On December 12, the U.S. Senate confirmed Ms. Aurelia Skipwith to serve as the next Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on a bipartisan vote.
In advance of today’s vote, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and 27 other sporting-conservation organizations sent a letter to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee urging the Committee to swiftly advance Skipwith’s nomination to the floor for further consideration. CSF also sent an alert to Members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) urging them to support America’s sportsmen and women by voting favorably to confirm Ms. Skipwith.
Before being confirmed by the Senate, Ms. Skipwith served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks at the Department of the Interior where she was responsible for overseeing the management of the lands and waters within the National Park Service and the National Wildlife Refuge System, many of which provide critical recreation access for sportsmen and women. The Refuge System alone accommodates over 2.4 million hunting-related visits and 7.3 million fishing visits annually. In her previous role, she prioritized public access for hunting and fishing by expanding opportunities within the Refuge System and played a critical role in efforts to establish new Refuges such as the Green River National Wildlife Refuge in Kentucky, among others.
“The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation applauds the nomination and confirmation of Ms. Aurelia Skipwith to serve as the next Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” said CSF President Jeff Crane. “We look forward to working with her to further advance sound fish and wildlife policy and to increase public access for sportsmen and women.”
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?
