By Brett Stayton, Mid-Atlantic States Coordinator
On April 8, Senator Stephen Sweeney, Co-Chair of the New Jersey Angling and Hunting Conservation Caucus and Senate President, was presented the Conservation Leadership Award by the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance (NJOA) during their 2018 Wild Game dinner.
Sen. Sweeney has been one of the Garden States’ strongest advocates for sportsmen’s issues since becoming a state legislator in 2002 and has done tremendous work advancing legislation for hunters, anglers, trappers, and other conservationists.
A founding member of the Angling and Hunting Conservation Caucus, Sen. Sweeney has also been instrumental in several sportsmen’s victories, including: creating the “Get Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs” campaign; advancing Sunday hunting laws; establishing apprentice fishing licenses; protecting recreational fishing access on artificial reefs; and re-establishing the states bear hunting season.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) applauds the contributions made by Sen. Sweeney and thanks him for his tireless efforts supporting sportsmen and women in New Jersey as a sportsman-legislator.
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?
