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From Field and Stream Magazine

California Congressman a candidate for Interior Secretary

November 27, 2008 -- What do you call a congressman who has earned praise and awards from both the Safari Club International and the Sierra Club?

How about secretary of the Interior?

That's what many of America's sportsmen are hoping President-elect Barack Obama will call Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) in the near future.

Thirty-five executives of leading hunting and fishing groups sent sent a letter to Obama's transition team on November 19, urging the appointment of Thompson to a position critical to protecting the nation's fish and wildlife habitat. The executives cited Thompson's unique ability to work successfully across the nation's diverse environmental community, from traditional hunting and fishing groups to mainstream environmental organizations.

Congressman Mike Thompson and Larry Hendrix,
Yurok Tribal Councilmember and UIHS Board
Member -- presentation of a replica of the dug-out
canoe used at the ceremonial signing of the Trinity
River Record of Decisions.

"He has been a leader and advocate on many of the most difficult conservation issues before our nation," the letter stated. "These issues include improving critical conservation programs in the Farm Bill, wetlands protection, developing tax incentives for private landowners to improve the habitat on their land, expanding access to private and public lands for sportsmen, and the recruitment and retention of hunters and anglers."

The six-term congressman managed to garner an 89 percent score from the liberal-leaning League of Conservation Voters and win the coveted Edgar Wayburn Award for environmental protection from the Sierra Club, while also being named Legislator of the Year by the conservative-dominated Safari Club International. He has served as vice chairman and co-chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus and won praise from anglers as well as green groups for helping broker solutions to daunting fisheries issues on Western rivers.

No one can accuse Thompson of not being the real deal when it comes to our sports. A lifelong hunter and angler from rural northern California, Thompson has taken a couple of record-book blacktails, and he hunts ducks over his own hand-carved decoys. But it's his record that has hunting and fishing conservation groups most excited.

"Throughout his political career, Congressman Thompson has been a bipartisan consensus builder with a clear record of advocating issues critical to America's 38 million sportsmen and women," stated Jeff Crane, president of the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation. "As a past chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, I know firsthand that given the opportunity to serve as secretary of the Interior, Mike Thompson will be an ally to hunters, anglers, and all conservationists."

Thompson's name surfaced last week in news reports speculating on Interior candidates being considered by the Obama team. The lists had a decided Western slant, including Montana's Gov. Brian Schweitzer, former Oregon governor John Kitzhaber, former Alaska governor Tony Knowles, and Arizona's Rep. Raul Grijalva.

Interior has gotten little attention as the president-elect wrestles with the mounting economic crises. Almost any of the names being mentioned would signal an intention to restore balance to resource agencies that, under orders from the Bush administration, turned over unprecedented expanses of public lands to oil, gas, mining, and timber interests. But sportsmen are clearly hoping that an appointment of Thompson to a post recently dominated by career politicians or executives from the industries regulated by the agency will finally put the nation's wildlife and lands in the hands of the type of person who knows them best—a hunter and fisherman.