Putting and Keeping Sheep on the Mountain Since 2002
Spring 2022 Presidents Message
As hunters, we are in tune with cycles, especially the change in the Seasons. And as we leave the Winter of Covid behind and enter what I hope is a renewed Spring “of normalcy”, we have a lot to be thankful for…and once again there is hope.
Hope that springs forth once again as we enter the application season. Each one of us, in our hearts, looks forward to this renewed opportunity. We all go back to zero and each one of us has a chance at the cliché` “hunt of a lifetime”. As sheep hunters, we are hard-wired to embrace this hope. And I want to wish all of you luck in this upcoming application season.
These opportunities are not entitlements. We are not owed these things. The hunting opportunities awarded across the Western States are the by-product of successful conservation. Without conservation, there is no sustainable yield for us to harvest. Congruently, without hunting conservationists, there is no conservation.
All of us as members of CA WSF have embraced this idea; this ideology; this belief system. Our very being is founded in a culture that cycles around the seasons, with hunting at its core. For all that we take, we also take responsibility, and we give back. Often, we do this in surplus to repay a debt that can never truly be repaid. Nevertheless, individual responsibility is at the core of the North American Conservation Model. And we proudly embrace it.
With that said, I expect to see as many of you as possible on April 30 at the Doubletree by Hilton in Sacramento for our long-awaited reunion dinner celebrating, now, more than 20 years of wildlife conservation here in the great state of California. And though we may not agree with all of our state’s politicians, we can still agree that there is still much to love about this great state, especially our goal to double the number of desert bighorns. With the hope that in doing so, we double the opportunity for people to appreciate the cycle of seasons and the cycle of life as we pursue California’s most iconic specie, the desert bighorn.
Our GALAD program is off to a great start in 2022, by the time of this publication, our first drinker project will have been completed. In conjunction with the Society for the Desert Bighorn, the CA WSF will have fully funded and help complete a 3-tank drinker system on the Fort Irwin Army Base in Southern California. We thank SCBS, our volunteers, and the United States Army for the hard work and cooperation in this collaboration.
Spring is the season of hope and renewal. There’s no better time than now to renew your dedication to CA WSF and make plans to attend our event on April 30. If you are unable to attend, please help support our efforts to double the number of desert bighorns in CA and purchase raffle tickets for our Stone Sheep hunt with Golden Bear Outfitters. They are available now at our store. You do not need to be present to win.
And while you’re there, consider donating directly to “Give a Lamb a Drink”. For more information on GALAD, please visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CnyHzUwCdE to watch Mike Borel discuss our program with our friend Bill Gaines.
So, save the date now and make your plans to attend. It will be refreshing to all be together again and I look forward to seeing all of you on April 30 in Sacramento.
Warmly yours, Donald C. Martin
Hope that springs forth once again as we enter the application season. Each one of us, in our hearts, looks forward to this renewed opportunity. We all go back to zero and each one of us has a chance at the cliché` “hunt of a lifetime”. As sheep hunters, we are hard-wired to embrace this hope. And I want to wish all of you luck in this upcoming application season.
These opportunities are not entitlements. We are not owed these things. The hunting opportunities awarded across the Western States are the by-product of successful conservation. Without conservation, there is no sustainable yield for us to harvest. Congruently, without hunting conservationists, there is no conservation.
All of us as members of CA WSF have embraced this idea; this ideology; this belief system. Our very being is founded in a culture that cycles around the seasons, with hunting at its core. For all that we take, we also take responsibility, and we give back. Often, we do this in surplus to repay a debt that can never truly be repaid. Nevertheless, individual responsibility is at the core of the North American Conservation Model. And we proudly embrace it.
With that said, I expect to see as many of you as possible on April 30 at the Doubletree by Hilton in Sacramento for our long-awaited reunion dinner celebrating, now, more than 20 years of wildlife conservation here in the great state of California. And though we may not agree with all of our state’s politicians, we can still agree that there is still much to love about this great state, especially our goal to double the number of desert bighorns. With the hope that in doing so, we double the opportunity for people to appreciate the cycle of seasons and the cycle of life as we pursue California’s most iconic specie, the desert bighorn.
Our GALAD program is off to a great start in 2022, by the time of this publication, our first drinker project will have been completed. In conjunction with the Society for the Desert Bighorn, the CA WSF will have fully funded and help complete a 3-tank drinker system on the Fort Irwin Army Base in Southern California. We thank SCBS, our volunteers, and the United States Army for the hard work and cooperation in this collaboration.
Spring is the season of hope and renewal. There’s no better time than now to renew your dedication to CA WSF and make plans to attend our event on April 30. If you are unable to attend, please help support our efforts to double the number of desert bighorns in CA and purchase raffle tickets for our Stone Sheep hunt with Golden Bear Outfitters. They are available now at our store. You do not need to be present to win.
And while you’re there, consider donating directly to “Give a Lamb a Drink”. For more information on GALAD, please visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CnyHzUwCdE to watch Mike Borel discuss our program with our friend Bill Gaines.
So, save the date now and make your plans to attend. It will be refreshing to all be together again and I look forward to seeing all of you on April 30 in Sacramento.
Warmly yours, Donald C. Martin
2002 - 2020 California Wild Sheep Foundation
CA FNAWS, doing business as California Wild Sheep Foundation or CA WSF, is a nonprofit organization and donations may be tax deductible. CA FNAWS tax identification number is 68-0481140.
Please mail donations to CAWSF, 1630 Williams Hwy #151, Grants Pass, OR. 97527.
Please mail donations to CAWSF, 1630 Williams Hwy #151, Grants Pass, OR. 97527.