From the Editor

In January the sporting community lost a true conservation hero when James D. Range succumbed to kidney cancer. He was 63.
    Range was perhaps best known as the chief counsel and longtime advisor to former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker (the Republican from Range’s home state of Tennessee), and at the time of his death he worked as senior policy advisor in the law firm of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz. As a sportsman, you may have known Range as the co-founder and Chairman of the Board of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) or as a member of the boards of directors of Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, the Wetlands America Trust, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, the American Sportfishing Association, and the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust. He was an original board member and Chair of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. In 2003 he was the recipient of the US Dept. of the Interior’s Great Blue Heron Award for his work to conserve waterfowl habitat, and he was honored as the 2003 Outdoor Life Magazine Conservationist of the Year.
    The name still not ringing a bell? Range wouldn’t have minded. In fact, anonymity was fine with him. Jim Range was a man of action, not accolades, having realized that you could accomplish a lot more if you weren’t concerned with who received credit for it. He was a man of artful compromise and bipartisanship, as he found ways to work both sides of the aisle to bring together diverse groups for a common cause. And for him that cause was clear: preserving the traditions of hunting & fishing while conserving habitat for future generations.
    I met Range only once, at a TRCP reception several years ago. He struck me as an enthusiastic and genuine person—steadfast in his convictions and focused on his goals. Of course now I regret not having taken him up on his kind offer to join him at his Montana ranch to hunt sharptails and Huns behind his beloved German wirehairs. I’m sure I would have enjoyed that.
    In an effort to learn more about Range, I visited the Website set up as a tribute to him: www .jimrange.com. It was humbling, to say the least. The heartfelt messages from family and friends shed light on a man well respected and of obvious influence. What impressed me most, however, were the terms used to describe him: dedicated, loyal, trusted, a visionary, a confidant, a tireless champion, a mentor. He was a “strategist” and an “advisor,” a “political genius” and a “hero.” But most of all he was a friend, not only to those he knew (and didn’t know) but also to the wild things and wild places he loved most.
    A couple of quotes from the site:
    “Jim Range left the world, especially Montana, a better place than what he found. There can be no greater legacy, and it’s one that we should all strive for in our own lives. Thank you, Jim, for all the memories and all the lessons, and your love. You have made us all better for having known you, and we will strive to fill your shoes however we can.”  —Pete Cardinal, Flyway Ranch, Craig, Montana
    “A hole has been torn in the fabric of the American sportsmen-conservation community. We will all come together to sew it up, but there will always be a scar. The TRCP embodies Jim Range’s vision for fundamentally changing the role sportsmen play in the policymaking that will shape the future of hunting and fishing in this country. He entrusted us with a mission we must fulfill: to guarantee every American a quality place to hunt and fish. We can’t get there without continuing to change attitudes and open new doors in Washington. Jim got us started; let’s keep going. Whether through the TRCP or other groups, take action when called upon or on your own to ensure a future for hunting and fishing in this country. Get involved. Give. Jim wouldn’t sit still for anything that was eroding the outdoor way of life he treasured. We shouldn’t either.”  —George Cooper, President & CEO, TRCP

The TRCP Board of Directors recently established the Jim Range Conservation Fund in honor of its former Chairman. For more information or to make a donation, contact the TRCP, 202-654-4600; www.trcp.org.
Ralph P. Stuart