Contacts: Nick Buggia, Upper Midwestern States Manager; Kent Keene, Lower Midwestern States Coordinator Since many Midwestern states have either wrapped up their 2020 legislative sessions or remain suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s States Program Team will be providing brief regional legislative updates over the next few weeks. Below …
Contact: Aoibheann Cline, Western States Coordinator There has never been a better time to get into hunting in California. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is temporarily allowing new hunters to complete their education requirements entirely online. COVID-19 has restricted in-person gatherings, and an in-person class is part of the normal requirements for …
California: CDFW Authorizes Online Hunter Education Courses Read More »
Contact: Nick Buggia, Upper Midwestern States Manager On May 19, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s (CSF) Upper Midwestern States Manager, Nick Buggia, submitted a letter supporting two citizens’ petitions requesting regulatory changes before the Indiana Natural Recourse Commission (NRC). The first would allow the use of .28 gauge and .410 bore shotguns loaded with Tungsten Super Shot …
Contact: Joe Mullin, New England States Senior Coordinator Beginning on May 18, Massachusetts implemented the first phase of the State’s reopening plan, which brought exciting news for sportsmen and women. The first phase of the reopening plan, COVID-19 Order No. 33, saw the reopening of “Firearms retailers and shooting ranges,” the former having been opened …
Last week, Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Member and Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate Mitch McConnell (KY) committed to the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act (S. 3422), an unprecedented piece of legislation. S. 3422 will provide $9.5 billion over 5 years to address the deferred maintenance backlog on federal public lands and waters …
Senate Leadership Commits to Passing Great American Outdoors Act Read More »
On May 18, the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Councils convened a Joint Workgroup via webinar to begin discussing opportunities to better manage recreational fisheries in their respective regions. This meeting was the result of a commitment by both Councils following a Council Coordinating Committee meeting last November in Silver Spring, Maryland, where …
South Atlantic and Gulf Councils Hook Up on Alternative Management Read More »
Contact: Clay Chester, Southeastern States Coordinator Sportsmen and women throughout the South are regaining access to public resources on state and federal lands that were closed due to COVID-19. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park (TN/NC) completed its second phase of reopening on May 23, granting access to the trails not opened through the first …
Southeast: State and Federal COVID Restrictions Begin to Ease Read More »
Contact: Chris Horton, Senior Director, Midwestern States & Fisheries Policy On May 15, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) submitted a letter to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission opposing a proposed change to waterfowl regulations on two of the state’s most popular wildlife management areas (WMAs). The proposed change would require hunters to be off …
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and leading conservation partners across the nation have been working together to encourage leadership of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee (T&I) to include funding authorization and policy direction for wildlife crossings, habitat connectivity and fish passage in infrastructure legislation being drafted by the Committee. Wildlife crossings provide safe passage …
CSF Encourages Critical Wildlife Crossings Funding Read More »
Contact: Clay Chester, Southeastern States Coordinator The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (Commission) recently held their virtual May meeting at which they established parameters for the upcoming red snapper season and discussed proposed regulatory changes. Recreational Red Snapper Season Louisiana (LA) and other states bordering the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) were granted limited state management …
Contact: Joe Mullin, New England States Senior Coordinator The issue of fighting excessively restrictive kennel legislation in Massachusetts has been an ongoing theme for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), as well as for other like-minded in-state and national organizations. On May 8, news broke out of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government that …
Massachusetts: Committee Drops “Outside and Unattended” from Restrictive Kennel Bill Read More »
Contact: Kent Keene, Lower Midwestern States Coordinator During their May meeting, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission discussed proposed changes to the state’s white-tailed deer and waterfowl bag limits and seasons. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, this commission meeting was held virtually via videoconferencing. During the meeting, the Wildlife Conservation Commission approved the proposed changes …
Oklahoma: Wildlife Commission Approves Changes for Upcoming Deer and Waterfowl Seasons Read More »
Rule to Allow For Abbreviated Red Snapper Season in the South Atlantic Published in Federal Register
On May 14, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries published a proposed rule to implement management measures described in Regulatory Amendment 33 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Snapper-Grouper FMP). This amendment will allow for a snapper season to occur in the South Atlantic, even …
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), with other conservation partners such as National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, Trout Unlimited, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, are leading a media campaign called #ResponsibleRecreation as an effort to encourage Americans to responsibly enjoy outdoor recreation while adhering to COVID-19 …
CSF & Industry Partners Lead #ResponsibleRecreation Media Campaign Read More »
On Friday, May 8, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) joined 80 other organizations in submitting a letter to the leadership of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, requesting additional funding for Wildlife Services to make up for funding shortfalls from state and county cooperators …
Last week, the Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation Council (HSSCC) hosted its fifth meeting, and was joined by Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing America’s sportsmen and women. The HSSCC consists of 18 full-time members and 10 alternate members representing the nation’s …
CSF President Leads Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation Council Meeting Read More »
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) joined more than 850 organizations in a letter to the leadership of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives urging them to quickly pass the Great American Outdoors Act (S. 3422). S. 3422 is unprecedented legislation that will provide $9.5 billion over 5 years to address our public land deferred …
CSF Urges Congress to Pass Great American Outdoors Act Read More »
Last week, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and nearly 40 other organizations sent a letter to the House Transportation Committee in support of funding for wildlife crossings to be included in a future House Transportation Bill. The letter calls for the inclusion of wildlife crossings, including bridges, overpasses, tunnels, viaducts, culverts, fencing, and other strategic …
Contact: Joe Mullin, New England States Senior Coordinator On May 8, Governor Janet Mills, a Member of the Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus (GSC), announced a change to her plans for reopening the state, providing some much-needed, and relieving news to the sportsmen’s community. Effective May 18, sporting camps in 12 counties (Aroostook, Piscataquis, Washington, Hancock, Somerset, …
Maine: Sporting Camps to Resume Business Earlier Than Anticipated Read More »
Contact: Joe Mullin, New England States Senior Coordinator On May 7, a Judge for the U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts brought some exciting, long-overdue news to Massachusetts’ sporting community, ordering a preliminary injunction to authorize firearms retailers to reopen their businesses on Saturday, May 9. During the earlier stages of the Commonwealth’s response to …
Massachusetts: Firearms Retailers are Back in Business Read More »
