CHC recently offered the California Department of Fish and Game $5000 in support of the Department's K-9 program provided that the $4000 donation made by The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) was returned. Director Don Koch has not yet responded to the offer, but we will keep you informed of our efforts to educate the Department about the true intentions of The HSUS. To read how the United States Sportsmen's Alliance reported on the situation, please click here.

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     CHC and California Outdoor Heritage Alliance (COHA) joined together again this year to host a joint dinner, raffle and auction on August 1st in Thornton. The attendees this year numbered almost twice as much as last year's inaugural event, and were treated with an excellent tri-tip and chicken dinner with all the fixings, a long list of valuable auction and raffle items, and the satisfaction in knowing that the net proceeds will be used to by COHA and CHC to protect and promote your right to hunt.

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     Thanks to the generous support of Tommy Baldwin Racing, Carter Simo Racing and the California Outdoor Heritage Alliance, and the driving skill of the driver, CHC's logo was featured twice on the winning car of the NASCAR Camping World West Series Race at Infineon Raceway on Saturday, June 20th. Additionally, CHC was featured on a car competing in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 televised live the following day, but a crash ended the race early for that car.

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     Please join CHC in wishing long time member Karl Horner a very happy 77th birthday. CHC wishes you many more healthy and happy years, so that you can keep them dogs and yourself in the woods, Karl!

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     The fifth annual Celebrate Your Hunting Heritage Banquet and Auction was held in Red Bluff on Saturday, April 4th. California's hound hunting community turned out in large numbers to participate in this important fundraising effort to make this year's the most successful to date, as both the attendance and net profit were larger than ever before. COHA and President John Kunkle informed the audience of the efforts being made on everyone's behalf, and Tom Wright kept the auction lively, interesting, and successful through his irreplaceable talents. Carlos and crew accounted for the surge in attendees with seamless ease, and moved the hungry folks through the chow line in mere minutes. The food and service were superb as always! Equally remarkable this year was the charitable spirit displayed by so many folks in attendance, as the number of raffle tickets sold and the offers for the silent and live auctions were all quite impressive. Perhaps most impressive of all was the tremendous generosity and kindness that David Townsend exhibited when he donated the first winning ticket of the raffle to two-year old Jake Brones. Whenever asked, Jake says he wants to be a "boar" and "bear" hunter when he grows up, so his dad picked out a fine Marlin Lever Action .45-70 Guide Gun as Jake's very first rifle. The Brones Family wishes to offer their sincere appreciation to Mr. Townsend for his wonderful gift, and suggest that all hunters look to Mr. Townsend as the model by which we can aspire to when supporting the next generation of hunters. When one considers the current economic climate, the cost of gas, goods, and services, and the uncertainty of the job market, this year's event was nothing short of amazing!

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     The March meeting was a flurry of activity and proposed changes to several aspects of CHC operations. Please stay tuned for an announcement of these changes in your next CHC newsletter.

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     CHC's election to fill the six seats on the Board of Trustees with expiring terms recently came to a conclusion. The list of qualified and experienced candidates was long, but six individuals were identified during the formal count. Among the incumbants re-elected to CHC's Board of Trustees are Irv Corbin, Jim Epting, Lori Jacobs, Larry Lockwood, and Dan Tichenor. New to the Board will be Josh Brones. The Trustees were installed at the onset of the March meeting in order to carry out the business of the CHC membership.

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     The International Sportsmen's Exposition at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds in Sacramento was a tremendous success once again for CHC. In addition to the great camaraderie that was shared with old friends and the public goodwill that was extended, several people joined CHC or renewed their memberships. We'd like to welcome the following individuals to the CHC family and thank them for joining the fight to protect our hunting heritage: Bill and Cristle Freymond, Jenna Daw and Dann Ruggles, Rick James, Adrian McKown, Ray Bednar, Darrel Hedge, Jim Hopson, Jason McCallister, Jesse and Debbie Runnels, Greg Wilson, Tim Martin, Bob and Kim Varner, Tom Bales, Fran Gonsalves, Kai Defty, Jeff Hursell, Howard Hatzfeld, David Wann, Elmo Songer, Bob and Elaine Dolcini, John Anderson, David Paletta, Kevin and Erin Schmidt, T.J. Reynolds, Nick Fabro, Craig Page, Matthew and Joelene Storment, Don White, Michael Keen, Charles Korn, James Drummond and Lisa Wilmoth, Robert Spain, Dave Shillinger, Leonard and Dawn McCutcheon, and Jim Mosier. Thank you one and all!

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     2009 began with the elections of CHC officers. John Kunkle was re-elected President, Jim Epting was elected Vice-President, Peggy Donaldson was elected Treasurer, and Irv Corbin was re-elected as Secretary for a third term. Please give these officers your support during the coming year.