Why It Matters: While the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) finished the last Congress on a very strong note with the enacting into law of three priorities that passed Congress in December, there is still significant work that needs to be done for sportsmen and women. CSF hit the ground running on day one of the…
January 17, 2025 (Washington, DC) – This month, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) launched the CSF Forestry Advisory Council to bring together the forest industry and the hunting conservation community to work collaboratively to provide guidance to CSF to inform and advance policies that facilitate active forest management, support a robust forest industry, and improve wildlife habitat and…
Why It Matters: The U.S. Forest Service faces several issues going into 2025, including, among others, a workforce challenge, a budget shortfall, and more than 117 million acres of fire-prone forests in need of restoration. The withdrawal of the National Old-Growth Amendment, which the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) strongly supports, avoids further distracting the agency…
Why It Matters: Sportsmen and women depend on healthy forests to provide access and quality wildlife habitat, and the Fix Our Forests Act (H.R. 8790) would enact policy reforms that will bolster active forest management to address the restoration needs on the more than 117 million acres of fire-prone forests. The legislation is critical to…
Why It Matters: Attempting to amend 121 National Forest land management plans to provide consistent direction for the management of old-growth forests, as Alternative 2, the Preferred Alternative proposed, is a misplaced policy priority and distraction from the need to address declining fish and wildlife habitat and forest health across the National Forest System. At…
August 5, 2024 (Washington, DC) – Last week, more than 50 congressional staff, leaders of forest policy, state foresters, and key partners attended the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s (CSF) Sustainable Forest Management Policy Briefing that highlighted forest policies and programs impacting wildlife and hunter access on private working forests and federal forests. At the briefing CSF…
Why it matters: The U.S. Forest Service is largely understaffed and underfunded given their immense responsibilities as one of the nation’s largest land managers. The Good Neighbor Authority allows states, counties, and tribes to partner with the Forest Service to conduct forest management projects. States, counties, and tribes have a vested interest in the health…
Why It Matters: Sportsmen and women depend on healthy forests to provide quality wildlife habitat, and forest owners and land managers need accurate and accessible information to effectively manage forests. The Forest Data Modernization Act would update the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis Program to better inform forest management decision-making to improve forest…
Why It Matters: For years, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has supported efforts to restore state wildlife management authority of species that are recovered under the Endangered Species Act, including grizzly bears and gray wolves. Furthermore, CSF has long supported efforts to alleviate the costly procedural hurdles imposed by the Cottonwood decision. Last week’s hearing…
Why It Matters: Despite the importance of young forests to a variety of wildlife species, young forests and other early successional habitats comprise less than 1% of the George Washington National Forest. Implementation of the Archer Knob Project is critical to reversing the habitat loss and declines in wildlife, including species pursued by Virginia’s hunters…
Why It Matters: Active forest management is an effective way of improving wildlife habitat and forest health, which in turn increases access and opportunity for outdoor pursuits of these healthier wildlife populations. Forest restoration projects such as the one proposed on the Hoosier National Forest are crucial to conservation and CSF’s mission of advancing the…
Why It Matters: Early successional habitats are lacking on George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, and the scarcity of these critical habitats for wildlife negatively impacts hunting traditions as game populations have declined because of reduced active forest management treatments. Supporting these projects is important for creating habitat that supports game and nongame wildlife and…