On September 13, the House Natural Resources Committee held a markup and passed two bills including H.R. 502, a bill to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) as well as H.R. 6510, the Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act. H.R. 502, would permanently reauthorize LWCF at the current authorized level of…
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) applauds the recent decision by NOAA Fisheries to deny an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) that would have allowed pelagic longline (PLL) vessels into the East Florida Coast Pelagic Longline Closed Area. “Both resident and non-resident anglers who fish along the east coast of Florida owe NOAA Fisheries a debt of gratitude…
On September 7, the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced the opening of more than 251,000 acres to new or expanded hunting and fishing opportunities within the National Wildlife Refuge System. Specifically, the 251,000 acres will span across 30 refuges, and will increase the number of units open to hunting to 377, and fishing to…
By Zach Widner, Northwest States Senior Manager On September 11, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) hosted a policy forum and luncheon in Snowbird, Utah, which preceded the Council of State Governments (CSG) West Meeting. Attendees included western state legislators, sportsmen’s representatives, and outdoor industry partners covering sportsmen’s policy issues. The policy forum featured several western-centric…
On September 12, in a win for the sportsmen’s conservation community, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2591, the Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow’s Needs Act of 2017, on a voice vote. Introduced by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Vice-Chair Congressman Austin Scott (GA), along with fellow CSC leadership, Congressmen Jeff Duncan (SC), Gene Green…
By Brett Stayton, Mid-Atlantic States Coordinator On September 9, Catherine McCabe, the Commissioner of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued an Administrative Order to prohibit the hunting of black bears on all state lands under DEP’s jurisdiction, including state Wildlife Management Areas (WMA). These WMAs are paid for by New Jersey’s sportsmen and…