CSF-SUPPORTED HABITAT PROJECT MOVES FORWARD IN VIRGINIA

ARTICLE CONTACT: JOHN CULCLASURE

Why It Matters: The timber harvests, prescribed burns, and other vegetation treatments in the Archer Knob Project will help correct the age-class imbalance on the George Washington National Forest,  supporting species important to Virginia’s hunters, including ruffed grouse, wild turkey, black bear, and white-tailed deer. The project is also a positive indicator that the U.S. Forest Service is embracing its new National Active Forest Management Strategy.

Highlights:

• Early successional habitats, which are critical to game species as well as several Species of Greatest Conservation Need identified in the Virginia Wildlife Action Plan, comprise less than 1% of the George Washington National Forest.
• In 2022, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) submitted comments on the draft Environmental Assessment for the Archer Knob Project supporting the proposed timber harvests and other improvements for fish and wildlife habitat.
• CSF is a strong proponent of using active forest management practices to improve forest health, increase forest resilience to severe wildfire, improve wildlife habitat, and increase access for hunters and anglers.

On June 18, the U.S. Forest Service released the Decision Notice for the Archer Knob Project on the North River Ranger District of the George Washington National Forest in Virginia. District Ranger Gregg Slezak decided to implement the Proposed Action (Action) in the final Environmental Assessment (EA) which will move the analysis area towards the desired conditions to increase forest resilience, as set forth in the 2014 George Washington Revised Land and Resource Management Plan.  The Action aims to create early successional habitat and open woodlands, among other species composition and structure improvements, that are beneficial to wildlife.

After reviewing the EA, District Ranger Slezak determined that the Proposed Action would not have a significant environmental effect and thus an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was not needed. This Finding of No Significant Impact was issued following public input during the initial scoping period, the EA scoping period, and two objection periods. During these stages, public feedback was evaluated and some recommendations were incorporated into the final EA. Even without carrying out a full-blown EIS, the almost four years of analysis to reach the final decision demonstrates the need for reforms, as proposed in the Fix Our Forests Act, to increase efficiencies to support forest restoration work at scale.

Specifically, the Archer Knob Project will harvest timber on 2,142 acres through regeneration methods that will create early successional and young forest habitat, thin 2,610 acres to create open woodlands, enhance 424 acres of various types of wildlife openings, prescribed burn over 2,400 acres, and restore 10 aquatic organism passages, among other forest and watershed health improvements. By improving habitat diversity, the project will support game and nongame species that depend on regenerating young forests and other early seral habitats.

CSF is appreciative of the pro-active work of the U.S. Forest Service and is excited to see the project move forward to improve wildlife habitat and support the outdoor sporting traditions of sportsmen and women in the Commonwealth.

CSF’S EFFORTS HELP RESULT IN REMOVAL OF LAND DISPOSAL LANGUAGE IN SENATE BILL

(June 29, 2025) – Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, the language to dispose of certain federal lands across 11 western states was committed to be removed from the Senate budget reconciliation bill, delivering a big win for sportsmen and women across the nation. Since the proposal was first made public, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has been working tirelessly to keep public lands in public hands and defend access for sportsmen and women.

“Yesterday’s announcement that public land sales are off the table in the Senate budget reconciliation bill is a significant win for sportsmen and women and our unique system of public lands that belong to all U.S. citizens,” said Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation President and CEO Jeff Crane. “CSF is proud to work in the Nation’s Capital on behalf of hunters, anglers, trappers, and recreational shooters to ensure the future of these important traditions.”

CSF remains committed to working through the existing processes in place such as the Federal Land Policy Management Act and the Federal Lands Transaction Facilitation Act to address challenges facing local communities while ensuring sportsmen’s access is not lost in the process. Throughout this process, CSF has made it clear that we are not anti-sale or disposal of public lands in principle, if the lands in consideration do not impact sportsmen’s access or wildlife habitat, and the lands have been identified through a thoughtful, measured, and deliberate manner that includes public input through the existing processes. CSF’s concerns were rooted in the fact that reconciliation was not the vehicle for any sale or disposal.

