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 »
Why It Matters: In recent years, as southern coastal states face rapid influxes of new residents, efforts to conserve lands open to public hunting access remain front and center for sportsmen and women. Proactive measures to establish a “no-net-loss” of public hunting access will protect sportsmen and women’s ability to get outdoors, and in return, …
Why It Matters: Across the country, hunters, anglers, recreational shooters, and trappers shoulder the responsibility of funding state fish and wildlife agencies through the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF). However, due to constantly increasing staffing and programmatic costs, supplemental funding sources outside of the traditional ASCF model are critical to these agencies’ ability to …
Wisconsin Fund Supporting Access for Sportsmen and Women Faces Reauthorization Read More »
Why It Matters: Access to quality outdoor opportunities for sportsmen and women is one of the greatest limiting factors facing the sporting-conservation community. The Voluntary Public Access – Habitat Incentives Program (VPA-HIP) represents one solution to this challenge by providing landowners with financial and technical assistance in exchange for the provision of public access to …
Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Members Reintroduce Critical Hunting Access Legislation Read More »
Why It Matters: Proactive efforts to conserve public hunting access will benefit both today’s and tomorrow’s sportsmen and women. South Carolina offers a wide array of excellent outdoor opportunities thanks in part to diverse public hunting access available to hunters from the upstate to the low country. Efforts to conserve public hunting access should remain …
CSF Priority Hunting Access Bill Clears First Legislative Hurdle in South Carolina Read More »
Why It Matters: The American System of Conservation funding is a highly successful model unique to the rest of the world. The Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration component of the model provides more than $1.3 billion in funding for fish and wildlife conservation each year through excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, fishing tackle, and …
CSC Members Drop Bill to Stop Foreign Evasion of Conservation Funding Read More »
Why It Matters: Washington’s outdoor heritage relies heavily on the contributions of trappers, anglers, and hunters who utilize natural resources responsibly to support wildlife management and local economies. House Bill 1775, which seeks to prohibit activities related to the production and manufacturing of fur products, poses potential and significant challenges to these time-honored traditions. As …
Fur Ban Bill Narrowly Passes Committee in Washington Read More »
Why It Matters: Fish and wildlife agencies have long been the preferred authority and managers of both game and nongame species, and their habitats, throughout the country. As such, the current practice of implementing management practices that are based on sound science should continue to be the standard. Any deviation from such practices, and the …
Why It Matters: Providing discounted licenses to deserving demographics such as seniors or veterans can increase hunting and fishing opportunities, but, if done incorrectly, they can also diminish the funds available to state fish and wildlife agencies through the American System of Conservation Funding. Reimbursing the agency from a state’s General Fund can offset that …
Why It Matters: As the nation’s most effective outdoor advocacy organization, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s (CSF) policy experts at the state level work with all 50 state sportsmen’s caucuses to ensure the rights of hunters, anglers, recreational shooters, and trappers are protected and advanced. To better inform the policymaking process and to provide historical background …
Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s 2025 State Issue Briefs Now Available Read More »
Why It Matters: Thanks to the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), policymakers and the sportsmen’s community now have access to a free, interactive web-based service that allows them the opportunity to track legislation and regulatory proposals related to hunting, angling, recreational shooting, trapping, and other fish and wildlife conservation concerns. Highlights: Tracking the Capitols, a free, …
CSF Launches Free, Interactive Legislative and Regulatory Tracking Service Read More »
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