By Aoibheann Cline, Western States Coordinator
On March 26, the Oregon Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus hosted its first Caucus meeting of 2019. The breakfast meeting was well attended by Caucus members eager for updates from Caucus leadership and a plan of action for the year to come.
Co-Chair Representative Sherrie Sprenger remarked, “I am thrilled with the amount of legislators that were in attendance, despite a slow start. After this morning I am confident this caucus is poised to gain back its momentum from previous sessions and continue growing the influence of this organization.”
The Caucus’ strong bipartisan leadership of Co-Chairs Representative. Sprenger and Representative Brad Witt affirmed their goal and commitment to a proactive approach to advancing sportsmen’s legislation in Oregon. This proactive approach was enthusiastically supported by all in attendance.
“The goal of our Caucus is that when we take a position on a sportsmen’s bill, the outcome of that bill in the Legislature is predetermined, in accordance with our Caucus Position. We have achieved that goal and anticipate duplicating that result and continuing to build upon that success for Oregon’s sportsmen and women,” Rep. Witt stated.
In addition to legislators, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, which maintains a strong working relationship with the Caucus to develop sound and effective conservation policy, was present. Many local partners and interest groups were also present and engaged, and Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s Aoibheann Cline was introduced as the new Western States Coordinator.
The meeting continued with planning of the Caucus’ annual events. The Oregon Legislative Sportsmen’s Banquet date was announced and will take place on May 6 at the Willamette Heritage Center. The always popular Banquet will feature a robust silent auction and wild game hors d’oeuvres before dinner. The date of the annual Fishing Derby was also announced and will be held on May 25. The goal of the Derby is to introduce more Oregon kids to fishing and educate them about the sport and its positive impact on conservation.
Please contact Western States Coordinator Aoibheann Cline with any further inquiries.
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?
