Contact: Ellary TuckerWilliams, Inter-Mountain Western States Coordinator On June 19, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) submitted a letter of support for two rulemaking proposals to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), including the establishment of additional limitations on dry ground sets using body-gripping traps and an effort to simplify the rules associated with …
Kansas: CSF Submits Letter of Support for Newly Proposed Kansas Coyote Nighttime Hunting Regulations
Contact: Kent Keene, Lower Midwestern States Coordinator On June 25, members of the Kansas Wildlife, Parks, & Tourism (KDWPT) Commission (Commission) discussed newly proposed changes to Kansas’ coyote hunting regulations during their monthly meeting. These proposed changes include legalizing the use of night vision, thermal, and infrared optics during a special private lands season scheduled …
Contact: Clay Chester, Southeastern States Coordinator On June 25, Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus Member Governor Tate Reeves signed House Bill 1577 into law. The legislation, sponsored by Mississippi Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus) Member Speaker Philip Gunn, authorizes a hunter safety course for students in Grades 7 through 12 that will satisfy the hunter education course requirement …
Mississippi: School Hunter Safety Course Legislation Signed into Law Read More »
Contact: Brent Miller, Senior Director, Northeastern States & States Program Administrator On June 24, House Bill 808 (HB 808), legislation that would grant the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) the regulatory authority to set license, permit, and tag fees, received an affirmative concurrence vote (157-44-1) in the House of Representatives. HB 808 is co-sponsored …
Contact: Brent Miller, Senior Director, Northeastern States & States Program Administrator On June 23, the Pennsylvania Senate voted 48-1 in favor of House Bill 1188 (HB 1188) – legislation that would allow for the use of night vision, thermal optics, and similar devices for nighttime hunting of predators. The bill is cosponsored by numerous members …
Pennsylvania: Nighttime Hunting of Predators May See Technological Improvements Read More »
On June 20 and 21, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation President Jeff Crane was interviewed on Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World Radio by host Rob Keck to talk the most important and timely outdoor topics surrounding the industry right now – the Great American Outdoors Act, efforts to keep public access open, COVID-19, and the #ResponsibleRecreation effort. …
On June 17, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s Western States Coordinator Aoibheann Cline was featured on Fish with JD TV YouTube Channel. Cline discussed an alarming new bill in California and the California striped bass slot limit proposal. AB 3030, a newly proposed bill in Califorina, could lead to more hunting and fishing closures in the state, …
CSF Western States Coordinator, Aoibheann Cline, featured on Fish with JD TV Read More »
Contact: Clay Chester, Southeastern States Coordinator Last week, Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Governor John Bel Edwards signed a number of pro-sportsmen’s bills into law. Working alongside conservation partners and the state fish and wildlife agency, the bipartisan Louisiana Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus), which is led by Co-Chair Representative Vincent Pierre and Speaker Clay Schexnayder, works …
Louisiana: Pro-Sportsmen Legislation Signed Into Law Read More »
Contact: Joe Mullin, New England States Senior Coordinator As the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has previously reported, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) received a petition to ban the practice of bear baiting – an effective, science-based wildlife management method that would be eliminated by 2029 under the proposed rulemaking. While comments …
Maine: Proposed Bear Baiting Ban to Receive Virtual Hearing Read More »
Contact: Nick Buggia, Upper Midwestern States Manager Last week, the Michigan Natural Resources (NRC) Commission (Commission) met virtually to discuss regulations for the upcoming 2020 white-tailed deer hunting season. The NRC reviews these regulations every three years. However, after hearing from Department of Natural Resources (DNR) biologists and law enforcement staff, the Commission vote was …
Michigan: DNR Releases Proposed Deer Regulations for 2020 Season Read More »
Contact: Aoibheann Cline, Western States Coordinator On June 12, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) Commission (Commission) reviewed and updated their furbearer management regulations, as they do every two years. Following release of the Commission meeting agenda, a citizen-proposed amendment to the beaver trapping regulations was submitted which would ban recreational and commercial …
Oregon: Beaver Trapping Ban Decision by the ODFW Commission Delayed Read More »
June 17, 2020 (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Today, the U.S. Senate passed the historic Great American Outdoors Act (S. 3422), which represents the single greatest commitment to increasing public access and advancing conservation in a lifetime, on a strong bipartisan vote of 73-25. The Great American Outdoors Act will provide $9.5 billion over 5 years to address the …
Senate Passes Historic Great American Outdoors Act on an Impressive Vote Read More »
Contact: Ellary TuckerWilliams, Inter-Mountain Western States Coordinator On June 12, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) submitted a comment letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in support of maintaining the “non-essential experimental population” designation of the Mexican wolf, under Section 10 (j) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Once common throughout the southeastern …
Contact: Clay Chester, Southeastern States Coordinator On June 15, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) submitted a letter of support for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) proposed changes to flounder regulations. According to harvest data in Florida, the flounder population started to experience fluctuations in 2000 with a general decline beginning in 2012. …
Florida: CSF Supports Proposed Flounder Regulations Read More »
Contact: Kent Keene, Lower Midwestern States Coordinator Though the Iowa State Legislature was suspended for eleven weeks in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, legislators wasted little time upon their return to the state capital on June 3. During their first week back in session, several pieces of sportsman-related legislation were passed by the Iowa Senate …
Iowa: Legislature Passes Several Sportsmen’s Bill upon Returning to Session Read More »
Contact: John Culclasure, Southeastern States Assistant Director On June 10, the Joint Natural Resources Committee (Committee) voted (15-0) to disapprove of a regulation proposed by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) that would have banned the use of lead ammunition for shotguns on Wildlife Management Area (WMAs) shooting ranges. The proposed rule would …
Louisiana: Committee Votes Down Proposed Ban on Traditional Ammunition Read More »
Contact: Brent Miller, Senior Director, Northeastern States & States Program Administrator On June 8, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) submitted comments on a proposed Recreational Fishing Plan (Plan) for the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge). While the Plan included some positive enhancements of recreational angling access within the Refuge, it also included a …
Contact: Joe Mullin, New England States Senior Coordinator The 2020 legislative sessions throughout the northeast region have been, and continue to be, anything but slow. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has been hard at work in the states, working alongside the various governors, Caucuses, and state fish and wildlife departments to protect and advance policies …
Last week, the Senate took three different procedural votes, all of which received strong bipartisan support, to continue the advancement of the Great American Outdoors Act (S. 3422). The Senate is expected to continue with procedural votes later today and a final vote is expected to occur tomorrow. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) continues to …
Senate Continues to Move on Great American Outdoors Act Read More »
June 9, 2020 (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Yesterday, the Senate took a monumental step toward passing the historic Great American Outdoors Act (S. 3422), which represents the single greatest commitment to increasing public access and advancing conservation in a lifetime, by voting to proceed to final consideration of the bill on an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 80-17. …
Senate Takes Significant Step toward Final Passage of Great American Outdoors Act Read More »
