On March 29, the Ohio Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus hosted a breakfast at the Museum Gallery in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. State legislators, officials from the Ohio Division of Wildlife, and representatives from local and national sportsmen’s groups gathered to hear talks on pressing conservation issues for Ohio’s sportsmen and women.
Ohio Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chairs Senator Joe Uecker and Representative Jonathan Dever spoke about the importance of supporting Ohio’s rich sporting heritage and also about the significant economic contributions of hunters and anglers to Ohio’s economy. Ohio Conservation Federation President Matt Misicka, Ducks Unlimited Government Affairs Representative Kyle Rorah and Buckeye Firearms Association Sportsman Leader Larry Moore stressed the critical role of Ohio’s sportsmen and women for conservation funding.
Caucus Co-Chair Senator Joe Uecker said, “It’s an honor to Co-Chair the Ohio Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, and I appreciated the support at today’s event from our in-state sportsmen’s groups. Ohio is fortunate to have strong sportsmen’s group engaged in conservation efforts, and without these groups Ohio’s wildlife and sporting traditions would not be as rich.”
Caucus Co-Chair Representative Jonathan Dever said, “Hunters and anglers are true conservationists. Today’s strong wildlife populations and the outdoor passions that we pursue have been made possible largely thanks to the efforts of sportsmen and women, and I look forward to working with my fellow members in the Ohio Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus to ensure that future generations can enjoy the same outdoor traditions that we been fortunate to experience.”
Ohio Conservation Federation (OCF) President Matt Misicka said, “Today’s event was a great opportunity to connect with legislators, and we appreciated their time and interest in learning about conservation issues important to OCF’s membership and Ohio’s rank-and-file sportsmen and women.”
The event was sponsored by the Ohio Conservation Federation and Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever. Additional organizations represented at the event included the Buckeye Firearms Association, Ducks Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Federation, Ohio State Trappers Association, and Sportsmen’s Alliance.
Ohio’s 1.56 million sportsmen and women support more than 46,800 jobs in the state and contribute more than $4.3 billion to the state’s economy.
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?
