The National Wildlife Federation is rounding up hunting and fishing groups throughout the country to give a cold shoulder to global warming.

The conservation group, with a mission of urging Americans to protect wildlife for their kids' future, held regional teleconferences around the country Thursday to call for sportsmen clubs to band together and tell Congress to take immediate action. More than 680 groups have signed a letter to Congress, the NWF's Web site said Thursday.

Clarence Bina, the Bismarck-based executive director of the North Dakota Wildlife Federation, and outdoor personality Tony Dean spoke on behalf of the Dakotas region.

Dean, who lives in Pierre, S.D., pointed to the thousands of Canada geese that wintered in the Pierre area in the 1970s.

"Now, they are in Clarence's country," he said.

Bina, who paid $2 for his first North Dakota hunting license in 1958 at the Brocket Post Office, said no one can afford to ignore the reality of science that points to global warming.

"The term 'tipping point' is here now," he said.

The sportsmen's letter calls for members of Congress to support:

n A federal cap-and-trade legislation that would cap carbon emissions and trade carbon credits.

n Cuts in carbon emissions of 2 percent annually, putting America on a path for a cut of 80 percent by 2050, the amount scientists say is necessary to avoid the worst effects of global warming.

n Dedicated funding to conserve and restore America's natural resources already impacted by global warming.

The moderator, Jennifer Pelej, a national wildlife federation regional organizer from Missoula, Mont., said sportsmen and women were uniting for a good cause.

"It's a significant group of hunters and anglers coming together," she said.

Dean dismissed people or groups that deny global warming's existence.

"It's increasingly difficult to find people who are saying global warming is not coming. The science is real, and it's becoming more clear," he said.

Dean wasn't as confident about Congress taking action on cap and trade this year.

"I suspect we won't see it happen in an election year," he said.

(Reach outdoor writer Richard Hinton at 250-8256 or richard.hinton@bismarcktribune.com.)