CSF thanks Chairman Lee for his commitment to remove the land disposal language from the reconciliation bill to ensure that sportsmen’s access was not lost in this process. While this announcement is an important victory, CSF will continue its fight for sportsmen and women in Washington, D.C. and across the country in all 50 states.

INDIANA GOVERNOR MIKE BRAUN JOINS BIPARTISAN GOVERNORS SPORTSMEN’S CAUCUS

ARTICLE CONTACT: BOB MATTHEWS

Governor of Indiana Mike Braun (left), Indiana Department of Natural Resources Director Alan Morrison (center), and CSF’s Bob Matthews (right) share fishing stories in southern Indiana.

Why It Matters: While decisions that impact sportsmen and women are typically forged in statehouses and commission meetings, Governors can have significant influence over a state’s legislative and regulatory initiatives and wield powerful veto authority. Joining the Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus (GSC) is not only a public commitment to hunters and anglers, but also provides a direct line of communication to other sportsman-governors and the thousands of state sportsman-legislators that comprise the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) network.

Highlights:

• The Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus is comprised of bipartisan Governors that are committed to supporting and enhancing hunting, fishing, recreational shooting, and trapping.
• Governor of Indiana Mike Braun, a former United States Senator and member of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, formally joined the GSC last week.
• The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) is committed to building relationships with both legislative and executive offices to protect our time-honored outdoor traditions.

Last week Indiana Governor Mike Braun, an avid outdoorsman, formally joined the bipartisan Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus. Before being elected Governor last November, Governor Braun served as a United States Senator and was a member of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, the largest bipartisan caucus on Capitol Hill.

A lifelong Hoosier sportsman, Governor Braun joins the GSC and over half of the nation’s governors in committing to pursue policies that benefit hunters, anglers, recreational shooters, and trappers. The GSC complements the NASC network by improving communication across participating executive offices and shapes policy to enhance fish and wildlife management, while also serving as a line of defense against legislation that would harm our time-honored outdoor traditions.

CSF will continue to build relationships with legislatures, state fish and wildlife agencies, and executive offices around the country, working to ensure that each is informed and aligned in advancing the interests of sportsmen and women.

ALL CALL FOR DEDICATED CONSERVATION FUNDING IN TENNESSEE

ARTICLE CONTACT: CONNER BARKER

Why It Matters: The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is regarded as the most successful conservation framework in the world. However, the Model is only successful with the necessary funding behind it. For nearly 90 years, this funding has been largely (and in some states, exclusively) driven by sportsmen and women through the “user pays – public benefits” structure of the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF). The ASCF consists of a three-tiered funding system that includes: revenue from sporting licenses and excise tax revenue from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs. However, many states have now found increased success in supplementing the contributions by sportsmen and women with alternate streams of dedicated conservation funding. This has helped to provide additional funding for state fish and wildlife agencies to make up budgetary shortfalls so that they may continue to accomplish their critical mission of managing their respective state’s natural resources, oftentimes at no additional cost to taxpayers. State fish and wildlife agencies use these dollars to manage species that hunters and anglers find solace in pursuing. Following an initial push to raise hunting and fishing license fees, Tennessee is now the latest state to begin exploring alternate funding mechanisms.

Highlights:

• Late last year, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) reported on a successful vote from the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission to raise most hunting and fishing licenses by approximately 28%, among other adjustments.
• On June 18, the license fee adjustment went before the Joint Government Operations Committee (Committee) for final legislative approval.
• Following commitments from several members of the Committee to explore alternative dedicated conservation funding for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), TWRA Executive Director Jason Maxedon withdrew the previously approved license fee increase in favor of pursuing a dedicated source of funding that does not directly increase cost on the consumer.
• Several different approaches exist to provide critical conservation funding to state fish and wildlife agencies to supplement the contributions of sportsmen and women through the ASCF.

