Dennis and all,
It has become painfully obvious that attacks on our way of life have become more frequent and severe. A small group of deer, elk and exotic producers started the discussion before, during and immediately after the USAHA meetings this year and raised the simple question "How can we as an industry better deal with these challenges we are facing?". After much discussion that ran the gamut from can we use an existing structure all the way to should we create an entirely new association. It was unamiously agreed that we didn't need to do any more than get all interested parties to sit down at one table with one common goal - fiercely defend the cervid industry!
To that end we started the task of gathering not just support but the enthusiastic committed support from 32 local, state and national associations and their membership. We have had countless representatives come to us and say this is what they have been looking for.
As to what is different, I think you have to realize that the ACA isn't a competing association, it isn't an association at all. It is a leadership council where the leaders of any and all cervid associations can come together and sit at one table and everyone has an equal voice. Take Pennsylvania your home state, we have Beverly Gruber-Executive Director, George Hazard-President, Glen Dice-Vice-President, Larry Pittenger-Director and Kelly Pittenger-Executive Secretary all participating on the process to formulate a plan on how we are going to respond to the attacks we as an industry are facing.
One thing I can tell you for certain is this group is going to start playing offense instead of read and react defense. We had an attorney on last nights call that gave an update on how a federal lawsuit could proceed if the standards document isn't revised to a level that allows for the cervid industry to reasonably conduct business. We also had an update on a couple epidemiologist one from Texas and one from Georgia that the ACA could use as expert witnesses to start to contest some of the bogus so-called facts that is being put out to the public and used against us to make regulatory policy. We have also been looking at legal options to help producers in the states that are currently under attack, such as Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Missouri.
This group isn't going to get lost in it's mission. We aren't having conventions or worrying about publishing magazines or newsletters - pure and simply aggressively protect and preserve the cervid industry. Get pertinent information to the leaders, bring them together to make informed decisions and put their plans in motion.
Hope this helps, Eric Mohlman
