project with Western New York Chapter)

 Sponsored 11 hunter courses for over 350 new hunters

 Conducted whitetail hunting seminars

 Sponsored trapping course

 Major sponsor of soil and water conservation Envirothon

 Sponsored eight school teachers to the American Wilderness Leadership School
in Jackson, Wyoming

 Sponsored young woman to Becoming an Outdoor Woman program in Jackson, Wyoming

 Annual Young Hunter Award

 Obtained scholarships for four local college students ($17,600)

 Sent Young Hunter to AWLS in Jackson , Wyoming

 Sponsorship of children’s books for Namibia

Donation to Wildlife Sports and Education Museum

Humanitarian Services

• Hunters against Hunger
• Safari Care (worldwide Health Care)
• Safari Wheels (Wheel chairs)
• SCI Blue Bag Programs

• Special needs hunter (sent to South Africa on safari)
• Safari Wheels (secured a wheel for a resident in need)
• Anthony Guarino Fund (cash donation - handicapped equipped van)
• Sponsored wild game dinner with Utica Salvation Army for the Holidays
• Obtained and helped ship medical supplies to South Africa