Contact: Brent Miller, Senior Director, Northeastern States
On the weekend of September 13, Co-Chairs and Members of the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus gathered at the historic Woodmont Lodge in Washington County, for their annual Caucus retreat. Brent Miller, The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s (CSF) Senior Director, Northeastern States, attended the event alongside Caucus Co-Chairs and members to partake in the weekend discussions and festivities.
Situated near the 3,425-acre Woodmont Natural Resource Management Area, Woodmont Lodge offers itself as the perfect venue for a gathering of sportsmen and sportswomen. This historic site has garnered visits from our nation’s most prominent politicians, business magnates, and cultural figures, including “six U.S. Presidents, various senators and congressmen, Babe Ruth, Gene Tunney, Amos & Andy, and Richard Mellon.” During its earlier days, Woodmont Lodge was the sporting club of choice for D.C.’s wealthy elite. Today, the surrounding area offers visitors the chance to participate in numerous forms of outdoor recreation, including: hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting.
In addition to learning about and appreciating the historical significance of this setting, Caucus members took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy some recreational sporting activities – including target shooting and sporting clays. Throughout the weekend, members discussed a variety of policy items that they plan to address during upcoming legislative sessions, and CSF staff provided details on what other states have done when working on similar issues to assist the Caucus in planning for the 2020 legislative session.
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?
