On July 31, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) joined 25 other conservation organizations in support of Section 102 of S. 1571, which would provide a remedy to the current “fire-borrowing” problem faced by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Department of Interior (DOI).
Introduced by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Member Senator Mike Crapo (ID), S. 1571, a bill to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program, would develop wildfire suppression funding processes for the USFS and DOI. With wildfires escalating each year, suppression consumes 50 percent of the USFS budget. This funding is borrowed from other important programs that support fish and wildlife conservation, forest management, keeping watersheds healthy, and outdoor recreation access projects.
Section 102 would adjust the Disaster Relief Fund to include fire-suppression costs, and therefore limit the need for fire-borrowing from other important programs.
The 26 groups in support of this bill sent a letter to Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee requesting expeditious action by the Committee to advance this bill the Senate floor.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
