MISSOULA, Mont. – Boone and Crockett Club members from across the country went to Washington, D.C. last week to meet with nearly two dozen federal decision-makers about pressing issues in wildlife conservation. This was the largest contingent of Club members to convene in the nation’s capital in decades to discuss policy challenges ranging from funding for chronic wasting disease research and management to the status of wolves and grizzly bears under the Endangered Species Act to promoting active forest management on our federal public lands. On Wednesday evening during the 33rd Annual Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) Banquet and Auction, Robert “Bob” Model, Past President and Honorary Life Member of the Boone and Crockett Club, was honored with the inaugural Dingell-Young Sportsmen’s Legacy Award—the highest honor awarded by CSF.

“Meeting with members of Congress and federal agency officials is critical to engaging with them on important conservation policy issues. Last week, Boone and Crockett Club members participated in the largest fly-in we’ve had in decades, and we were proud to connect with decision-makers to provide the sportsmen-conservationist perspective on these topics,” said Tony A. Schoonen, the Club’s chief executive officer. “In addition, we were proud to see one of our own, Bob Model, receive CSF’s inaugural Dingell-Young Sportsmen’s Legacy Award in recognition of his years of engagement on hunting conservation policy.”

As the owner and operator of Mooncrest Ranch, Model stands among the most important wildlife conservation advocates of our time. Working through the Boone and Crockett Club and the CSF, Model is central to the wildlife policy community that we have today. Under his leadership in the early 2000s, the Club both hired its first contract lobbyists in decades and convened the American Wildlife Conservation Partners (AWCP) as a small coalition of then-uncoordinated hunting, trapping, and shooting sports organizations. Beyond his work with Boone and Crockett and CSF, Model has also provided policy counsel to multiple presidential administrations and has served on numerous committees and boards including the Sporting Conservation Council, the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council, the Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation Council, and the National Conservation Leadership Institute. Named for conservation policy icons Reps. John Dingell Sr. and Jr., Rep. Debbie Dingell, and Rep. Don Young, the Dingell-Young Award is conferred to individuals who best exemplify the extraordinary individual and collaborative leadership of the Dingell family and Representative Young.

“This award is given in recognition of, and with our gratitude for, the lifetime of work that Bob has dedicated to the sporting-conservation community,” said CSF President and CEO, and B&C professional member, Jeff Crane. “His legacy is one that befits the conservation legends for whom the award is named, and I cannot think of a more deserving individual to receive this honor.”

About the Boone and Crockett Club

Founded by Theodore Roosevelt in 1887, the Boone and Crockett Club promotes guardianship and visionary management of big game and associated wildlife in North America. The Club maintains the highest standards of fair chase sportsmanship and habitat stewardship. Member accomplishments include enlarging and protecting Yellowstone and establishing Glacier and Denali national parks, founding the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and National Wildlife Refuge System, fostering the Pittman-Robertson and Lacey Acts, creating the Federal Duck Stamp program, and developing the cornerstones of modern game laws. The Boone and Crockett Club is headquartered in Missoula, Montana. For details, visit www.boone-crockett.org.