This past Friday, March 18, Congressman Don Young (AK), an avid outdoorsman, a master legislator, a conservation legend, and a founding member of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, unexpectedly passed away at the age of 88. Congressman Young, who would more than occasionally remind those around him that he was the Congressman for ALL of Alaska,…
Contact: Mark Lance, Southeastern States Coordinator Why It Matters: States without a dedicated conservation funding mechanism, like Louisiana, often leave millions of dollars on the table because they cannot provide the match funding to qualify for federal conservation programs. If Louisiana established a dedicated conservation funding source, however, the state could leverage significantly more federal funds to…
Contact: Ellary TuckerWilliams, Rocky Mountain States, Assistant Manager Why it Matters: In a time when most of America’s youth are more connected to their phones than the outdoors, it is incumbent upon us to provide today’s young adults with plenty of diverse opportunities to become immersed in nature. While simply participating in a hunter education program…
Contact: Keely Hopkins, Manager, Pacific Region Why It Matters: Oregon’s hunters, anglers, and trappers 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, Oregon’s sportsmen and women generate tens of millions of dollars each…
Why it matters: Digital mapping and GPS technologies have fundamentally changed how sportsmen and women traverse federal lands. However, inconsistent and outdated record keeping practices amongst federal land management agencies hinder the ability of sportsmen and women to fully take advantage of these technologies, which will be addressed in part by the MAPLand Act. The House passage…
Contact: Joe Mullin, Northeastern States Manager Why it Matters: The amount of firearm suppressors in circulation within the United States continues to grow on an annual basis, providing further credence to their well-deserved reputation as the hearing protection of the 21st Century. The primary purpose of these instruments is to protect the hearing of firearms-users…