Why It Matters: The EXPLORE Act represents one of the most comprehensive outdoor recreation bills to become law and includes a number of longstanding priorities for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF). Taylor Schmitz, CSF’s Senior Vice President, will be the sole representative from the sporting-conservation community to talk about the importance of fully implementing this law to improve access for sportsmen and women and conservation of our natural resources.
Highlights:
- At 10:15 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, January 21, CSF’s Senior Vice President, Taylor Schmitz, will testify before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands on the landmark EXPLORE Act, where he will be the sole witness from the sporting community.
- The EXPLORE Act, which became law in January 2025, was led in Congress by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Co-Chair Representative Bruce Westerman in the House, and former CSC Co-Chair and current CSF Board Member Senator Joe Manchin, who led the Senate companion bill (as well as the dozens of other CSC Members who worked to see this bill become law).
The EXPLORE Act is a robust package that contains many important provisions to increase access for sportsmen and women. One of the most impactful provisions is language that will bolster recreational shooting opportunities by requiring the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to have a minimum of one target shooting range free to the public in each of their respective districts. At a time when safe and accessible places to target shoot are increasingly more difficult to find, this provision is critical to enhance our recreational shooting traditions.
Additionally, the EXPLORE Act contains an important provision to improve forest health through collaboration – the Good Neighbor Authority for Recreation (GNA). This provision provides authority that allows USFS and BLM to allow authorize states, counties, and tribes to assist the USFS and BLM in meeting land management goals. Specifically, the EXPLORE Act allows for GNA projects to occur on non-federal land and allows non-federal partners to retain the revenue generated from forest management projects on federal lands. The GNA language in the EXPLORE Act also includes language to allow the use of funds generated through restoration projects for recreation purposes, such as building shooting ranges, fishing piers, docks, boat landings, and other recreation facilities.
The EXPLORE Act will also aid federal agencies in their efforts to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, which pose a serious threat to native aquatic ecosystems and the economy. Once established, aquatic invasive species are difficult, if not impossible, to eradicate, and significant resources must be invested annually in population management. Preventing harmful introductions of aquatic invasive species before they occur is the most effective means to avoid the risk they present.
Be sure to tune in at 10:15 a.m. Eastern to see CSF represent the sporting community on the EXPLORE Act.
