Why It Matters: The Department of the Interior (DOI) is a critical federal department for sportsmen and women by serving as a significant facilitator of access and overseeing a wide array of conservation programs. Specifically, the roles of DOI Deputy Secretary and Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) are critical positions that…
Why It Matters: The American Wildlife Conservation Partners (AWCP) is a consortium of 52 of the nation’s leading hunting and wildlife conservation professionals, among other entities, that work to build unity and consensus around the most pressing issues facing sportsmen and women and wildlife. Every four years, AWCP develops a collective set our federal priorities…
Why It Matters: The South Dakota legislative session saw its fair share of sportsmen-related legislation. Fortunately, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), working with partners and the South Dakota Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, was able to defeat bills that could have led to a transfer of funds from the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks and a…
Why It Matters: The western states have been long celebrated by the outdoor community as being a mecca for outdoor recreational opportunity thanks in part to the vast amounts of state and federal land open to the public. Over time some states have become segmented into a patchwork of public and private land. This leads…
Why It Matters: Whether they are aware of it or not, sportsmen and women support the “user pays – public benefits” structure of the American System of Conservation Funding through the purchase of firearms, ammunition, and other related outdoor sporting goods. Manufacturer-level excise taxes collected on these products are funneled directly back into conservation. 2nd…
Why It Matters: Hunters in Maryland can continue to use the ammunition of their choosing for hunting game species in the “Old-Line State”. Maryland House Bill 741 (HB 741) and Senate Bill 634 (SB 634) contained a provision that would require the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to create a lead hunting ammunition phase-out…