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Back in March of 2019, President Trump signed into law S 47. What the National Rifle Association had to say:
https://www.nrahlf.org/articles/2019/3/13/president-signs-lands-bill-that-protects-hunting-access/
[h=1]President Signs Lands Bill That Protects Hunting Access[/h]
https://www.nrahlf.org/articles/2019/3/13/president-signs-lands-bill-that-protects-hunting-access/
[h=1]President Signs Lands Bill That Protects Hunting Access[/h]
by Susan Recce, NRA-ILA Director of Conservation, Wildlife and Natural Resources - Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Photo credit: Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management
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The mammoth Senate Bill S.47, sponsored by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), passed in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives in February and was signed into law by President Donald J. Trump yesterday. Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior David Bernhardt applauded the President. “President Trump knows that federal lands are meant to provide both peace and prosperity for the American people, and signing this bill allows us to continue managing public lands in a balanced way.” The bill, also known as the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act, contains nine titles and 245 sections. Within those titles and sections is language lifted from the Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage Opportunities Act that passed the House in three previous Congresses as part of a package of sportsmen’s bills, but never made it through the Senate.
All of the provisions in S.47 related to hunting, fishing and recreational shooting (HFRS) were initiated by and/or developed by the National Rifle Association in concert with several other non-government organizations (NGOs) nearly eight years ago. Thus, the passage of S. 47 was a victory in getting sportsmen’s access language and other provisions of importance to hunters—whose dollars fund wildlife conservation—across the Congressional finish line. The NRA is pleased to report that these provisions include:
Despite the hard work of the NRA and like-minded organizations over the past eight years and all of the above provisions in S.47, it fell short of the sportsmen’s package of bills previously passed by the House. Language addressing past anti-hunting court rulings was not included in addition to other NRA-backed provisions. NRA-ILA will continue to work with link-minded organizations, members of Congress, and this Administration on behalf of sportsmen to achieve these goals.
A couple of days ago Secretary of the Interior Bernhardt attended the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City:
https://www.nrahlf.org/articles/202...dges-commitment-to-sportsmen-at-hunting-expo/
[h=1]Interior Secretary Pledges Commitment to Sportsmen at Hunting Expo[/h]
“David Bernhardt is the greatest man to serve as Secretary of The Interior in my lifetime. He knows and loves the Constitution, he knows hunters, he opened up 1.4 million acres of federal land to hunting and fishing—and I’m grateful to him."
—Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), introducing Secretary of The Interior David Bernhardt
at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City, Feb. 15, 2020
Utah Sen. Mike Lee was spot on in introducing Secretary of The Interior (SOI) David Bernhardt at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo (WHCE) in Salt Lake City on Saturday—and American hunters agree, judging by the applause from the sold-out crowd. Bernhardt’s opening remarks underscored the dynamic partnership between groups like WHCE sponsors—the Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) and Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife (SFW)—to advance conservation, restore wildlife and enhance habitat through private, state and federal partnerships, calling such collaboration “the definition of conservation stewardship.”
“It’s a privilege to serve President Trump as Secretary of The Interior to advance his priorities for the American people, and the state of our Union is exceptional,” he said, touting how Americans continue to benefit from the President’s policies. Bernhardt assured the highly-engaged crowd that the DOI is actively moving to address access to public lands for hunters and anglers—who fund the bulk of conservation nationwide—calling sportsmen the nation’s true conservationists.
Ever humble over the DOI’s accomplishments under his leadership, the avid hunter and angler said, “The President gave me a clear directive to increase access, and just this year we increased it by 1.4 million acres.” Since assuming his position in 2019, Bernhardt has added a total of 1.7 million acres to date—"And I’m going to beat that number by the end of this year,” he said. If the crowd didn’t already know the man of the hour was one of us, they certainly knew it then.
Secretary of the Department of The Interior David Bernhardt, left, presented Mule Deer Foundation President and CEO Miles Moretti with a special letter he wrote thanking Moretti for his numerous accomplishments on behalf of the Mule Deer Foundation.
