The Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council (WHHCC), a federal advisory committee tasked with advising the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior on agency issues impacting hunters and the nation’s wildlife resources, recently gathered in Cody, Wyoming on June 17 and 18. As members of the Council, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) President Jeff Crane, CSF Board of Directors Chairman Bob Model (Boone and Crockett Club) and Board Member Steve Sanetti (National Shooting Sports Foundation), joined other members of the hunting and conservation community to discuss land and wildlife management policies of interest to America’s sportsmen and women with representatives of federal agencies including the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The WHHCC provides an opportunity for the sportsmen’s community to provide guidance to land managers and decision makers that can have a tremendous impact on the public’s ability to access and enjoy millions of acres throughout the country. During the meeting, the Council discussed a wide variety of topics including: the future of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the management of endangered species such as the greater sage grouse and grizzly bear, the use of volunteers and/or hunters to manage ungulate species in National Parks, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s ban on the importation of elephant ivory from Zimbabwe and Tanzania, hunter recruitment and retention and recreational shooting on federal public lands, among others.
A provision included in H.R. 3590, the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act, would permanently establish the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council. The bipartisan bill, sponsored by all four Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on February 5, 2014.
To learn more about the WHHCC, click here.
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?
