Contact: Joe Mullin, New England States Senior Coordinator Sportsmen and women in Massachusetts have just cause for anticipating the legislature’s return to what may be considered normal conditions. Prior to directing the majority of its efforts towards responsive measures for COVID-19, the Massachusetts General Court had set itself in motion to host a Sportsmen’s Day …
Massachusetts: Reviewing CSF’s Active Engagement in the Bay State Read More »
Contact: Kent Keene, Lower Midwestern States Coordinator Though Missouri’s 2020 legislative session has been suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak, there are still many important pieces of legislation that sportsmen and women should be aware of in the Show-Me state. Once the legislative session resumes, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) will continue to track and …
Missouri: A Closer Look at the Show-Me State’s 2020 Legislative Session Read More »
Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced they have prepared a draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) regarding the potential use of genetically engineered crops on national wildlife refuges in the Southeastern United States and are seeking public comments. The National Wildlife Refuge System often enters into cooperative agriculture agreements with farmers and agriculture …
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Seeks Comments Regarding Cooperative Farming Read More »
On March 11, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it is awarding nearly $49 million in grants to states and tribal governments through the Voluntary Public Access – Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP). Each state and tribal government receiving a grant will use the funding to encourage private landowners to allow public access to their …
USDA Announces Awards for the Voluntary Public Access – Habitat Incentive Program Read More »
Contact: John Culclasure, Southeastern States Assistant Director Many pro-sportsmen’s bills were signed into law during West Virginia’s 2020 legislative session. Very few anti-sportsmen’s bills were filed this session, and none were signed into law. Working alongside conservation partners and the state fish and wildlife agency, the bicameral and bipartisan West Virginia Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus), which is …
Contact: Brent Miller, Senior Director, Northeastern States & States Program Administrator Over the weekend the Trump administration issued guidance through the Department of Homeland Security that firearms-related businesses should be allowed to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as governors across the nation have issued well-intentioned orders aimed at minimizing person-to-person contact to slow the spread …
“Essential” Designations for Firearms-Related Businesses Read More »
On March 20, leaders of the recreational fishing and boating community submitted a letter to the Department of Commerce urging approval of Amendment 29 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan approved by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) in September 2019. Amendment 29 would require anglers fishing for snapper and grouper species in South Atlantic …
Angling and Boating Community Supports Descending Device Amendment in the South Atlantic Read More »
Contact: Chris Horton, Fisheries Policy and Midwestern States Senior Director While some states are closing state-owned wildlife management areas and boat ramps due to COVID-19 concerns, others are promoting hunting and fishing as a way to practice social distancing in a rewarding setting while enjoying our outdoor heritage. On March 19, the Arkansas Game and Fish …
Arkansas’s Answer to Social Distancing – Free Fishing Licenses Read More »
Last week, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) sent a letter to the more than 2,000 state legislators who are members of the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucus (NASC), encouraging them to help maintain the openness of public land in their respective states during this time of uncertainty as a result of COVID-19. The letter encouraged state legislators …
Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation Encourages State Public Land to Remain Open Read More »
On March 19, Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced the disbursement of $1 billion in funding that is generated on the backs of sportsmen and women through excise taxes on sporting equipment for the purposes of state-based conservation and access projects. For over 80 years, sportsmen and women have played an integral and unique role in …
Contact: Andy Treharne, Senior Director, Federal Policy Late last week, members of the Federal Lands Hunting, Fishing and Shooting Sports Roundtable (Roundtable) submitted formal comments on the Tonto National Forest’s draft forest plan direction and draft environmental impact statement (DEIS). As the fifth largest national forest in the United States, the Tonto hosts nearly 6 million visitors each year …
Federal Lands Roundtable Comments on Tonto National Forest Management Read More »
Contact: Kent Keene, Lower Midwestern States Coordinator On March 5, the Iowa House of Representatives voted to pass Senate File 280 (SF 280). This bill would expand resident status for hunting and fishing licenses to include active duty members of the armed forces and their spouses stationed at a military installation contiguous to an Iowa county and …
Contact: Kent Keene, Lower Midwestern States Coordinator On March 9, the Iowa Senate Committee on Judiciary passed House File 2502 (HF 2502), making it eligible for further consideration in the full Senate. Originally introduced on February 24, HF 2502 includes provisions related to Iowa’s state firearm preemption and protections for shooting ranges. Shooting ranges serve a wide variety …
Iowa: Range Protection Bill Continues to Progress through Legislature Read More »
Contact: Joe Mullin, New England States Senior Coordinator On March 20, Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus member Governor Janet Mills and Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) Commissioner Judy Camuso suspended the recreational fishing license requirement until April 30, which anglers would generally need for fishing the inland waters of Maine. Given the current COVID-19 precautions, MDIFW offices …
Maine: Fishing License Requirement Waived for Inland Waters Read More »
Contact: Nick Buggia, Upper Midwestern States Manager On March 17, Michigan Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Member Representative Gary Howell introduced House Bill 4313. This bill would require anyone 16 years-of-age or older to purchase a pheasant stamp to hunt pheasants in the state. The $25.00 stamp would be in addition to the base license required for …
Michigan: Pheasant Stamp Would Fund Release Program and Habitat for Wild Birds Read More »
Contact: Joe Mullin, New England States Senior Coordinator Amidst our nation’s current battle with COVID-19, a number of sportsmen and women find themselves working from home and setting social distancing limits. Many individuals are itching to get outdoors, awaiting the weekend or any other opportunity to trade the computer screen for a fishing rod or …
Contact: Brent Miller, Northeastern States Senior Director and States Program Administrator On March 19, a report distributed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission highlighted the State’s annual deer harvest results, but what was announced was astounding. The Keystone State’s deer yield for the 2019-2020 season came in at 389,431 – a 4% increase since the previous year and …
Recently, the Modernizing Access to Our Public Land Act, a bill to modernize public recreational access information, was introduced in the Senate (S. 3427) by Senator Martha McSally (AZ) and Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Member (CSC) Senator Angus King (ME). The House companion (H.R. 6169) was led by Congressmen Russ Fulcher (ID) and Derek Kilmer (WA). …
Senate Introduces Innovative Bill to Modernize Public Access Read More »
Contact: John Culclasure, Southeastern States Assistant Director Many state legislatures in the Southeast were in session during the first couple months of the year while other state legislatures were just getting started when COVID-19 caused many legislatures to go into recess. Nevertheless, members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundations’ (CSF) States Program Team continue to monitor legislation and regulatory rulemaking throughout the …
Recreational fishing and boating groups call for fair treatment in restrictions to end overfishing *Previously published by American Sportfishing Association Annapolis, MD – March 18, 2020 – The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and other organizations representing Maryland’s angling and boating community wrote Maryland’s Secretary of Natural Resources Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio regarding the pending 2020 striped bass regulations and …
Sportfishing Community Criticizes Maryland’s Approach to Striped Bass Management Read More »
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