On January 4, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) Southeastern States Director Bee Frederick presented at the Georgia Wildlife Federation’s Keeping Georgia Wild Summit.
The biannual gathering of in-state conservation organizations serves as an opportunity for the larger conservation community to discuss issues of importance directly with representatives from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) prior to the beginning of the legislative session.
The Georgia DNR provided updates from their Coastal Resources Division, Law Enforcement Division, and Wildlife Resources Division with specific updates on how funds from a recent licensing restructuring will be implemented. Additionally, representatives from the Georgia Wildlife Federation, the Flint Riverkeeper, the National Rifle Association, and the state’s Recruitment/Retention/Reactivation (R3) Coordinator provided updates.
Frederick explained the importance of the federal-state nexus between the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) and state legislative sportsmen’s caucuses. He highlighted the important policy work for sportsmen and women at the federal level, led by CSC leadership, including Vice-Chair Congressman Austin Scott of Georgia, and provided updates on various pieces of federal legislation important to the community.
Other attendees included representatives from the Archery Trade Association, Coastal Conservation Association, Ducks Unlimited, the Georgia Forestry Commission, National Wildlife Federation and others.
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?