Bernhardt enjoys attending outdoor shows and sharing updates on the work the DOI is doing for the American people. For evidence of such momentum, look no further than the two points he noted in his fireside chat with WHCE attendees that afternoon. In addition to the DOI recognizing the value of protecting certain undeveloped BLM backcountry areas featuring priority habitats for recreationally-important traditional outdoor sports, he promoted its implementation of S. 47, the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act signed last April. His resulting Secretarial Order No. 3374, among other provisions, specifically expanded hunting and fishing opportunities on wildlife refuges and other public lands and designated timeframes for moving forward on actionable steps within each DOI office or bureau.
For anyone who missed that earlier gathering, Bernhardt restated, “Our [the DOI’s] guidepost for conservation and recreation priorities is Bill S. 47—the first legislation to add public lands in more than a decade. It established for the first time ever the policies of the United States of America is to include facilitating the expansion of hunting and fishing opportunities on federal land.” The crowd applauded, understanding the importance of having such a provision in a statute, or written law. “We removed or revised more than 5,000 federal hunting and fishing regulations to more closely align with state regulations,” he added. “That’s what hunters and anglers asked for.”
With a proven track record, Bernhardt is committed to getting the job done. He closed out his speech reiterating his bottom line—“to advance the President’s priorities for sportsmen and women”—winding down with the heartwarming words we never get tired of hearing: “God bless you and God bless the United States of America.”
As the enthusiastic crowd’s focus switched to the evening’s live auction to raise more money for wildlife conservation, you could feel a lingering sense of pride that comes from being a hunter. Without hunters and leaders like SOI David Bernhardt supporting the natural cycle of wildlife and wild places and working for the humane, science-based management of our renewable wildlife resources, everything would be put at risk. In the words of WHCE Master of Ceremonies Rob Keck—Bass Pro Shops’ director of conservation and host of its “Outdoor World Radio” show—“We salute all those who protect wildlife and our way of life. We salute you, we thank you and we love you.”
All of the provisions in S.47 related to hunting, fishing and recreational shooting (HFRS) were initiated by and/or developed by the National Rifle Association in concert with several other non-government organizations (NGOs) nearly eight years ago. Thus, the passage of S. 47 was a victory in getting sportsmen’s access language and other provisions of importance to hunters—whose dollars fund wildlife conservation—across the Congressional finish line. The NRA is pleased to report that these provisions include:
- Incorporating “Making Public Lands Public” into the section of S. 47 that permanently reauthorizes the Land and Conservation Fund (LWCF). It sets aside 3 percent of LWCF-appropriated funds or $15 million annually—whichever is greater—for projects that will open or improve access for HFRS and other outdoor recreational activities. The authorized LWCF funding level is $900 million to be split 40 percent for state, 40 percent for federal and 20 percent for other projects including deferred maintenance needs.
- Declaring it is national policy that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) are to facilitate the expansion and enhancement of HFRS.
- Declaring it is national policy that the BLM and USFS conserve and enhance the management of game species and their habitat, including through hunting and fishing, in concert with state fish and game laws.
- Declaring it is national policy that the BLM and USFS consider HFRS opportunities as part of federal land, resource and travel management plans.
- Codifying BLM and USFS policy that the lands they manage are open unless specifically closed to HFRS for reasons of public safety, administration or compliance with applicable laws. (This means that the agencies do not have to justify keeping the lands they manage open to HFRS.)
- Mandating that closure of federal lands to HFRS must be for the smallest area for the least amount of time to satisfy public safety, administration or compliance with applicable laws.
- Specifying additional requirements for public notice and comment, including notice to the NGO signatories of the Federal Lands Hunting and Shooting Sports Memorandum of Understanding Roundtable.
- Ensuring that a decision to close an area to HSRS must explain how issues could not be resolved and that closure is the only answer.
- Requiring that an annual report of land closures to HFRS be submitted to the Congress and the public.
- Requiring the development of lists prioritizing areas where there is no public access—or access is restricted on BLM, USFS, National Park Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands that are open to HFRS and other recreational activities—and developing strategies for providing access.
- Codifying the use of qualified volunteers (hunters) in wildlife management projects on lands within the National Park System.