No different than many other aspects of life in today’s world, state fish and wildlife agencies must be able to adapt and adjust to the continuously increasing cost of conducting business – for them, on the ground conservation work. From increasing inflation, rising staff salaries, providing the equipment needed for day-to-day operations, managing increasing numbers of invasive plant and animal species, and more, many state fish and wildlife agencies across the nation need additional funding to keep up. Unlike many other state agencies, state fish and wildlife agencies have a long history of being funded by their primary constituency (i.e., sportsmen and women), rather than approaching the legislature for General Fund monies.

On the heels of the Committee meeting and following commitments from multiple Tennessee state legislators, the attention now turns to exploring mechanisms to fund the TWRA and its mission of delivering on the ground conservation for all Tennesseans.

Several states around the country have unique ways of funding their respective state fish and wildlife agency outside of hunting and fishing license sales. A great example is a conservation sales tax, which Missouri successfully implemented and generates over $100 million every year. This modest alternative funding source was a 1/8^th of 1% increase in tax applied to all taxable goods. Monies generated from the mechanism are then deposited into an account to be expressly used for conservation purposes.

Other notable dedicated conservation funding mechanisms include dedicated lottery funds for conservation and a dedicated sales tax on outdoor gear. States like Arizona and Minnesota dedicate annually a portion of their lottery proceeds to be used explicitly for conservation. Furthermore, a dedicated, state level sales tax on outdoor gear can provide a steady flow of conservation funding alongside the ASCF. This method is highly attractive to many states because it stays within the general (and proven successful) philosophy of having sportsmen and women as the primary funders of state-level conservation in the United States. For example, in 2018 Georgia passed the Outdoor Stewardship Act which dedicates up to 80% of existing sales tax collected by sporting goods stores to conservation through the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program under the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. This program provides a dedicated funding mechanism to support parks and trails and protect and acquire lands critical to wildlife, clean water and outdoor recreation across the state of Georgia.

CSF looks forward to working with the TWRA, Tennessee Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, and our partners to identify a much-needed dedicated conservation funding mechanism in Tennessee.

States Involved: TN

TWO WILDLIFE HABITAT RESTORATION PROJECTS IN NORTH CAROLINA MOVE TOWARDS IMPLEMENTATION

ARTICLE CONTACT: JOHN CULCLASURE

Why It Matters: After a decade of public input and planning to revise the land management plan for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests, as well as years of planning for these individual habitat improvement projects, CSF is encouraged to see the National Forests in North Carolina lean into agency-wide goals to significantly increase timber harvests, which will create  the desired habitat conditions that will pay dividends for wildlife and the sportsmen and women that depend on federal forests for recreational access.

Highlights: 

• Young forests and other early seral habitats are critical for many species of wildlife, game and nongame, yet National Forests across the country, including the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests, regularly fail to meet early successional habitat goals for a number of reasons (e.g., policy impediments, litigation, capacity, etc.).
• The silvicultural treatments proposed in these two projects will support declining wildlife species, like the ruffed grouse and golden-winged warbler, as well as numerous Species of Greatest Conservation Need identified in the North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan.
• The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) strongly supports actively managing public lands to improve forest health and wildlife habitat and enhance hunter and angler access.

In June, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) released the draft decision notice for the Crossover Project on the Nantahala National Forest in Cherokee and Graham Counties, NC. The project proposes to move forward with the Alternative-B modified action which would improve habitat diversity, including creating young forests, through regeneration harvests, timber stand improvement treatments, and prescribed burns. The project would also rehabilitate wildlife openings and restore watershed health. After receiving pushback from environmental groups, the proposed action dropped three stands and modified harvests in three other stands. The 45-day objection period commenced on June 25.

On July 7, the U.S. Forest Service issued its final decision for the Nantahala Mountains Project on the Nantahala National Forest in Macon County, NC. Initiated in 2021 after consolidating two previously started projects, the project will move towards implementation, absent litigation, after three rounds of public input, including working through the objection resolution process. District Ranger Troy Waskey selected the Alternative-B modified action alternative which will help achieve the desired conditions for the management areas laid out in the forest plan for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests by creating roughly 400 acres of young forests.

Currently, young forests comprise roughly 0.7% of the project area while approximately 80% is older than 80 years old. The Alternative-B modified action alternative will help restore forest age class and structural diversity in several forest cover types, support mast producing species, and increase the amount of regenerating young forest through various silvicultural treatments. Additionally, two new wildlife fields will be created, other wildlife openings will be enhanced, and stream connectivity will be improved habitat for brook trout and other species. While the North Carolina sportsmen’s community wanted more timber harvested (the project will harvest timber on less than 2% of the almost 25,0000-acre project area) to move the area even more towards the young forest desired conditions based on the natural range of variation model in the forest plan, the project is still a positive step forward for habitat improvement.

The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation is thankful for the leadership of the U.S. Forest Service working to implement the goals of the forest plan, despite opposition from environmental groups, to address forest health issues and improve habitat for fish and wildlife.

PRESIDENT TRUMP SIGNS MAKE AMERICA BEAUTIFUL AGAIN EXECUTIVE ORDER

ARTICLE CONTACT: TAYLOR SCHMITZ

Why It Matters: The Make America Beautiful Again represents a critical commitment to America’s sportsmen and women and our nation’s conservation efforts. Many of the objectives contained in President Trump’s Executive Order are aligned with the longstanding guiding principles for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), and this Executive Order will help serve as a springboard to bolster access for sportsmen and women and deliver on-the-ground conservation for our nation’s fish and wildlife.

Highlights:

• Recently, President Trump signed an Executive Order entitled Make America Beautiful Again, an action that is welcomed by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation.
• Among several important directives in the Executive Order is the specific mention of increasing access for hunting and fishing and improving voluntary conservation efforts across the country.
• CSF thanks President Trump for signing this Executive Order and for recognizing the important value that hunters and anglers play in conservation.

On July 3, President Trump signed the Make America Beautfiul Again Executive Order with the goal of improving conservation across the country and bolstering access for our time-honored traditions of hunting and fishing.

The Executive Order draws renewed attention and support for conservation and access while providing for a call to action to deliver on-the-ground programming that will benefit the sporting-conservation community. Many of the priorities contained in the Executive Order are well-aligned with the time-honored conservation ethos that hunters, anglers, and other sportsmen and women pride themselves in. Specifically, the Executive Order provides important directives to:

• Promote responsible stewardship of natural resources while driving economic growth;
• Expand access to public lands and waters for recreation, hunting, and fishing;
• Encourage responsible, voluntary conservation efforts;
• Cut bureaucratic delays that hinder effective environmental management; and
• Recover America’s fish and wildlife populations through proactive, voluntary, on-the-ground collaborative conservation efforts.

To accomplish the objectives contained in the Executive Order, a commission consisting of key members of the President’s Cabinet and senior White House staff will be organized to implement and deliver on these important goals. The Executive Order is a welcomed opportunity to deliver meaningful wins for sportsmen and women across the country, and CSF looks forward to working with the Make America Beautfiul Again Commission to make the objectives contained in the Order a reality.

HERE’S WHAT THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL MEANS TO SPORTSMEN AND WOMEN

ARTICLE CONTACT: TAYLOR SCHMITZ

Why it Matters: Nearly two weeks ago, Congress passed and the President signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB). Included in the legislation are a number of provisions that will have a direct impact on sportsmen and women, fish and wildlife, and our nation’s lands and waters. Notably absent from the OBBB was language to mandate the disposal of certain federal public lands, which the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) worked hard to defeat.

