BY ANDY WALGAMOTT, NORTHWEST SPORTSMAN MAGAZINE
An order expanding hunting and fishing access to more public land managed under the umbrella of the federal Department of the Interior is being cheered by sportsmen’s organizations and others in the fish and wildlife world.
Secretarial Order 3447 from DOI’s Doug Burgum follows on similar efforts by previous presidential administrations on both sides of the aisle over the past decade to increase opportunities on federal ground, but it also requires agencies like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management to remove “unnecessary regulatory or administrative barriers to hunting and fishing” on their lands, all while remaining compatible with the law, purposes of national wildlife refuges, etc.
“We’re cutting barriers and streamlining regulations so Americans have the access they deserve on our public lands,” Burgum tweeted.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation termed it “a victory in the open-access battle” it’s been engaged in for a long while.
“We have never wavered from our mission to shift the presumption of public lands to open for hunting and fishing,” said Rob Sexton, a SAF senior vice president. “We welcome SO 3447, and we stand ready to ensure that its directives are carried out in future agency actions.”
The national Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies said the order directed federal agencies to coordinate with state counterparts.
“State fish and wildlife agencies manage wildlife for the benefit of all Americans, using science-based frameworks developed over decades of successful conservation,” said Paul Johansen, AFWA’s president as well as chief of a West Virginia Division of Natural Resources division. “We appreciate Secretary Burgum’s commitment to coordination with state fish and wildlife agencies and his recognition that effective conservation is achieved through collaboration, not one-size-fits-all mandates.”
The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership welcomed the secretarial order and its balancing of critter management with sporting traditions.
“Hunters and anglers have long been central to conserving wildlife and habitat in this country – funding conservation and supporting science-based management – and these actions help reinforce that legacy,” said Joel Pedersen, TRCP president and CEO. “We appreciate the Department of the Interior’s focus on ensuring that public lands provide meaningful, well-managed opportunities to hunt and fish.”
The National Wildlife Federation saw beyond just the good news for sportsmen to what it might mean for local economics.
“Improving the already tremendous access hunting and fishing opportunities on public lands and waters is a win for local communities, small businesses, and future generations,” said Mike Leahy, an NWR senior director of wildlife, hunting, and fishing policy. “We will work with the secretary and his team and lawmakers to expand investments in our wildlife refuges and other public lands.”
Secretary Burgum’s order also barred site-specific lead ammunition and fishing tackle regulations, except for rare circumstances.
“We also appreciate the Department’s commitment to ensuring a safe and positive approach to the use of lead ammunition and fishing tackle, promoting informed choices by sportsmen and women and regulating only where population-level effects are measurable,” said Boone and Crockett Club CEO Tony A. