Why It Matters: With the release of the conservation.gov website and the beta-version of the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas, sportsmen and women, and all Americans have a clearer idea of what the Biden Administration is considering “conserved” as it relates to the America the Beautiful Initiative. Fortunately, the information contained in the Atlas is …
Why It Matters: The South Carolina Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus) is a bipartisan group of state legislators organized under the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) umbrella that works to protect and advance hunting, angling, recreational shooting, and trapping and promote professional fish and wildlife management. To achieve these goals, the Caucus hosts sportsmen’s policy-centric …
Why it Matters: The recreational boating and fishing community understands the importance of protecting North Atlantic right whales (NARW) and fully supports efforts to do so. However, a proposed rule regarding vessel speed reductions along much of the Atlantic seaboard will create significant access barriers for offshore anglers and boaters for more than half the …
CSF Weighs in on Final Stop for Proposed North Atlantic Vessel Speed Rule Read More »
Why It Matters: Bills that seek to prohibit hunters from participating in contests or tournaments threaten traditions that sportsmen and women have long enjoyed, as well as legitimate conservation methods of controlling predator and invasive species – namely coyotes. Most importantly, these bills attempt to legislatively manage wildlife issues rather than vesting the appropriate decision-making …
Fur the Win: Illinois Hunting Tournament Ban Misses Deadline Read More »
Why It Matters: Legislators, particularly those with a passion for our shared outdoor pursuits, are typically flooded each day with opposition to and attacks against the things they do. Events that bring sportsmen and women together with legislators to celebrate our hunting, fishing, trapping, and shooting traditions in a positive environment are an effective way …
Hundreds of Sportspeople Come Together for Colorado Sportsmen’s Day at the Capitol Read More »
Why It Matters: The Nebraska legislative session saw its fair share of legislation that would ultimately have negative impacts on the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission funding. There were multiple bills aimed at offering free and discounted licenses and a bill to divert millions of dollars away from Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Despite these …
Why It Matters: Introduced on February 28, 2024, Maine Legislative Docket 2238 (LD 2238) An Act to Address Gun Violence in Maine by Requiring a Waiting Period for Certain Firearm Purchases, imposes a minimum three-day waiting period on the transferring of a firearm. On March 7, 2024, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) submitted testimony to …
UPDATE: Maine Lawmakers Pass 72-Hour Wait Period on Firearms Transfers Read More »
Why It Matters: Legislation that reimburses the state fish and wildlife agency for revenue lost due to the creation of free and discounted hunting licenses is an effective way to protect conservation funding from misguided attempts to recognize specific groups by providing them with free or discounted licenses. While these efforts are oftentimes well-intentioned, they have a significant …
Legislation to Protect Conservation Funding in Louisiana Advances Read More »
Why It Matters: Habitat is the driving force behind healthy fish and wildlife populations. At a time when fish and wildlife habitats across the nation continue to become fragmented and degraded, the America’s Wildlife Habitat Conservation Act authorizes funding to conserve species before more costly measures are necessary. This legislation also codifies existing partnerships and …
Why It Matters: The 2024 Maryland Legislative Session adjourned, “Sine Die”, on Monday, April 8th. With that, five anti-sportsmen bills the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) engaged on failed, of which two egregious anti-sportsmen bills died as they did not pass out of both chambers before the deadline. Senate Bill 983 (SB 983) would have started …
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 for the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, the MAPOceans …
House Introduces Bill to Remove Access Uncertainty on Marine Waters Read More »
Why It Matters: A recent court ruling has made wide scale changes to trapping seasons in the northern portions of Idaho, designated as grizzly bear habitat. Prior to this ruling, Idaho Senate Bill 1211, supported by the Idaho Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, had expanded wolf trapping seasons in areas with chronic livestock depredation and/or reduced elk …
Court Ruling Impacts Wolf Trapping Seasons in Idaho Read More »
Why It Matters: Allowing the use of small-bore shotguns such as the .410-bore and 28 gauge to take turkeys expands the hunting opportunities available to youth, smaller-framed, or otherwise recoil-sensitive hunters. As these smaller shotguns are entirely effective at ethically harvesting turkeys, allowing their use may very well create new lifelong turkey-chasers, which is critical …
Liberty and Turkeys for All: Illinois Bills Would Expand Opportunities for Youth Hunters Read More »
Why It Matters: Thanks to the conservation management efforts of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and their partners, utilizing funding generated in large part by hunters through the American System of Conservation Funding, data supports establishing a highly regulated hunting season for Louisiana black bears. This will provide sportsmen and women, who are …
Why It Matters: Legislation seeking to restrict the Second Amendment is often eventually used as a vector of attack for other issues directly pertaining to sportsmen and women, just as restrictions on hunting are often used as a vector of attack against Second Amendment rights. In Colorado, recent efforts include a proposed excise tax, or …
Singled Out: Colorado’s Gun Owners Targeted for 11% Excise Tax on Gun and Ammo Purchases Read More »
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 …
CSF’s Collegiate Sportsmen and Women’s Coalition Grows in Louisiana and South Carolina Read More »
Why It Matters: Introduced on February 16, 2024, Massachusetts Senate Bill 499 (MA S 499) – An Act to reimburse the George L. Darey Inland Fisheries and Game Fund, proposes to amend Section 11 of Chapter 131 of the General Laws, by adding a new sentence which would allow for the George L. Darey Inland …
Why It Matters: Hunters and recreational shooters are the backbone of the “user pays – public benefits” American System of Conservation Funding. Hunting license sales generate significant revenue for state fish and wildlife agencies, and manufacturers pay a self-imposed excise tax on their firearm and ammunition purchases which is then returned to state fish and …
Kentucky General Assembly Successfully Protects Hunter and Recreational Shooter Privacy Read More »
Why It Matters: Millions of sportsmen-generated dollars have been protected in Nebraska after critical amendments were made to Legislative Bill 1413 prior to the bill being signed into law by the Governor. The original version of LB 1413 would have redirected $7,000,000 from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission state game fund and $2,500,000 from …
Nearly $37 Million in Sportsmen-Generated Conservation Dollars Protected in Nebraska Read More »
Why It Matters: As you may remember from Schoolhouse Rock, a bill’s journey is not complete after it has been approved by the Legislative Branch – the Executive Branch (the Governor at the state level) must either sign or veto it. Recently, the Wisconsin Governor elected to sign a few sporting bills into law while …
Wisconsin Governor Signs Some Sporting Bills, Vetoes Others Read More »
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