Highlights:

• On July 4, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the comprehensive bill that has been the focus of Congress since the beginning of the 119^th Congress in January, was signed into law.
• While this legislation is a large and all-encompassing, there are a few particular provisions of note that will impact sportsmen and women across the country.

Importantly, the OBBB omitted the mandate to sell-off certain federal public lands across 11 western states, which was an effort strongly opposed by CSF. While there were a number of proposals to sell off public lands that were considered throughout the process of developing the OBBB, CSF strongly opposed the consideration of any public land disposal through this process. As a result of CSF’s efforts, the language to mandate the sale of certain public lands was ultimately removed from the final bill that became law.

The OBBB included a provision to reduce the $200 National Firearms Act Form-4 tax stamp to $0 for the purchase of firearm suppressors and certain types of firearms. Prior to the enactment of the OBBB, each time an individual purchased a suppressor they needed to pay a one-time $200 tax stamp. Under new law, individuals will no longer have to pay the $200 for the tax stamp each time they purchase a suppressor, but they must still file the requisite paperwork and undergo the attendant background check.

Additionally, several of the Farm Bill’s conservation programs and previous investments made through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 are now officially considered to be part of the Farm Bill’s baseline. This means that current funding levels will serve as the base once Congress begins the hard work of writing the next iteration of the Farm Bill. Likewise, the OBBB language for these programs removed many of the climate limitations that, as pointed out by many within the sporting-conservation community, failed to include many key practices that benefit wildlife habitat and mitigate impacts commonly attributed to climate change. This bill also included $105 million to continue the successful Feral Swine Eradication and Control Program and, most important to hunters and anglers, included $70 million for the Voluntary Public Access – Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP) which provides financial incentives for private landowners to voluntarily open their properties to public hunting access in many states.

Further, the OBBB includes significant forest management provisions to support the long-term sustainability of U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands by improving forest resilience to wildfire and other threats through increased timber sales. Specifically, the reconciliation bill directs the USFS to increase the volume of timber sold over the next ten fiscal years by a minimum of 250 million board feet annually more than the prior fiscal year and directs the BLM to increase the volume of timber sold over the same period by a minimum of 20 million board feet annually more than the previous fiscal year. Additionally, the OBBB aims to provide stability by requiring the USFS to enter a minimum of 40 20-year timber sale contracts and requiring the BLM to enter at least five 20-year timber sale contracts. The mandated and incrementally increasing timber sales align with Executive Order 14225, Immediate Expansion of Timber Production; Secretary’s Memorandum 1078-006, Increasing Timber Production and Designating an Emergency Situation on National Forest System Lands; and the USFS’s new National Active Forest Management Strategy. After two and a half decades of relatively stagnant federal timber sales that resulted in overstocked, unproductive forests for wildlife, the increased timber harvests will improve habitat diversity and increase forest resiliency to support fish and wildlife habitat and access for hunters and anglers.

BACK-TO-BACK SUNDAY HUNTING VICTORIES OPEN NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR HUNTERS ON NEARLY 30 MILLION ACRES

(July 9, 2025) – Washington, D.C. – After a decade and a half of dedicated engagement by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), hunters will soon have new opportunities thanks to the recent passage of, not one, but two CSF-priority bills that remove, or nearly remove all remaining statutory prohibitions on Sunday hunting in both Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

CSF has long been a leading advocate for all sporting-conservation policy issues across the nation, working with the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus on Capitol Hill, the bipartisan Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus, and individual state legislative sportsmen’s caucuses in all 50 states through the bipartisan National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses. Specific to these most recent victories, CSF has had the distinct honor and privilege of working alongside and supporting the Pennsylvania Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and the Connecticut Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus in removing the remaining antiquated Sunday hunting prohibitions within each state.

“The back-to-back wins in both Connecticut and Pennsylvania open the door for new Sunday hunting opportunities on nearly 30 million acres,” said Brent Miller, Vice President of Policy for CSF. “These recent victories add to an unquestionable record of success on this issue between CSF and the state legislative sportsmen’s caucuses we support – a record which now includes more than 20 pro-Sunday hunting bills being enacted in 9 states over the last 11 years. Moving forward, we will continue the fight in the increasingly fewer states that still have these draconian restrictions in place until all remaining Sunday hunting bans are a thing of the past.”

