Why It Matters: Whether they are aware of it or not, sportsmen and women support the “user pays – public benefits” structure of the American System of Conservation Funding through the purchase of firearms, ammunition, and other related outdoor sporting goods. Manufacturer-level excise taxes collected on these products are funneled directly back into conservation. 2nd …
Why It Matters: Hunters in Maryland can continue to use the ammunition of their choosing for hunting game species in the “Old-Line State”. Maryland House Bill 741 (HB 741) and Senate Bill 634 (SB 634) contained a provision that would require the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to create a lead hunting ammunition phase-out …
Going, Going, GONE! Maryland’s Lead Hunting Ammo Ban Killed at Crossover Read More »
Why It Matters: Without active management, forest health and wildlife habitat will decline as insects, drought, and other stressors reduce stand vigor while the risk for severe wildfire will increase, threatening nearby private lands as well as the winter range habitat that the wildlife management area provides for big game species important to Montana’s hunters …
CSF Supports Habitat Improvement Project on Montana Wildlife Management Area Read More »
Why It Matters: Firearms have long been one of the most important tools for participating in our outdoor traditions. Recognizing this, the Nebraska legislature is considering two bills that would respectively protect firearm purchasers from having their firearm and ammunition purchases tracked while also protecting the firearm industry from discriminatory business practices. Highlights: Nebraska Legislative …
Nebraska Legislation Protecting Firearm Retailers and Consumers on the Move Read More »
Why It Matters: Though hunting, fishing, and harvesting wildlife (including by trapping) have long been our heritage, dating back to before the first Europeans arrived in North America, only recently has the “right” to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife come into question. To establish in perpetuity what has been assumed for centuries, 24 states have …
Right to Hunt and Fish Gets Committee Hearing in Maine Read More »
Why It Matters: There are seven federal agencies under four different cabinet-level secretaries that have some degree of jurisdiction and regulatory authority over what hunters, anglers, and boaters can or cannot do on navigable waters. As a compliment to the MAPWaters Act (H.R. 187) for the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture …
Better Mapping of Marine Waters for Anglers and Boaters Clears Senate Committee Read More »
Why It Matters: Advancements in muzzleloading technology, such as the Firestick, have enhanced the safety and reliability of traditional muzzleloading firearms while maintaining the traditional characteristic of loading the projectile down the barrel. However, many states have outdated definitions of “muzzleloaders” or “primitive firearms” that don’t allow for the use of such technologies during their …
Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission Moves to Modernize Muzzleloader Definition Read More »
Why It Matters: Though the sporting-conservation community often finds itself in a defensive position, there are opportunities to advance proactive measures to protect and advance our outdoor pursuits. In Arkansas, these opportunities have recently taken shape in the form of a resolution to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Dingell-Johnson Act, and bills that would …
NASC Executive Council President Introduces Several CSF Priorities in Arkansas Read More »
Why It Matters: Private working forests provide a wide range of benefits to the public including providing habitat for fish and wildlife, open space, and access for sportsmen and women, and more, and the Forest Conservation Easement Program would offer landowners additional options to conserve their forestland. Preventing the conversion of working forests to other …
CSF-Priority Forestland Conservation Legislation Introduced in Senate Read More »
Why It Matters: Legislation seeking to restrict firearms is often eventually used as a vector of attack for issues more directly pertaining to sportsmen and women, just as restrictions on hunting are often used as a vector of attack against Second Amendment rights. Our issues are fundamentally intertwined given that firearms of every kind are …
Why It Matters: As Idaho continues to navigate the balance between outdoor heritage and modern legislative pressure, Senate Bill 1013 emerges as a promising step forward. This bill, introduced by Idaho Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chairs, aims to bolster trapping education and mentorship programs, offering a structured entryway for individuals interested in trapping while reinforcing its …
Trapper’s Education: A Gateway for Beginners in Idaho Read More »
Why It Matters: Today’s youth are the future sportsmen and women that will be called upon to carry on our sporting heritage. Efforts to establish hunter education classes in Georgia’s schools will benefit children in grades six through twelve by bringing our time-honored traditions into the classroom and recruiting the next generation of sportsmen and …
CSF Priority Hunter Education in Schools Legislation Clears House in Georgia Read More »
Why It Matters: On February 25th, without discussion, the New York State Senate Committee on Environmental Protection and Conservation voted 10-1 to ban the import, export, transport, process, sell, offer for sale, purchase, trade, barter, distribution or possession of any part or product of a list of the “Big 5” African animals including elephants, lions, …
Why It Matters: The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s (CSF) Collegiate Sportsmen and Women’s Coalition (CSWC) seeks to educate young adults from diverse interests and backgrounds about the importance of hunting, angling, trapping, and recreational shooting to fish and wildlife conservation while also providing them with hands-on education in how to effectively engage in the policy process to protect these …
Collegiate Sportsmen and Women’s Coalition at Penn State Making an Impact on Campus Read More »
Why It Matters: Despite the highest abundance of red snapper anyone has ever seen in the South Atlantic, the season was only one day in 2024. Compounding the nonsensical state of red snapper management in the region, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) settled a lawsuit in 2024 brought by commercial fishermen that required an …
CSF Testifies on South Atlantic Red Snapper Amendment at Final Public Hearing Read More »
Why It Matters: Iowa legislators have been busy introducing legislation that is both positive and negative for sportsmen and women. Two new pieces of legislation have been introduced and are making their way through the legislative process before the March 7 “funnel” date. One bill aims to repeal the Natural Resource and Outdoor Recreation Trust …
Iowa Bills to Watch as First Funnel Date Approaches Read More »
Why It Matters: As an experienced leader in forestry and public lands management, Tom Schultz will guide a multiple-use mission agency that has significantly reduced its timber harvesting levels over the last few decades – to the detriment of forest health, wildlife habitat, communities, and the sportsmen and women that recreate on and nearby national …
CSF Celebrates Appointment of Tom Schultz as the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service Read More »
Why It Matters: Each year, legislators across the country and in West Virginia, introduce well-meaning legislation that provides free and discounted hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses for certain qualified individuals/groups. However, these initiatives have the potential to have negative impacts on the state’s fish and wildlife agency’s budget. To prevent the loss of sportsmen-generated dollars …
Why It Matters: Colorado SB25-003 (SB3) many semi-automatic rifles and shotguns commonly used by America’s sportsmen and women in hunting and recreational shooting. However, after multiple rounds of amendments, SB3 now seeks to impose new permitting requirements for gun owners. Modern sporting rifles and semi-automatic shotguns are not only important to our hunting heritage but …
Following Heavy Amendments, the Semi-Auto Firearms Ban Advances in Colorado Read More »
Why It Matters: South Carolina has more than 12.6 million acres of private working forests and public forests that support the state’s economy and provide habitat for fish and wildlife, open space, and places for people to hunt and fish. As the state’s forest industry faces challenges that may depress forest management activity, coupled with …
CSF Supports Sustainable Forestry Programs in South Carolina Read More »
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