Why It Matters: The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the most critical federal departments for sportsmen and women. DOI manages roughly 500 million acres of surface land across the country, much of which is open to hunting, fishing, trapping, and recreational shooting, which makes the DOI a key facilitator of access …
CSF-Supported Burgum Confirmed as Secretary of the Interior 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 sportspeople together with legislators to celebrate our hunting, fishing, trapping, and shooting traditions in a positive environment are an effective way to not …
Colorado Sportsmen’s Caucus Comes Together for Reception and Celebration Read More »
Why It Matters: On January 8, 2025, New Hampshire House Bill (HB) 202, was introduced to the House Committee on Fish and Game and Marine Resources, in what has become an annual attack on the make-up and authority of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Commission. Unlike past legislation, HB 202 seeks a more simplistic …
Annual Attack on New Hampshire Fish and Game Commission Returns Read More »
Why It Matters: During the 2023 legislative session, the Washington Legislature commissioned a $300,000 study to review the governance, climate adaptability, and the mandate of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). The results of that study have led some legislators to consider sweeping revisions to the WDFW governance structure. One of the seven …
Commission VS Cabinet: WA Grapples with Wildlife Management Read More »
Why It Matters: Every year bills are introduced that would allow individuals to purchase a free or heavily discounted hunting and/or fishing license. Legislators tend to target deserving groups. However, if passed, these bills could have a significant impact on conservation funding for their respective state’s fish and wildlife agency. That is where legislation that reimburses the …
Why It Matters: The 2025 legislative sessions are in full swing in the Great Plains as legislation pertaining to the sporting-conservation community continues to be introduced. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has already engaged on several of these bills as they’ve begun to make their way through the legislative process. Highlights: Iowa has introduced Houe …
Legislative Sessions Heating up Across the Great Plains Read More »
Why It Matters: Both the Wildlife Movement Through Partnerships Act and the Keep Public Lands in Public Hands Act were priorities for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) in the 118th Congress. Unfortunately, these bills did not become law before the 118th Congress ended. With the 119th Congress well underway, the introduction of these bills marks …
CSC Members Introduce Important Conservation and Access Bills Read More »
Why It Matters: Hunting is a primary tool in maintaining safer populations of wild game, such as the white-tailed deer. As some states have increased the number of deer a hunter can take, or the “bag limit”, it has become ever more important to provide outlets for that harvest. There are state and nonprofit programs …
Venison Donations: Serving Millions Requires Help for Donation Centers Read More »
Why It Matters: Access to firearms, firearms accessories, and ammunition is critical to most hunters and every recreational shooter in America. Federal legislation that protects and expands that access is beneficial to the sporting-conservation community, not just from a practical perspective, but an economic one as well. Increased sales of firearms, firearms accessories, and ammunition …
Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Members Get to Work on Federal Firearms Legislation Read More »
Why It Matters: A proposed rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that would have done little for whale conservation while substantially impacting angler and boater access and coastal economies has been withdrawn by the agency. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), state legislative sportsmen’s caucuses, and our community partners have worked diligently for …
Rule To Slow Boaters in Atlantic Now on A Better Course Read More »
Why It Matters: State fish and wildlife agencies are staffed with wildlife biologists that are equipped with the experience and expertise needed to make sound, science-based decisions that benefit the state’s natural resources. Legislation that would impose unnecessary requirements on an agency, curtail its management authority, or add financial and staffing burdens threatens not only …
Indiana Bill Would Create an Unfunded Mandate for the DNR Read More »
Why It Matters: Each year, legislators across the country 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 for conservation funding, Virginia …
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 …
Third Full Week of New Congress, Three CSF Priorities Set to Receive Vote on House Floor Read More »
Why It Matters: Colorado SB-25-003 seeks to ban many semi-automatic rifles and shotguns commonly used by America’s sportsmen and women in hunting and recreational shooting. Modern sporting rifles and semi-automatic shotguns are not only important to our hunting heritage but are highly popular in the recreational shooting community. This legislation would severely undermine our hunting …
Why It Matters: Federal public lands offer critical opportunities for sportsmen and women to participate in our time-honored traditions of hunting, fishing, trapping, and recreational shooting. Despite this, in late 2024, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) sought to ban recreational shooting across the entirety of the 1.3-million-acre Bears Ears National Monument (BENM). Thanks to …
CSF Efforts Maintain Recreational Shooting Access on 1.3 Million Acres of Public Land Read More »
Why It Matters: The red snapper season in the South Atlantic lasted only 1 day in 2024, despite the highest abundance of red snapper anyone has ever seen in the region. While recent data indicates red snapper are no longer experiencing overfishing, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) was disappointed to learn that a proposed amendment …
Bill to Discard Proposed Fishing Closures Introduced Read More »
Why It Matters: Poaching – the illegal take of game – stands in the way of professional science-based wildlife management and remains among the greatest threats to the social acceptance of hunting. Proactive measures to increase penalties for those found guilty of poaching would disincentivize bad actors from interfering with science-based wildlife management and would …
Legislation to Increase Poaching Penalties and Fines Introduced in Tennessee Read More »
Why It Matters: Success of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is dependent on coordination amongst federal and state wildlife managers, landowners, and others that have a vested stake in the recovery of a listed species. One of the most pressing challenges with the ESA is failing to delist a species from federal management and return …
FWS Announces Grizzly Listing and Management Proposal Read More »
Why It Matters: Science-based fisheries management and access to our fisheries have always been at the center of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s (CSF) mission. In both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, sharks are increasingly intercepting fish being landed by recreational and commercial fishermen, creating frustration for anglers and challenges for fisheries sustainability. …
Bill To Resolve Conflicts Between Sharks and Anglers Reintroduced Read More »
Why It Matters: Thanks to the conservation management efforts of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and their partners, the Louisiana black bear’s population has rebounded to feature a harvestable surplus – resulting in one of the greatest conservation success stories in the South. The 2024 Louisiana bear hunting season, which ran from Dec. …
2024 Louisiana Black Bear Season Ends in Success Read More »
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