Contact: Clay Chester, Southeastern States Coordinator
On July 27, Senators Gary Smith and Rick Ward accepted leadership positions for the Louisiana Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus) serving as the Senate Co-Chairs of the Caucus alongside the House Co-Chairs, Representative Vincent Pierre and Speaker Clay Schexnayder.
“I look forward to working with Representative Pierre and Speaker Schexnayder to lead the Louisiana Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus. I am eager to continue working with my colleagues in the Caucus and the Louisiana sportsmen’s community to advance policies that benefit the sportsmen and women of Louisiana,” said Senator Smith.
“I am proud to be the newest addition to the leadership bench of the Louisiana Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus. As an avid sportsman, I am excited to support the rich hunting and angling traditions in the Sportsmen’s Paradise through my work with the Caucus,” said Senator Ward.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation welcomes Senators Smith and Ward to their leadership roles for the bicameral and bipartisan Caucus. They join a network of pro-sportsmen elected officials in Louisiana, including members of the Louisiana Congressional delegation and Governor Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Governor John Bel Edwards, that is committed to supporting Louisiana’s sporting traditions.
Last year alone, Louisiana’s 904,000 hunters and anglers generated $43.18 million for conservation through the American System of Conservation Funding. Sportsmen and women in the Sportsmen’s Paradise state contribute more than $1.67 billion to the state’s economy while supporting almost 24,000 jobs.
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?
