On February 11, the Oregon Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus held its first meeting of the year, discussing upcoming Caucus priorities with representatives from a wide range of sportsmen’s groups. The Caucus also welcomed new Co-Chairs for both the House and Senate, and thanked the outgoing Caucus Chairs for their leadership during the previous legislative session.
The newly announced House Co-Chairs for the bipartisan Oregon Sportsmen’s Caucus are Representatives Val Hoyle (D) and Wayne Krieger (R), while Senators Herman Baertschiger (R) and Betsy Johnson (D) step in as Co-Chairs on the Senate side. Outgoing Caucus leaders are Representatives Sal Esquivel (R) and Brad Witt (D) and Senators Arnie Roblan (D) and Alan Olsen (R).
Representative Sal Esquivel, National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) Executive Council member and longtime House Co-Chair of the Oregon Sportsmen’s Caucus, welcomed the new Caucus leaders and remarked on the success of the Oregon Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus: “As the largest and most effective bipartisan Caucus in the state of Oregon, I’m proud of the work of the Oregon Sportsmen’s Caucus has done. I look forward to working with the new Caucus leaders to ensure that we continue to safeguard Oregon’s outdoor traditions.”
Outgoing House Co-Chair Brad Witt remarked, “It has been a pleasure to serve as Co-Chair for the Oregon Sportsmen’s Caucus, and I have full confidence that the new leaders will continue to build upon all the success we’ve achieved over the years.”
A number of state and national sportsmen’s groups were in attendance, including the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), Hunting Works for Oregon (HWO), Oregon Hunters Association (OHA), and Oregon Outdoor Council (OOC), along with B.A.S.S., Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), Northwest Steelheaders, and Trout Unlimited.
For more information about the Oregon Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, please contact CSF’s Western States Coordinator Zach Widner at zach@sportsmenslink.org.
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?
