The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) are pleased to announce an exciting new partnership established through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was signed on November 19 at the 11th Annual National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses Annual Sportsman-Legislator Summit in Sunriver, Oregon.
The MOU joins CSF, as the leading organization for sportsmen and women in the political arena, and NWTF, the nation’s leader in upland wildlife habitat conservation, together to strengthen the long-term relationship between the two organizations, and ultimately to further protect and advance the future of hunting and upland wildlife management in the United States.
Both NWTF and CSF possess resources designed to advance conservation goals and benefit sportsmen and women. Despite these common objectives, the organizational structure and activities of each are distinctly different. Defining and establishing a recognized partnership between CSF and NWTF – primarily within each state, but also at the national level – will allow each organization to leverage the other’s abilities allowing both to become increasingly effective at promoting science-based wildlife management and protecting our sportsmen’s heritage for future generations.
“Innovative partnerships, such as this one between CSF and NWTF, are critical in protecting our country’s outdoor heritage,” said CSF President Jeff Crane. “Recognizing that each member of the sportsmen’s community has individual strengths, we need to advance our common goals by combining forces and taking advantage of these strengths on behalf of America’s sportsmen and women. This agreement moves us down that path.”
“In order to fully achieve the goals of our ‘Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt.’ initiative, we must work with state and federal legislators to ensure that science-based habitat management and the future of hunting is protected,” said George Thornton, NWTF CEO. “This partnership with CSF will increase our effectiveness in the policy and advocacy arena by better informing our volunteers about policy-related issues and facilitating better relationships between our volunteers and state legislators.”
NWTF has been a long-standing partner of CSF on many levels, and was one of the key organizations that provided support for the launch of the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) network a decade ago. During the 10th Anniversary year of NASC, CSF and NWTF have collaborated in the development of a long-term strategy for success that will provide additional support for the 2,000 state legislators who are members of the NASC, and will enhance both organizations’ conservation goals.
About CSF
Since 1989 CSF has maintained a singleness of purpose that has guided the organization to become the most respected and trusted sportsmen’s organization in the political arena. CSF’s mission is to work with Congress, governors, and state legislatures to protect and advance hunting, angling, recreational shooting and trapping. The unique and collective force of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC), the Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus (GSC) and the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC), working closely with CSF, and with the support of major hunting, angling, recreational shooting and trapping organizations, serves as an unprecedented network of pro-sportsmen elected officials that advance the interests of America’s hunters and anglers.
About NWTF
The NWTF – a national nonprofit organization – is the leader in upland wildlife habitat conservation in North America. The NWTF Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative is a charge that mobilizes science, fundraising and devoted volunteers to give the NWTF more energy and purpose than ever. Through this national initiative, NWTF has committed to raising $1.2 billion to conserve or enhance 4 million acres of essential upland wildlife habitat, create 1.5 million hunters and open access to 500,000 acres for hunting, shooting and outdoor enjoyment. Without hunters, there will be no wildlife or habitat. The NWTF is determined to Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt.
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?
