| The Foundation for North American Wild Sheep (FNAWS) recently held its 28th Annual Wildlife Expo at the Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. This event was held in conjunction with the International Sheep Hunting Association and the Boone and Crockett Club.
The festivities began with a Celebrity Sporting Clay Shoot featuring teams comprised of USA Olympic Shooting Team members and FNAWS members. In between enjoying shopping in the sold-out Exhibit Hall, where nearly 350 companies and organizations exhibited their wares, guests were treated to a Texas style bar-b-que and rodeo held at the Northwind Ranch and the Ladies-only “Yellow Rose of Texas” Luncheon - which featured traditional Mexican folkloric dancers, a fashion show, and a custom made Christopher Radko ornament for each attendee. The Saturday Night Banquet featured ex-NBA star and FNAWS Member Karl Malone as a featured speaker.
Other Convention highlights included very lively auctions and outstanding fundraisers for items ranging from fine jewelry to top quality hunts and firearms. At these auctions nearly $150,000 was raised for the USA Olympic Shooting Team – including an autographed hat that was auctioned off and then re-donated numerous times, eventually bringing $64,600.
During the show 167 hunts were either given away, raffled, or auctioned. This included 63 sheep hunts, with 11 of these being coveted desert sheep hunts. There were hunts for over 50 species of animals including nearly all of the North American 30. A full suite of International Hunts was also available.
Of particular interest during the auctions were the 30 special conservation tags issued by the various states and provinces. Examples of these tags were: $199,000 for the Arizona Bighorn Sheep Permit; $180,000 for the Idaho Bighorn Sheep Permit; $160,000 for the Montana Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Permit; and $130,000 for the Oregon Bighorn Sheep Permit. Special permits for Canada sold well bringing $150,000 for the Alberta Minister’s Special Bighorn Sheep License and $135,000 for the British Columbia Special Sheep Permit. Special conservation tags for bighorn sheep in Mexico were also successful bringing winning bids of $100,000 and $85,000 for Tiburon Island and $100,000 for Carmen Island. All told auctioned hunts produced nearly $3.5 million for wildlife conservation.
FNAWS auctions are not just about wild sheep. These auctions also brought winning bids of $41,000 for a British Columbia Roosevelt Elk tag, $22,000 for a Colorado Moose license, $17,000 for a Wyoming Moose permit, $16,000 for a Washington Roosevelt Elk tag; and $13,000 for a Colorado Mountain Goat license.
FNAWS hopes to surpass this year’s fundraising achievements at their 29th Annual Wildlife Expo, being held at the Reno Hilton in Reno, Nevada, Feb.1 - 4, 2006. For nearly 30 years, FNAWS has been the leader in wild sheep conservation promoting protection of habitat, professional wildlife management based upon sound biological principles, and public education. For more information please contact FNAWS at (307) 527-6261, [email protected], or visit our website at www.fnaws.org. |