Despite the hard work of the NRA and like-minded organizations over the past eight years and all of the above provisions in S.47, it fell short of the sportsmen’s package of bills previously passed by the House. Language addressing past anti-hunting court rulings was not included in addition to other NRA-backed provisions. NRA-ILA will continue to work with link-minded organizations, members of Congress, and this Administration on behalf of sportsmen to achieve these goals.
A couple of days ago Secretary of the Interior Bernhardt attended the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City:
https://www.nrahlf.org/articles/202...dges-commitment-to-sportsmen-at-hunting-expo/
[h=1]Interior Secretary Pledges Commitment to Sportsmen at Hunting Expo[/h]
“David Bernhardt is the greatest man to serve as Secretary of The Interior in my lifetime. He knows and loves the Constitution, he knows hunters, he opened up 1.4 million acres of federal land to hunting and fishing—and I’m grateful to him."
—Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), introducing Secretary of The Interior David Bernhardt
at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City, Feb. 15, 2020
Utah Sen. Mike Lee was spot on in introducing Secretary of The Interior (SOI) David Bernhardt at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo (WHCE) in Salt Lake City on Saturday—and American hunters agree, judging by the applause from the sold-out crowd. Bernhardt’s opening remarks underscored the dynamic partnership between groups like WHCE sponsors—the Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) and Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife (SFW)—to advance conservation, restore wildlife and enhance habitat through private, state and federal partnerships, calling such collaboration “the definition of conservation stewardship.”
“It’s a privilege to serve President Trump as Secretary of The Interior to advance his priorities for the American people, and the state of our Union is exceptional,” he said, touting how Americans continue to benefit from the President’s policies. Bernhardt assured the highly-engaged crowd that the DOI is actively moving to address access to public lands for hunters and anglers—who fund the bulk of conservation nationwide—calling sportsmen the nation’s true conservationists.
Ever humble over the DOI’s accomplishments under his leadership, the avid hunter and angler said, “The President gave me a clear directive to increase access, and just this year we increased it by 1.4 million acres.” Since assuming his position in 2019, Bernhardt has added a total of 1.7 million acres to date—"And I’m going to beat that number by the end of this year,” he said. If the crowd didn’t already know the man of the hour was one of us, they certainly knew it then.
Bernhardt enjoys attending outdoor shows and sharing updates on the work the DOI is doing for the American people. For evidence of such momentum, look no further than the two points he noted in his fireside chat with WHCE attendees that afternoon. In addition to the DOI recognizing the value of protecting certain undeveloped BLM backcountry areas featuring priority habitats for recreationally-important traditional outdoor sports, he promoted its implementation of S. 47, the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act signed last April. His resulting Secretarial Order No. 3374, among other provisions, specifically expanded hunting and fishing opportunities on wildlife refuges and other public lands and designated timeframes for moving forward on actionable steps within each DOI office or bureau.
For anyone who missed that earlier gathering, Bernhardt restated, “Our [the DOI’s] guidepost for conservation and recreation priorities is Bill S. 47—the first legislation to add public lands in more than a decade. It established for the first time ever the policies of the United States of America is to include facilitating the expansion of hunting and fishing opportunities on federal land.” The crowd applauded, understanding the importance of having such a provision in a statute, or written law. “We removed or revised more than 5,000 federal hunting and fishing regulations to more closely align with state regulations,” he added. “That’s what hunters and anglers asked for.”
With a proven track record, Bernhardt is committed to getting the job done. He closed out his speech reiterating his bottom line—“to advance the President’s priorities for sportsmen and women”—winding down with the heartwarming words we never get tired of hearing: “God bless you and God bless the United States of America.”
As the enthusiastic crowd’s focus switched to the evening’s live auction to raise more money for wildlife conservation, you could feel a lingering sense of pride that comes from being a hunter. Without hunters and leaders like SOI David Bernhardt supporting the natural cycle of wildlife and wild places and working for the humane, science-based management of our renewable wildlife resources, everything would be put at risk. In the words of WHCE Master of Ceremonies Rob Keck—Bass Pro Shops’ director of conservation and host of its “Outdoor World Radio” show—“We salute all those who protect wildlife and our way of life. We salute you, we thank you and we love you.”
