Why It Matters: The Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation and Access Council (HSSCAC) provides the sporting-conservation community with a direct opportunity to help inform federal policies affecting hunting, recreational shooting, wildlife conservation, and public access. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) welcomes Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum’s establishment of the Council and appreciates the opportunity for sportsmen and women to continue providing meaningful input on federal conservation and land management decisions.
Highlights:
- On September 21, the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced appointments to the HSSCAC, including CSF Senior Vice President and COO Taylor Schmitz.
- Schmitz was appointed to represent wildlife and habitat conservation and management organizations.
- The Council will advise the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture on issues affecting wildlife conservation, hunting and recreational shooting, partnerships, and public access.
- CSF has maintained a longstanding presence on federal advisory councils focused on hunting, conservation, and access; and, is the only organization to have served on every iteration of this particular Council as a regular member dating back to the establishment of the first Sporting Conservation Council in 2006.
Last week DOI announced the appointments to the HSSCAC, which is tasked with providing recommendations on the establishment and implementation of existing and proposed federal policies affecting wildlife and habitat conservation, hunting and the shooting sports, and public access. The Council will also focus on strengthening partnerships among the sporting-conservation community and federal, state, Tribal, and territorial governments.
By bringing hunters, recreational shooters, conservation organizations, and other stakeholders directly into these discussions, the Council provides DOI and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) with practical experience from those who actively participate in and support wildlife conservation. Secretary Burgum has emphasized the Council’s role in expanding access, strengthening conservation, and carrying America’s hunting and outdoor traditions forward.
CSF appreciates Secretary Burgum and DOI’s continued recognition of the important role that sportsmen and women play in conserving America’s fish and wildlife resources and supporting access to hunting and recreational shooting opportunities.
CSF has maintained a longstanding presence on federal advisory councils focused on hunting, conservation, and access, dating back to the establishment of the Sporting Conservation Council in 2006.
Through Schmitz’s appointment, CSF looks forward to working with DOI, USDA and fellow Council members to advance conservation, expand access, and ensure the perspectives of America’s sportsmen and women remain part of federal decision-making.