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, …
Contact: Mark Lance, Southeastern States Coordinator Why It Matters: States without a dedicated conservation funding mechanism, like Louisiana, often leave millions of dollars on the table because they cannot provide the match funding to qualify for federal conservation programs. If Louisiana established a dedicated conservation funding source, however, the state could leverage significantly more federal funds to …
Contact: Ellary TuckerWilliams, Rocky Mountain States, Assistant Manager Why it Matters: In a time when most of America’s youth are more connected to their phones than the outdoors, it is incumbent upon us to provide today’s young adults with plenty of diverse opportunities to become immersed in nature. While simply participating in a hunter education program …
Contact: Keely Hopkins, Manager, Pacific Region Why It Matters: Oregon’s hunters, anglers, and trappers have long played a vital role in funding conservation and wildlife management efforts throughout the state. Under the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF), a unique “user pays-public benefits” structure, Oregon’s sportsmen and women generate tens of millions of dollars each …
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 hinder the ability of sportsmen and women to fully take advantage of these technologies, which will be addressed in part by the MAPLand Act. The House passage …
Contact: Joe Mullin, Northeastern States Manager Why it Matters: The amount of firearm suppressors in circulation within the United States continues to grow on an annual basis, providing further credence to their well-deserved reputation as the hearing protection of the 21st Century. The primary purpose of these instruments is to protect the hearing of firearms-users …
Suppressor Authorizations Front and Center During Delaware Caucus Meeting Read More »
Why it matters: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the top federal agency dedicated to conserving our nation’s fish, wildlife, and their associated habitats. The Service also supports more than 2.4 million hunting related visits and 7.3 million fishing visits annually, marking the Service one of the most important federal land management agencies for …
Why it matters: Federal Advisory Councils serve as unique consortiums to provide direct recommendations and advice to various federal agencies, often at the Secretarial level. The Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council will report directly to the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to promote and advance conservation efforts as well as hunting and recreational shooting …
Contact: Ellary TuckerWilliams, Rocky Mountain States Assistant Manager Why it Matters: As Colorado’s population expands, increased impact on fish, wildlife and their habitats are inevitable. Fortunately, as the foremost experts in wildlife conservation, Colorado Parks and Wildlife have a proven track record of being able to problem solve, collaborate, and work effectively to mitigate much …
Contact: Kent Keene, Senior Coordinator, Lower Midwestern States and Agriculture Policy Why it matters: Firearm safety education in schools presents an opportunity to educate youth on the importance of safe and responsible behavior around firearms. The curricula described in Senate Bill 552, which includes the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, & Tourism’s Hunter Education curriculum, …
CSF Supports Firearm Safety Education Efforts in Kansas Read More »
Contact: Mark Lance, Southeastern States Coordinator Why it Matters: Georgia previously passed No-Net-Loss legislation which limits the loss of access to hunting opportunity by establishing a minimum acreage of state-owned areas open to sportsmen and women. HB 1349 would extend the baseline date from 2005 to 2022 from which the DNR managed state-owned lands acreage is …
Legislation to Update Georgia’s No-Net Loss Statute Passes the House Read More »
Contact: Joe Mullin, Assistant Manager, Northeastern States Why it Matters: Restrictions on Sunday hunting are one of the last remaining examples of the puritanical blue laws that were initially designed to encourage church attendance. Unfortunately, individuals who are unable to head afield during the normal work week due to conflicts with jobs, school, and extra-curricular …
Contact: Keely Hopkins, Pacific States Assistant Manager The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) Pacific States Assistant Manager Keely Hopkins joined the newly appointed Co-Chairs of the Alaska Legislative Outdoor Heritage Caucus and members of the Advisory Council on February 26 for a kick-off luncheon to celebrate the new leadership team and to discuss the upcoming year. …
Why it matters: There are many forms of gear employed by commercial fisherman to harvest target species of fish. However, some gears such as large-mesh drift gillnets often result in unintended bycatch, most of which is discarded dead and left to waste. For this reason, large-mesh drift gillnets have been eliminated as a commercial gear …
Bill to Remove Harmful Gill Nets Nears Finish Line Read More »
Why it matters: The enactment of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in November represented one of the most significant commitments to fish and wildlife conservation and hunting, fishing, recreational shooting access in decades. While the enactment of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was a tremendous victory for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, it is …
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