Contact: Mark Lance, Southeastern States Coordinator Why It Matters: In 2016, it was reported that more than 20 million Americans spent an estimated $16.9 billion on equipment and travel to participate in target shooting. The purchase of firearms and ammunition is critical to the “user pays – public benefit” structure of the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF)….
Contact: Ellary TuckerWilliams, Rocky Mountain States, Assistant Manager Why It Matters: Formalizing official Advisory Councils to state legislative sportsmen’s caucuses provides Caucus members with a direct line to their outdoor sporting constituency that can deliver invaluable insight to policy as it relates to conservation and our shared outdoor sporting heritage. As Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Members rotate…
Contact: Mark Lance, Southeastern States Coordinator Why It Matters: With the increasing loss of grassland habitats, many popular game and non-game wildlife species are experiencing negative effects due to lack of habitat diversity on the landscape, resulting in a loss of opportunity for sportsmen and women. With decreasing levels of active forest management on public lands in…
Contact: Keely Hopkins, Manager Pacific States and Firearm Policy Why It Matters: California’s law-abiding hunters and recreational shooters have long played a vital role in funding conservation and wildlife management efforts throughout the state. Under the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF), a unique “user pays — public benefits” structure, California’s sportsmen and women generate…
Contact: Kent Keene, Assistant Manager, Lower Midwestern States and Agriculture Policy Why It Matters: Public participation in the decision-making process surrounding fish and wildlife management is indicative of an engaged public, and members of the outdoor sporting community are always encouraged to be involved at every available opportunity. However, it is important to remember that…
Why It Matters: The federal Marine Recreational Information Program that collects private recreational angler catch data across multiple species and geographic areas is a useful survey for general trends in fish populations but is not at the scale necessary to effectively survey reef fish anglers in the South Atlantic. As a potential solution, the South…