On May 8, the Kansas House and Senate each passed a resolution in honor of the 80th anniversary of the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF).
The ASCF directly funds conservation efforts across Kansas through the sales of hunting and fishing licenses and excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, fishing equipment, marine electronics, and motor boat fuel. The resolutions were sponsored by the co-chairs of the Kansas Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, Representative Ken Corbet, Representative Kyle Hoffman, Senator Mike Petersen, and Senator Rick Billinger. Each resolution passed both the house and the senate with broad bipartisan support.
“Because of this System, our nation’s natural resources and conservation practices are the envy of the world,” said Co-Chair Representative Ken Corbet. “The resolutions recognize the important role that our state’s sportsmen and women play every time they go to the shooting range, harvest a turkey, or cast a line.”
Kansas’s 530,000 hunters and anglers spend over $630 million dollars annually. The funds spent by sportsmen and women on licenses, tags and permits, along with the aforementioned excise taxes, help every Kansan – not just hunters and anglers – by helping provide funding for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, restoring game and non-game species habitat, improving access to the state’s natural resources, and many other benefits.
“The contributions that Kansas hunters and anglers make to this state’s economy and natural resources conservation are undoubtable and well worth celebrating,” said Co-Chair Senator Mike Petersen.
A copy of the house and senate resolutions will be sent to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism as well as all Kansas Congressional offices. You can find a copy of the house resolution here, and see the senate resolution here.
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?
