06/24/2007

Ex-state lobbyist among those behind foundation

By BRIAN McGILLIVARY

bmcgillivary@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — The Michigan Legislative Sportsmen's Foundation collected about $26,000 over the last four years to spend on Michigan's elected officials so they could shoot skeet, take Lake Michigan charter fishing trips and hunt doves in Ohio.

The group does so without having to file a lobbying report.

The nonprofit foundation has no Web site. State lawmakers contend they don't know where the foundation gets its money to underwrite politicians' outings, and they seem to know little about its co-founder and main contact, former state lobbyist James Christopher Shaeffer, 49, of Saline.

Shaeffer and Merle Shepard of Allen Park, a governmental affairs chairman and president-elect of Safari Club International, formed the foundation in 2003 as a nonprofit public charity to "educate state lawmakers,” according to state filings.

Shaeffer said the foundation provides "an appropriation” so the Michigan Sportsmen's Legislative Caucus — a group of state politicians — can hold outdoor events to educate lawmakers.

"Like on Monday, we'll be bringing them to the Traverse City area and showing how important the charter fishing industry is to tourism,” Shaeffer said.

About two dozen state politicians and family members are slated gather in Manistee today and will accept lodging, food and fishing, freebies totaling more than $5,000.

Shaeffer's organization will spend at least $1,000 on lodging for politicians who take the trip to Manistee.

There are similar foundations in 31 other states modeled on the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, which provides funding to the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation for similar "educational” activities.

Shaeffer said funding for the foundation comes from such nonprofit advocacy groups such as the Michigan United Conservation Clubs, Safari Club International, the National Wild Turkey Federation, and others. Representatives of those organizations also make up his board. Some, such as the MUCC, are registered lobbying organizations.

Many of those same hunting groups helped organize and fund Citizens for Wildlife Conservation, which spearheaded opposition to the 2006 ballot initiative to ban morning dove hunting in Michigan. Shaeffer was listed as treasurer for the group. His activities on behalf of the sportsmen's foundation come as a volunteer, Shaeffer said.

That doesn't include attending foundation-funded events, however. Donations to the Michigan Legislative Sportsmen's Foundation are tax deductible, so the foundation cannot lobby under Internal Revenue Service regulations.

"We never participate in the actual events,” Shaeffer said. "We don't want any speculation that we are improperly lobbying.”