Representatives from organizations within the American Wildlife Conservation Partners (AWCP), a network of 47 of the nation’s leading wildlife conservation groups, gathered this week outside San Antonio, Texas, to collaborate on policy priorities that ensure professional, science-based wildlife management in the future.
The meeting focused on coordinating implementation of policy recommendations from, “Wildlife for the 21st Century: Volume 5,” an AWCP report released in 2016 that includes specific recommendations to the administration for ensuring sustainable wildlife conservation as well as the public use and enjoyment of those resources. Additionally, meeting attendees discussed efforts to better coordinate with the new administration as well as Members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus to advance conservation policies at both the legislative and regulatory levels.
AWCP groups were joined by special guest Todd Willens, Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Interior, who discussed priorities for the Department of the Interior (DOI) to advance access to federal lands for hunting and angling.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
