Earlier this month, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) joined the National Horse and Burro Rangeland Management Coalition. Western States Director Andy Treharne and Vice President Gary Kania, will represent CSF on the Coalition’s Steering Committee.
The Coalition includes a wide range of sportsmen’s livestock, wildlife and land conservation organizations and professional societies. Collectively, the Coalition represents millions of Americans and focuses on commonsense, ecologically-sound approaches to managing horses and burros to promote healthy wildlife and rangelands for future generations.
Horses and burros have greatly overpopulated Western rangelands. There are currently more than 67,000 horses and burros on Western rangelands – well above the level that the rangeland can support in balance with other uses. Since 2004, the cost of managing these populations has nearly doubled to $77.2 million per year. These non-native populations compete with native species for limited resources, impacting sportsmen’s ability to harvest game.
Joining CSF on the Coalition’s Steering Committee, are: the American Farm Bureau Federation, the American Sheep Industry Association, Masters of Foxhounds Associations, the Mule Deer Foundation, the National Association of Conservation Districts, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Associations, the National Rifle Association, the National Wildlife Refuge Association, the Public Lands Council, the Public Lands Foundation, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Safari Club International, the Society for Range Management, and the Wildlife Society, who current serves as Coalition Chair.
To learn more about the Coalition, visit their Facebook page.
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?
