By Soren Nelson, Pacific Southwest States Coordinator
On February 27, the Utah Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus met for their sixth and final breakfast briefing of the 2018 legislative session.
In addition to Caucus Members from both the House and Senate, representatives from a wide range of sportsmen’s groups were in attendance, including the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), Ducks Unlimited, and Trout Unlimited, as were representatives from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR).
Soren Nelson, CSF’s Pacific Southwest States Coordinator, kicked off the meeting by congratulating the Caucus on a successful 2018 session. “Caucuses like this one are on the front lines of protecting and advancing our time-honored sportsmen’s traditions, and this group should be proud of that,” noted Nelson.
Caucus Co-Chair Representative Timothy Hawkes briefly discussed the status of House Joint Resolution 8, which recently passed the House of Representatives with a unanimous vote. The Resolution, which was introduced by Rep. Hawkes, recognizes the positive impact that Utah’s sportsmen and sportswomen have on Utah’s natural resources and economy. The meeting continued with presentations from the meeting’s sponsor, Ducks Unlimited, and from representatives of UDWR.
“I’m thrilled with the progress we made this year as a Caucus,” said Rep. Hawkes. “We are in a strong position to continue the important work of protecting and advancing Utah’s sportsmen’s heritage.”
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?
