On June 17, a host of pro-sportsmen’s organizations, including the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), sent a letter to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the House Committee on Natural Resources providing comments on the “Refuge from Cruel Trapping Act” (S. 1081 and H.R. 2016).
The 34 organizations voiced their opposition to the “Refuge from Cruel Trapping Act,” which would limit professional wildlife management and recreational trapping opportunities on National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) lands. The bill would effectively prohibit the possession and use of foothold, snare, body-gripping, and other forms of lethal and non-lethal traps on NWRS land.
Trapping is a primary tool used in wildlife damage management programs, including eradication efforts of invasive species, and to restrain animals for wildlife research. The anti-trapping language included in S. 1081 and H.R. 2016 undermines the fundamental goals of the National Wildlife Refuge System, which was originally established with the intent to prioritize wildlife-dependent recreational activities, such as hunting, fishing and trapping.
The undersigned organizations on the letter are committed to working with both Committees to ensure that professional wildlife management strategies remain intact and that the rights of trappers are protected.
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?
