Why It Matters: After serving as Director of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) for ten years, Curt Melcher retired from his role with the department. The search for the next Director started in January 2024 immediately following Director Melcher’s announcement. The ODFW Commission announced finalists on May 3, 2024. Both candidates were …
New Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Announced Read More »
Why It Matters: Legislation to protect conservation funding for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) by requiring that the agency be reimbursed for revenue lost due to the creation of free and discounted hunting and fishing licenses is a forward-leaning mechanism to safeguard the ability of the state fish and wildlife agency to …
Legislation to Protect Conservation Funding in Louisiana Clears Senate Committee Read More »
Why It Matters: Throughout Kansas’ legislative session, several attempts were made to alter the current Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission, including efforts to alter how commissioners are appointed as well as proposals to completely abolish the current Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission. While these early attempts failed due to legislative deadlines, a final attempt was …
Commission Restructuring Bill Gains Momentum During Kansas’ Veto Session Read More »
Why It Matters: Our four-legged canine companions can play a crucial role in many aspects of our sporting traditions, including in the tracking and recovery of wounded game. Exhausting all available resources when tracking and recovering game is one of the cornerstones of hunting that ethical sportsmen and women share, so the use of tracking …
Pro-Sportsmen Legislation on the Move in Louisiana Read More »
Why It Matters: The passage of these bills marks the first time that either bill has passed its respective chamber. The Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act will help maintain access for sportsmen and women by ensuring that federal agencies do not arbitrarily or haphazardly ban traditional ammunition and fishing tackle. The Trust the …
CSF Access and State Management Authority Priorities Pass U.S. House Read More »
Why It Matters: Last week, Chairman G.T. Thompson of the House Agriculture Committee released his framework for the next iteration of the Farm Bill while Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry released her version of the bill. Representing some of the most critical investments in conservation, particularly on private …
House and Senate Ag Committee Chairs Release Initial Farm Bill Plans Read More »
Why It Matters: The 2024 Regular Session of the New Mexico Legislature closed with a whimper as the large anti-gun and anti-sportsmen agenda mostly failed. Of the dozen or so anti bills that were proposed, only two made it through to the Governor, who has repeatedly made it clear that anti-gun policies are among her …
New Mexico Governor Calls for Special Session of the Legislature in July Read More »
Why It Matters: Sunday hunting bans are one of the last remaining examples of the puritanical and antiquated laws that were initially designed to encourage church attendance. At the time when blue law restrictions were first put in place, other activities that were illegal on a Sunday included opening a store for business, drinking alcoholic …
Pennsylvania Seeks to Remove Longstanding Sunday Hunting Restrictions Read More »
Why It Matters: As population studies wrap-up, commissions convene, and court decisions are announced, management and regulatory conversations begin anew. While wolves are only one species among thousands, the decisions being made with wolf management have ripple effects throughout wildlife conservation as well as hunting and trapping opportunities. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) is working …
Why It Matters: The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s (CSF) Collegiate Sportsmen and Women’s Coalition (CSWC) seeks to educate young adults from diverse interests and backgrounds about the importance of hunting, angling, trapping, and recreational shooting to fish and wildlife conservation while also providing them with hands-on education in how to effectively engage in the policy process to protect these …
Clemson Collegiate Sportsmen and Women’s Coalition Wraps up a Successful First Semester Read More »
Why It Matters: With the release of the conservation.gov website and the beta-version of the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas, sportsmen and women, and all Americans have a clearer idea of what the Biden Administration is considering “conserved” as it relates to the America the Beautiful Initiative. Fortunately, the information contained in the Atlas is …
Why It Matters: The South Carolina Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus) is a bipartisan group of state legislators organized under the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) umbrella that works to protect and advance hunting, angling, recreational shooting, and trapping and promote professional fish and wildlife management. To achieve these goals, the Caucus hosts sportsmen’s policy-centric …
Why it Matters: The recreational boating and fishing community understands the importance of protecting North Atlantic right whales (NARW) and fully supports efforts to do so. However, a proposed rule regarding vessel speed reductions along much of the Atlantic seaboard will create significant access barriers for offshore anglers and boaters for more than half the …
CSF Weighs in on Final Stop for Proposed North Atlantic Vessel Speed Rule Read More »
Why It Matters: Bills that seek to prohibit hunters from participating in contests or tournaments threaten traditions that sportsmen and women have long enjoyed, as well as legitimate conservation methods of controlling predator and invasive species – namely coyotes. Most importantly, these bills attempt to legislatively manage wildlife issues rather than vesting the appropriate decision-making …
Fur the Win: Illinois Hunting Tournament Ban Misses Deadline Read More »
Why It Matters: Legislators, particularly those with a passion for our shared outdoor pursuits, are typically flooded each day with opposition to and attacks against the things they do. Events that bring sportsmen and women together with legislators to celebrate our hunting, fishing, trapping, and shooting traditions in a positive environment are an effective way …
Hundreds of Sportspeople Come Together for Colorado Sportsmen’s Day at the Capitol Read More »
Why It Matters: The Nebraska legislative session saw its fair share of legislation that would ultimately have negative impacts on the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission funding. There were multiple bills aimed at offering free and discounted licenses and a bill to divert millions of dollars away from Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Despite these …
Why It Matters: Introduced on February 28, 2024, Maine Legislative Docket 2238 (LD 2238) An Act to Address Gun Violence in Maine by Requiring a Waiting Period for Certain Firearm Purchases, imposes a minimum three-day waiting period on the transferring of a firearm. On March 7, 2024, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) submitted testimony to …
UPDATE: Maine Lawmakers Pass 72-Hour Wait Period on Firearms Transfers Read More »
Why It Matters: Legislation that reimburses the state fish and wildlife agency for revenue lost due to the creation of free and discounted hunting licenses is an effective way to protect conservation funding from misguided attempts to recognize specific groups by providing them with free or discounted licenses. While these efforts are oftentimes well-intentioned, they have a significant …
Legislation to Protect Conservation Funding in Louisiana Advances Read More »
Why It Matters: Habitat is the driving force behind healthy fish and wildlife populations. At a time when fish and wildlife habitats across the nation continue to become fragmented and degraded, the America’s Wildlife Habitat Conservation Act authorizes funding to conserve species before more costly measures are necessary. This legislation also codifies existing partnerships and …
Why It Matters: The 2024 Maryland Legislative Session adjourned, “Sine Die”, on Monday, April 8th. With that, five anti-sportsmen bills the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) engaged on failed, of which two egregious anti-sportsmen bills died as they did not pass out of both chambers before the deadline. Senate Bill 983 (SB 983) would have started …
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