Contact: Kent Keene, Assistant Manager, Lower Midwestern States and Agriculture Policy Why it matters: While the old classroom lessons featuring Smokey Bear may have led to a misunderstanding of the importance of prescribed fire, a new era of land conservation has seen the practice emerge with renewed support. As one of the most efficient and …
Prescribed Burning Awareness Week Celebrated in the Land of Lincoln Read More »
Contact: Ellary TuckerWilliams, Rocky Mountain States Assistant Manager Why it Matters: Lack of engagement from the outdoor sporting community will be the contributing factor in the success of anti-hunting interests attempting to limit sportsmen and women’s ability to sustainably harvest wildlife. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation commends all the individual sportsmen and women and hunting conservation …
Antis Fail to Hijack Arizona 2023-2028 Hunt Guidelines Read More »
Contact: Joe Mullin, Northeastern States Manager Why it Matters: The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation has opposed legislatively-driven lead ammunition bans in states across the nation for a variety of reasons. Simply put, state fish and wildlife agencies are in the best possible positions to make the necessary decisions and take reactionary measures to ensure the continued …
Why it matters: Digital mapping and GPS technologies have fundamentally changed how sportsmen and women traverse federal lands. However, inconsistent, and outdated record keeping practices amongst federal land management agencies hinders the ability of sportsmen and women to fully take advantage of these technologies, which will be addressed in part by the MAPLand Act. The …
MAPLand Act Clears Senate, Heads to President’s Desk to Be Signed into Law Read More »
Contact: Mark Lance, Southeastern States Coordinator Why It Matters: With the passage of HB 606 and SB 2780 and pending the signature of Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus Member Tate Reeves, Mississippi will have additional dollars to qualify for federal conservation programs to benefit Mississippi’s fish and wildlife resources along with it hunters and anglers. For example, Mississippi could …
Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund Awaits Governor’s Signature Read More »
Why it matters: Greater amberjack and gag grouper are important recreational species in the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, the most recent data available indicates both stocks have been depleted to the point that significant reductions in the number of greater amberjack and gag grouper that can be harvested each year are necessary. The Gulf of …
Tough Decisions Ahead for Gulf Amberjack and Gag Grouper Fisheries Read More »
Contact: Kent Keene, Assistant Manager, Lower Midwestern States and Agriculture Policy Why It Matters: Politically charged conversations have increasingly found themselves entering the realm of sportsmen’s issues as they relate to public lands. Some have even begun to spill over into conversations about voluntary conservation programs available for private landowners. While many of these discussions …
Challenges for Public Lands, Conservation Easements Continue Across Midwest Read More »
Contact: Ellary TuckerWilliams, Rocky Mountain States, Assistant Manager Why it Matters: Improving access and opportunity for sportsmen and women is a high priority for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF). Through the combined work of HB 702 and SB 1422, the Idaho Legislature has expanded spending authority of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to …
Idaho Gains $2 million in Access Funding Without Increasing Cost to Sportsmen Read More »
Contact: Kent Keene, Assistant Manager, Lower Midwestern States and Agriculture Policy Why it Matters: As reported earlier this year, the concept of a lifetime license available for youth represents an opportunity to begin investing in future generations of sportsmen and women. However, all efforts to remove recruitment barriers must also ensure that the future viability …
Investing in a Lifetime of Enjoyment, Youth Lifetime License Bill Passes in Kansas Read More »
Contact: Joe Mullin, Northeastern States Manager Why it Matters: Sportsmen and women continue to serve as the primary funders of state-level conservation efforts in Rhode Island and across the nation and are thus an important constituency that provides benefits for all recreators. For this reason and several more, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has a …
Ocean State Sportsmen’s Policies Front and Center Read More »
Why it matters: Thanks to the leadership of Senators Henrich and Blunt, S. 2372 marks the first time that Recovering America’s Wildlife has been introduced in the Senate with permanent and dedicated funding – a necessary funding structure to deliver on-the-ground species recovery. The EPW Committee vote scheduled for Thursday marks the furthest Recovering America’s Wildlife …
Senate Committee Set to Vote on Recovering America’s Wildlife Act Read More »
Contact: John Culclasure, Southeastern States Director Why It Matters: After the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Advisory Council doubled down on their opposition to retaining the prohibition against Sunday hunting on Wildlife Management Areas less than two years ago, the favorable votes are a significant step forward towards opening …
South Carolina Public Lands Sunday Hunting Legislation Clears Major Hurdle Read More »
Contact: Kent Keene, Assistant Manager, Lower Midwestern States and Agriculture Policy Why It Matters: State fish and wildlife management agencies play an important role in conserving our nation’s public trust fish and wildlife resources for the benefit of all. For sportsmen and women, the original conservationists whose dedication to conservation led to the creation and …
CSF Weighs In, Supports Proposed Oyster Harvest Closure in Texas Read More »
Why it matters: Success of the Endangered Species Act is often dependent on widespread coordination across federal and state government, landowners, and NGOs. In the case of the gray wolf, federal agencies – working in partnership with states, non-governmental organizations, private landowners, and others – have used sound science to determine that decades of work …
CSF, Partners Urge DOI to Support State Wildlife Management of Gray Wolves Read More »
Contact: Joe Mullin, Northeastern States Manager Why it Matters: Dedicated efforts spearheaded by CSF, the New York Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, New York Sportsmen’s Advisory Council, and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation led to the implementation of a pilot program that allowed eligible counties to opt-in for junior hunting. The overwhelming acceptance of this …
Department Issues Favorable Recommendations on CSF-Led Youth Hunting Initiative Read More »
Contact: Mark Lance, Southeastern States Coordinator Why It Matters: Conserving the land base open to hunting is critical to supporting Georgia’s outdoor heritage. While other states (such as Tennessee) have faced threats from state legislators attempting to transfer Wildlife Management Areas away from their respective fish and wildlife agencies, the Caucus and the Georgia General Assembly recognize …
Georgia’s No-Net-Loss Statute Update Legislation Headed to the Governor’s Desk Read More »
Contact: Keely Hopkins, Manager Pacific Region Why It Matters: Since 1999, Washington state has offered a spring black bear hunting season. This season is a fine-tuned conservation and wildlife management tool utilized by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) in the implementation of their overall game management plan, which is executed in pursuit of their …
Washington Commissioners Reject 2022 Spring Bear Season in a 5-4 Vote Read More »
Contact: Keely Hopkins, Manager Pacific Region Why it Matters: Closing state-regulated hunting of healthy wildlife populations will unnecessarily deprive non-local hunters, both native and nonnative, of subsistence and non-subsistence use. Scientific studies and firsthand observations have determined the level of activity in these areas is not delaying caribou migration, and there is not currently a …
Contact: Kent Keene, Assistant Manager, Lower Midwestern States and Agriculture Policy Why It Matters: While the fair chase ethic remains an important part of what it means to be a sportsman or sportswoman, opportunities to utilize modern developments to open the door for new hunters are always exciting. Recently, advancements in shotshell technologies have done …
This past Friday, March 18, Congressman Don Young (AK), an avid outdoorsman, a master legislator, a conservation legend, and a founding member of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, unexpectedly passed away at the age of 88. Congressman Young, who would more than occasionally remind those around him that he was the Congressman for ALL of Alaska, …
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