Why It Matters: Wild pig populations are continuing to explode across the country. With an estimated 6 million individuals nationwide, they’re having a profound impact on crops and privately owned property, causing an estimated $2.5 billion worth of damage annually while also negatively impacting native wildlife and their habitats. The National Wild Pig Task Force (NWPTF) is a technical, scientific, and leadership alliance of state, federal, provincial, and private conservation partners working to reduce and eventually eradicate free-ranging populations of wild pigs in North America.
Highlights:
- The goals of the NWPTF are to provide national leadership and a collective voice for science-based control, damage reduction, and/or eradication of wild pigs, provide a forum for the exchange of information among the natural resource management field and stakeholder groups.
- In 2023, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s (CSF) Assistant Manager, Southeastern States, Mark Lance, joined the NWPTF.
- On March 27, 2025, during the annual meeting of the NWPTF, Mark was elected to the 9-member steering committee as its nongovernmental (NGO) representative. Steering Committee members are responsible for financial management, bylaw updates, conducting annual business meetings, overseeing subcommittees, and representing NWPTF at meetings and events.
Due to the prolific reproductive capabilities of the species, damage mitigation and management of wild pigs is a huge challenge. State and federal agencies continue to struggle to find both effective and cost-effective management techniques which impede further spread of wild pigs into new areas and reduce the negative ecological and financial impacts associated with wild pig populations.
With wild pigs now present in at least 35 states, management strategies continue to evolve where some states allow for very liberal seasons on wild pigs and some outright ban the recreational hunting of wild pigs in favor of government led trapping efforts. Therefore, policymakers must be better informed and work collectively with partners, such as those affiliated with the NWPTF, to better mitigate their state’s specific wild pig problem. The NWPTF features subcommittees comprised of experienced individuals who can address specific resource concerns, policy and management issues, research priorities and outreach needs, and more.
CSF remains at the table for discussions related to wild pig management, coordinating with our state fish and wildlife agencies, the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses, and now serving in a leadership capacity with the NWPTF alongside our partners.
