On September 25, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted to advance the nomination of Aurelia Skipwith to serve as the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service).
Skipwith, who currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks at the Department of the Interior, was nominated to serve as the Director of the Service by President Trump in July. In her current role, Skipwith is responsible for overseeing the stewardship of lands and waters within the national park and national wildlife refuge system. During her time at the Department of the Interior, she has prioritized public access for hunting and fishing by expanding access on National Wildlife Refuges, recognized the importance of zing urban national wildlife refuges, among other efforts to promote our nation’s hunting and fishing heritage. Prior to Skipwith’s confirmation hearing and markup, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and 27 of the nation’s leading sporting-conservation organizations submitted a letter to the Committee in support of Skipwith to serve as Director.
“The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation applauds the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee for swiftly advancing the nomination of Ms. Skipwith to serve as the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” said CSF President Jeff Crane. “Throughout her tenure with the Department of the Interior, Ms. Skipwith has prioritized sporting access as well as fish and wildlife conservation while working to balance the mission of the Department with many different constituencies.”
Ms. Skipwith’s nomination now awaits to be scheduled for a floor vote in the U.S. Senate.
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?
