On February 16, the U.S. House of Representatives approved House Joint (H.J.) Resolution 69 with a bipartisan vote (225-193), which would nullify the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) rule, “Non-Subsistence Take of Wildlife, and Public Participation and Closure Procedures, on National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska.”
This final FWS rule contradicts the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s constitutional mandate to manage the state’s wildlife resources for sustained yield, which is affirmed in the Alaska Statehood Act, the Alaska National Interests Land Conservation Act, and the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act.
In addition to bipartisan approval by the House, 27 sportsmen’s conservation organization from the American Wildlife Conservation Partners wrote to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy in support of H.J. Resolution 69. The National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucus (NASC) Executive Council, representing 48 state legislative sportsmen’s caucuses and over 2,000 state legislators, also submitted a letter in support of this Resolution.
This Joint Resolution will now move to the Senate for debate followed by a floor vote.
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?
