Contact: Ellary TuckerWilliams, Rocky Mountain States Senior Coordinator Why it Matters: According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2022 report titled “Species Status Assessment for the Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) in the Lower-48 States” the grizzly bear population in the NCDE has made significant strides towards recovery. The proposed amendments to the NCDE Grizzly …
Contact: Kent Keene, Senior Coordinator, Lower Midwestern States and Agriculture Policy Why it Matters: As legislation continues to move rapidly across the Lower Midwest and around the nation, two bills in Iowa have risen to the surface are receiving a lot of attention. Working with mission partners and members of the Iowa Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, …
Shotgun Calibers and Land Acquisition Legislation up for Debate in Iowa Read More »
Contact: Joe Mullin, Assistant Manager, Northeastern States Why it Matters: The inability to hunt on Sundays is a foreign idea in most states across the country, but in ten states in the northeastern and southeastern regions, it is a reality. Prohibitions and restrictions on Sunday hunting result in a wide swath of detriments to the …
Sunday Hunting Authorizations – A Growing Theme in the Northeast Read More »
Contact: Keely Hopkins, Pacific States Assistant Manager Why It Matters: Hunting bears is a part of California’s culture and heritage and is an important part of CDFW’s ongoing hunting recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) efforts to maintain and increase the number of Californians in the outdoors. Continuing to harvest bears will not only provide CDFW …
Why it matters: The funds that are being distributed by the Department of the Interior are generated entirely by sportsmen and women through the purchases of firearms, ammunition, fishing tackle, and motorboat fuel. For over 80 years, sportsmen and women have played an integral and unique role in providing the vast majority of conservation funding …
Why it matters: The ability to collect accurate, reliable information on recreational fishing effort and harvest is challenging in the southeastern United States. MRIP is a broad, general survey over two-month windows that does not have the ability to adequately sample angling effort in fisheries with a relatively short season. This uncertainty in the data …
Improved Angler Catch Data on the Horizon in the South Atlantic Read More »
Contact: Joe Mullin, Assistant Manager, Northeastern States Why it Matters: Sunday hunting bans are one of the last remaining examples of the puritanical blue laws, but in recent years, much progress has been made towards the lessening of these restrictions. In Maryland, hunting for all game birds and mammals on Sundays is authorized in select …
Maryland Seeking to Expand Sunday Hunting in Somerset County Read More »
Contact: Kent Keene; Senior Coordinator, Lower Midwestern States and Agriculture Policy Why it Matters: Granting license and fee authority to the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission would allow the agency charged with managing Oklahoma’s fish and wildlife resources the ability to simplify the current complicated system of licenses and permits to best suit the needs of …
Oklahoma Bills Renew Push for State Agency License Authority Read More »
Why it matters: The Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment leads USDA’s Forest Service, an agency charged with the management of millions of acres of public lands across the United States. In addition to the Forest Service’s crucial role in providing a sustainable source of forest products, our National Forests and Grasslands provide an …
Senate Confirms CSF-Supported USDA Nominee Dr. Homer Wilkes Read More »
Contact: Joe Mullin, Assistant Manager, Northeastern States Why it Matters: State fish and wildlife agency boards and commissions have instrumental roles in setting the frameworks that result in the successful conservation and management of a state’s fish, wildlife, and their habitats. Sportsmen and women (including hunters, anglers, recreational shooters, and trappers) have played a crucial …
Strong Representation by Vermont’s Sporting Community During Committee Hearing Read More »
Contact: Mark Lance, Southeastern States Coordinator Why It Matters: Lack of access is one of the biggest issues facing sportsmen and women and it is often cited as the primary reason why individuals no longer hunt and fish. The transfer of ownership and management authority of Yanahli WMA from the TWRA to Maury County directly threatens public …
Tennessee Bills Threaten to Transfer Wildlife Management Area Ownership to County Read More »
Why it matters: With an estimated 7.5 million anglers who pursue Atlantic striped bass, it is the most economically and culturally important fish species from North Carolina to Maine. It is vitally important to communities along the mid and upper Atlantic Seaboard that striped bass are sustainably managed for abundance and to provide access for …
As Atlantic Striped Bass Struggle, the ASMFC Has A Plan to Help Read More »
Contact: Ellary TuckerWilliams, Rocky Mountain States Senior Coordinator Why it Matters: Colorado has seen more than its fair share of successful anti-hunting initiatives over the years, but the tides may finally be turning. Backed by notorious anti-hunting and animal rights organizations, the defeat of SB22-031 marks a historic moment in which the Colorado outdoor sporting …
Why it matters: There is estimated to be approximately 500,000 abandoned mines across the United States that are polluting over 100,000 miles of streams. Estimates also indicate that cleaning up these abandoned mines would cost $54 billion. Unfortunately, under current federal land, an individual or group cannot touch or attempt to clean up a mine …
CSC Co-Chair and Member Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Help Restore Mine Lands Read More »
Contact: Nick Buggia, Upper Midwestern States Manager Why it Matters: The Endangered Species Act was created to help species who are both at risk of extinction and whose future is uncertain in the United States. Species on the list are provided with protections and funding for conservation efforts to ensure their recovery. Since its inception, 54 …
CSF Calls on State Officials to Support Wolf Hunting and Trapping Read More »
Why it matters: There are currently 15 national marine sanctuaries (NMS) in United States waters that span from the Atlantic Ocean to the western Pacific Ocean, as well as the Great Lakes. The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary is a proposed sanctuary off the coast of California that seeks to protect important indigenous cultural sites …
CSF Offers Conditional Support for Proposed National Marine Sanctuary Read More »
Contact: Mark Lance, Southeastern States Coordinator Why It Matters: States without a dedicated conservation funding mechanism leave millions of dollars on the table every year because they cannot provide the funding to qualify for federal conservation programs. For example, funding is available through Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Acts that match state dollars at a 3:1 ratio. States could …
Dedicated Conservation Funding Bills on the Move in Mississippi Read More »
Contact: Ellary TuckerWilliams, Rocky Mountain States Senior Coordinator Why it Matters: Baseless restrictions on magazine capacity creates unnecessary burdens on responsible firearms owners who would then have to purchase additional equipment for their firearms to be legally operational. Such restrictions come at high costs to firearm manufactures and consumers, with little to no evidence indicating …
Contact: Keely Hopkins, Pacific States Assistant Manager 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 …
Contact: Joe Mullin, Assistant Manager, Northeastern States Why it Matters: State fish and wildlife agency boards and commissions have instrumental roles in setting the frameworks that result in the successful conservation and management of a state’s fish, wildlife, and their habitats. Sportsmen and women (including hunters, anglers, recreational shooters, and trappers) have played a crucial …
Vermont’s Sporting Traditions are at Stake This Thursday Read More »
