Contact: Ellary TuckerWilliams, Inter-Mountain Western States Coordinator On September 9, 2020, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) released a decision notice announcing its plan to continues forward with the purchase of nearly 15 acres on Flathead Lake for a Fishing Access Site that would increase public access and other recreation opportunities. The 14.89 acres …
Contacts: Nick Buggia, Upper Midwestern States Manager, and Kent Keene, Lower Midwestern States Coordinator Upland bird hunters in parts of the Midwest are looking forward to what is predicted to be a great pheasant hunting season in 2020. Recent population survey data released in Iowa, Minnesota, and North Dakota suggest that pheasant populations are on …
Pheasant Season Outlook Looking Good Throughout Parts of the Midwest Read More »
Public Comment Period Open for Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources Proposed Regulation Changes
Contact: John Culclasure, Southeastern States Assistant Director The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) is accepting public comment on proposed regulation changes related to fishing, resource management, and access to department-managed lands. Among others, the proposed regulation changes include: The deadline to comment on the proposed regulation changes is October 11. Comments may be submitted …
Last week, the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee held a legislative hearing on S. 614, the Grizzly Bear State Management Act of 2019, which recognizes the monumental effort that states, federal agencies, private landowners, and others have invested to fully recover the grizzly bear in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). Prior to the …
Senate EPW Committee Holds Hearing to Affirm State Management Authority Read More »
Contact: Aoibheann Cline, Western States Coordinator As the California legislative session ended at midnight on August 31, so did the efforts to pass a major anti-hunting bill. SB 1175, better known as the “Iconic African Species Protection Act”, would have banned the possession and importation of thirteen African species to California, including taxidermy, after January …
African Species Importation Ban Bill Fails in California Legislature Read More »
Last week, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and nearly 30 of the nation’s leading sporting-conservation groups sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue urging the allocation of at least $55 million to enhance access for sportsmen and women. Specifically, the letter calls for the allocation of …
CSF and Partners Urge DOI and USDA to Provide $55 Million for Recreational Access Read More »
Contact: Kent Keene, Lower Midwestern States Coordinator During the Missouri Conservation Commission’s September 4th meeting in Jefferson City, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s (CSF) Lower Midwestern States Coordinator Kent Keene provided testimony in support of proposed regulation changes, including provisions that would establish Missouri’s first black bear hunting season. As reported previously, these proposed regulation changes …
CSF Testifies in Support of Proposed Black Bear Hunting Regulations in Missouri Read More »
Contact: John Culclasure, Southeastern States Assistant Director On September 2, the Tennessee Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus) hosted their annual dove hunt at the Lock Five Farms in Lebanon. Hosted in conjunction with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation, the dove hunt provided an opportunity for Caucus members, sportsmen’s groups, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency leadership and Commissioners …
Tennessee Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Hosts Annual Dove Hunt Read More »
Contact: Kent Keene, Lower Midwestern States Coordinator During their August meeting, members of the Kansas Wildlife, Parks, & Tourism Commission (Commission) voted 5-2 to approve regulation changes to allow the use of night vision, thermal, and infrared optics to hunt coyotes on private lands. Hunters will be able to use these methods to hunt coyotes …
Commission Approves the Use of Nighttime Coyote Hunting Technologies in Kansas Read More »
Contact: John Culclasure, Southeastern States Assistant Director, and Nick Buggia, Upper Midwestern States Manager As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to limit the ability of people to gather in large group settings, conservation organizations are exploring new ways to raise revenue as traditional in-person fundraising events, like banquets, have been canceled this year. Online raffles are one …
CSF Coordinates with Conservation Partners to Remedy Hurdles to Online Fundraising Read More »
On August 12, the U.S. Department of State announced an exemption of H-2B conservation and forestry workers from President Proclamation 10014 and the subsequent amendment that banned non-immigrant H-2B guest workers from entering the United States through December 31, 2020. Prior to this announcement, on August 7, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and nearly 30 …
CSF Helps Secure Exemption of H-2B Workers for Conservation and Forestry Projects Read More »
Contact: Nick Buggia, Upper Midwestern States Manager On August 25, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) joined several mission partners, conservation organizations, and business leaders to support a ballot question that will appear before Michigan voters in November. The ballot question, if passed, would ensure that all the money generated from oil and gas royalties on …
Contact: John Culclasure, Southeastern States Assistant Director On August 25, the Co-Chairs of the Ohio Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus) led a virtual meeting with conservation partners to discuss issues impacting Ohio’s sportsmen and women. Senator Sean O’Brien, Senator Michael Rulli, and Representative Gil Blair, discussed their recent field day with the Ohio Department of Natural …
Ohio Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Leaders Meet Virtually with Conservation Partners Read More »
Contact: Brent Miller, Senior Director, Northeastern States and States Program Administrator On August 24, 2020, two pro-sportsmen’s bills led by members of the bipartisan and bicameral New York Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus were signed into law. One important bill allows for the firearms instruction of youth under the age of 16-years-old by certified 4-H instructors, and …
Pro-Sportsmen’s Bills Championed by Caucus Members are Signed into Law in New York Read More »
Contact: Ellary TuckerWilliams, Inter-Mountain Western States Coordinator After conducting a survey earlier this spring of anglers statewide, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) is proposing a few changes to current fishing regulations. The goal of the proposed changes is to increase angler satisfaction and ensure the sustainability of the various fisheries throughout the state. …
Proposed Changes to 2021-2022 Fishing Regulations throughout the Beehive State Read More »
Contact: Brent Miller, Senior Director, Northeastern States and States Program Administrator On August 25, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy published a revised budget proposal for the 2021 fiscal year, which includes, among other items, an increase in firearms fees and the institution of an excise tax on firearms and ammunition (estimated to generate $6.3 million), …
Sportsmen and Women Targeted in Governor’s Revised Budget Proposal in New Jersey Read More »
The in-person NASC Summit in Arkansas has been postponed until 2021. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the 2020 Summit will now be virtual, and additional details on the revised format will be available at www.NASCSummit.org in the near future. The virtual Summit will still be held during the original dates of December 8-11, 2020, and will feature …
2020 NASC Sportsman-Legislator Summit Now Virtual Read More »
Contact: Aoibheann Cline, Western States Coordinator The sportsmen’s community is celebrating last week’s decision by the California Senate Appropriations Committee to hold Assembly Bill (AB) 3030 for the remainder of session. AB 3030 posed a serious threat to access for hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation. AB 3030 aimed to protect 30 percent of California’s lands …
Earlier today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) requested the Pebble Limited Partnership, the company behind an effort to develop a copper and gold mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region, to develop a plan to mitigate the damages associated from discharges and other adverse impacts to the sensitive Bristol Bay region, a roadblock that …
CSF Efforts Slow Down Unprecedented Threat to World’s Largest Salmon Fishery Read More »
Last week, the Department of the Interior announced a final rule to increase public access opportunities for sportsmen and women across more than 2.3 million acres, marking the largest opening and expansion of hunting and fishing opportunities on federal refuges and hatcheries in the history of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Specifically, this expansion …
