On March 21, The U.S. Senate voted 52 – 47 to pass House Joint (HJ) Resolution 69, which nullifies the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) rule, “Non-Subsistence Take of Wildlife, and Public Participation and Closure Procedures, on National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska.” After passage, the Resolution was sent to the President’s desk for a signature.
This follows a bipartisan vote to pass HJ Resolution 69 in the U.S. House, which occurred in February. This Congressional action reaffirms state fish and wildlife agency authority to manage wildlife on National Wildlife Refuges, which is stated in the Alaska Statehood Act, the Alaska National Interests Land Conservation Act, and the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act.
HJ Resolution 69 is supported by the nation’s leading sportsmen’s conservation organizations as well as the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses Executive Council.
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?