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania House Bill 1431 (introduced by Pennsylvania Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Member Rep. Mandy Steele) removes the Commonwealth’s Sunday hunting prohibitions and, just moments ago, was signed into law by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. By lifting all the remaining statutory prohibitions through the enactment of HB 1431, the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) will now have the full authority to establish and regulate season dates, bag limits and enforcement for the hunting of all game species in the Commonwealth on Sundays.

Pennsylvania Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Member, Rep. Mandy Steele, was the primary sponsor of HB 1431, with a sister bill in the Senate (Senate Bill 67) sponsored by longtime Caucus Member and past Caucus Co-Chair Sen. Dan Laughlin – a true Sunday hunting champion, who helped lay the groundwork for this monumental legislation.

“This new law totally repeals the prohibition on Sunday hunting, which marks a truly historic win for the current and future generation of Pennsylvania hunters,” said Representative Steele. “Hunters have been working on this issue for decades, to allow them more time in the woods, and it’s been an honor to lead on this issue. Families are busier than ever, work and social schedules are demanding as ever, and this new law provides more opportunity for hunters to participate in one of America’s oldest traditions and be on the front line of conservation here in the Keystone State.”

“Bipartisan collaboration and compromise is the shortest path to success, and I’m happy to have partnered with Representative Steele to get this important legislation finally passed,” said Senator Laughlin. “Many thanks should also go to Chairman Rothman and Chairwoman Kulik for their help as well.”

Connecticut

In Connecticut, House Bill 7231 (HB 7231) was also signed into law less than 24 hours ago. For the first time in over a century, most hunting opportunities will soon be available on Sundays during regulated seasons on private land in the Constitution State. This tremendous milestone was driven by CSF, alongside the Connecticut Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and in-state partners. The hunting of migratory birds, and deer hunting with firearms on property with fewer than 10 acres will remain prohibited on Sundays, and archery deer hunting on private land (regardless of acreage) will continue to be available, as was authorized by a CSF and Caucus-driven bill over a decade ago.

“The passage of Sunday hunting represents a thoughtful balance between tradition, landowner rights, and expanding access for Connecticut’s hunters,” said Representative Pat Boyd, Co-Chair of the Connecticut Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus. “This legislation helps working families who may only have weekends to enjoy the sport responsibly.”

“I am pleased that Gov. Lamont signed the Sunday Hunting Bill into law,” said Representative Patrick Callahan, Ranking Member on the Environment Committee. “While I am not a hunter, I respect the rights of those who choose to go to the woods rather than the grocery store to fill their freezers with food. The ban on Sunday hunting was an antiquated blue law, the last in CT, and allowing hunters to enjoy this activity on private land is a right that has now been returned to them. Hunters are conservationists that clean up litter and are the eyes in the environment who are often the people who report issues to DEEP and the Environment Committee in Hartford.”

These bipartisan victories are the culmination of years of advocacy and partnership. CSF would specifically like to thank Friends of Connecticut Sportsmen, the Connecticut Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, and the Joint Committee on the Environment for working the issue throughout the legislative process; and Governor Ned Lamont for signing HB 7231 into law. CSF also applauds and thanks Pennsylvania Rep. Steele and Sen. Laughlin, the Pennsylvania Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, and Governor Shapiro for supporting the sportsmen and women of the Commonwealth through the enactment of HB 1431.

CSF strongly supports the expansion of Sunday hunting opportunities to increase access and opportunity for sportsmen and women and looks forward to now working with the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection as they move forward with implementing Sunday hunting.

CSF’s Assistant Manager, Mid-Atlantic States Kaleigh Leager at the Signing Ceremony for HB 1431 (Photo Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Office of the Governor)