Our Beginnings
Conserve & Protect Arizona (CPAZ) was formed in 2018, in response to an anti-hunting initiative spearheaded by animal rights extremists in Arizona. The well-funded Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) was aggressively pursuing a ballot initiative that would ban lion and bobcat hunting statewide, effectively bypassing the Game and Fish Department’s science-based management of these species. HSUS has a long history of using “tug on your heart strings” advertising to deceive the public, selling a false narrative that the donations they receive will benefit abused or abandoned dogs and cats. However, in reality, HSUS spends less than 1% of those ill-gotten gains on the welfare of human pets, and has amassed a $100+ million war chest for political campaigns that may undermine science-based wildlife conservation and the treasured pastimes of anglers and hunters.
CPAZ quickly rose to the 2018 challenge by HSUS, working to educate Arizonans about the underlying motives behind the initiative and the threat it posed to effective wildlife conservation. In March of that year, HSUS announced suspension of their Arizona ballot initiative. This was a significant victory, marking the first time in twenty-five years that HSUS withdrew from such an effort.
Since then, CPAZ has continued to advocate for professional and scientific wildlife management through the Arizona Game and Fish Department, and is working to preserve the North American Model for Wildlife Conservation and the sustainable angling, hunting, and wildlife-associated recreation opportunities they provide.
Board of Directors
Chuck Podolak
President
Steve Rosenstock
Treasurer
Rich Williams
Vice President
Tracy Unmacht
Secretary
Eddy Corona
Director
Dustin Hoeflinger
Director
Jim Unmacht
Director
John Koleszar
Director
Heather Robertson
Director
Pete Cimellaro
Director
Michael Vargas
Director
Kurt Davis
Director