News

Taking a Closer Look at Reimbursement to Fish and Wildlife Agencies for Free and Discounted Licenses

Why It Matters: Each year, legislators look at ways to recognize and thank certain qualified individuals/groups by providing free and/or discounted licenses for hunting, fishing, and trapping. While this is well-intended, such legislation has the potential to reap deteriorative effects on the fish and wildlife agencies’ budgets. To prevent the loss of sportsmen-generate dollars for …

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Walleye Win: Harvest Increased on Minnesota’s Storied Mille Lacs Lake

Why It Matters: State fish and wildlife management agencies are the best-equipped authority to make critical decisions surrounding fish and wildlife resources. However, when data changes, or there is a lack of observable data to justify prior decisions, they must be updated to reflect what is best for both the resource and the primary stakeholders …

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Georgia Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Adds New Leaders

Why It Matters: The resounding success experienced by the Georgia Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus since its inception into the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses in 2004 is largely due to a history of strong leadership coupled with steadfast support from the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF). Georgia offers a wide variety of hunting and angling opportunities for …

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Outdoor Activities Heating Up in the West, but Not in a Good Way

Why It Matters: As the hot, dry summer months drag on, many western states are being impacted by drought and fire conditions. Heat, fire, and reduced water flows are having an impact on fish and wildlife, leading to access restrictions as state fish and wildlife agencies scramble to balance wildlife health, public safety, sporting access, …

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UPDATE: Massachusetts Governor Signs Omnibus Anti-Gun Package into Law

Why It Matters: On July 25, 2024, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed into law an omnibus firearms package. This bill was ultimately passed by the House and Senate as House Bill (HB 4885) – An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws. Behind closed doors, HB 4885 was whittled down to 116 pages which significantly impact Massachusetts firearm …

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Fisheries Conservation Legislation Expected to Advance in California

Why It Matters: The “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” is the name given to Earth’s largest ocean plastic accumulation zone, the eastern half of which swirls around off the coast of California, held permanently in place by the Pacific Ocean currents known as the North Pacific Tropical Gyre. This Eastern Garbage Patch covers an area twice …

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CSF Weighs in on the Closure of Recreational Flounder Season in North Carolina

Why It Matters: Recreational anglers in North Carolina generate over $40 million in funding for conservation through the “user pays – public benefits” structure of the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF). Therefore, ensuring access for recreational angling is critical to maintaining sustainable fisheries. Recreational anglers are also a potentially strong resource for collecting biological …

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CSF’s Chris Horton Assists BFHOF With Supporting Future Conservation Leaders

Why It Matters: The pipeline of college graduates entering a field of natural resource management with a state or federal agency and who also come from an angling or hunting background has gone from a gush to a trickle in recent decades. Biologists and managers who grew up hunting and fishing tend to have a …

CSF’s Chris Horton Assists BFHOF With Supporting Future Conservation Leaders Read More »

Learn to Hunt Programs Offered in Iowa

Why It Matters: Learn to hunt programs offer great opportunities for individuals who have little to no experience with hunting to learn new skills that are needed for hunting. Not having the proper knowledge when it comes to hunting can be a barrier for youth or first-time hunters. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have …

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FL Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Leadership Opposes Wilderness Designations Within Big Cypress

Why It Matters: Congressionally designated Wilderness oftentimes reduces access for sportsmen and women and limits natural resource management capabilities in favor of preservation over conservation. Establishing Wilderness designations within the Big Cypress National Preserve (BCNP) would negatively impact science-based management practices to improve wildlife habitat as well as quality hunting opportunities in southern Florida. Highlights: …

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House Natural Resources Subcommittee Hears Important CSF Priority

Why it Matters: The America’s Conservation Enhancement Reauthorization Act (ACE) reauthorizes nearly a dozen provisions that will bolster the conservation of fish, wildlife, and their associated habitats across North America and provides an important protection for America’s anglers. The ACE Act has been a long-standing priority for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) since first enacted with …

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NASC Executive Council Holds Successful Mid-Year Meeting in Maryland

Why It Matters: The National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) Executive Council is a bipartisan group of state sportsmen-legislators who lead the NASC network by providing advice to the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) on the administration of the NASC program. Representing states from Alaska to Maine, and South Carolina to New Mexico, Executive Council Members collectively possess decades of …

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Computer Glitch Impacts Washington State Special Hunt Permits

Why It Matters: State fish and wildlife agencies throughout our country are tasked with the difficult job of balancing recreation with conservation and wildlife management. Extra work goes into special hunts and the raffle permit systems. The carefully planned 2024-2025 special hunt season in Washington State was thrown into chaos after a software error was …

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How to Get Involved in the Legislative Process to Protect your Hunting and Fishing Rights in the Mid-Atlantic

Why It Matters: Each year, hundreds and sometimes thousands of pieces of legislation are introduced in each respective state during their legislative session, including numerous bills that will impact conservation and/or your right to partake in our time-honored traditions of hunting, fishing, trapping, and recreational shooting. Legislators are the backbone of the legislative process, so …

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Home on the Range: Recreational Shooting is an Unsung Hero of Our Sporting Traditions

Why It Matters: Through the unique “user pays – public benefits” structure of the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF), recreational shooters are an unsung hero of conservation funding. Manufacturers of firearms and ammunition supported the passage of Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, redirecting an existing manufacturer-level excise tax on their products to be …

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And Now We Wait: Signature Deadline for Colorado Anti-Hunting Ballot Initiative Has Arrived

Why It Matters: The use of ballot initiatives to ban hunting circumvents the legislative and regulatory process that provides the opportunity for input by professionals, for revisions, and considerations of broader impacts within the Colorado’s overall science-based management plan. These initiatives can allow wildlife management decisions to be made based on emotion rather than scientific …

And Now We Wait: Signature Deadline for Colorado Anti-Hunting Ballot Initiative Has Arrived Read More »

Granite Stater’s Privacy Protected with Governor’s Signature

Why It Matters: Last Friday, July 12, 2024, Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus Chair, Governor Chris Sununu signed New Hampshire House Bill 1186 (HB 1186) – An Act Relative to Firearm Purchaser’s Privacy into law, protecting the privacy of Granite Staters and individuals shopping in New Hampshire. Highlights On July 13, 2024, Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus Chair Governor …

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Temps Rise on Atlantic Red Snapper Season, While Florida Experiments with a Better Way

Why It Matters: July 12th marked the beginning, and the end, of the 2024 South Atlantic red snapper season. Unfortunately, we are stuck under a federal management paradigm in the South Atlantic that rewards a rapidly rebuilding red snapper population with fewer red snapper fishing opportunities, with the season totaling one day this year. Sound …

Temps Rise on Atlantic Red Snapper Season, While Florida Experiments with a Better Way Read More »

New Opportunities for Ocean State Turkey Hunters

Why It Matters: Earlier this year, Rhode Island Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair, Sen. Gordon Rogers introduced Senate Bill 2154 (SB 2154)– An Act Relating to Fish and Wildlife – Birds, which allows the taking of wild turkeys by using a crossbow in compliance with rules and regulations promulgated by DEM.) SB 2154 increases opportunities for …

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CSF-Supported Land Conservation Legislation Signed into Law

Why It Matters: In states like North Carolina where land is primarily privately owned and the population is increasing rapidly, proactive efforts such as offering financial incentives to private landowners to conserve property are essential to ensuring the future success of wildlife management efforts. These incentives, such as offering state income tax credits to landowners …

CSF-Supported Land Conservation Legislation Signed into Law Read More »

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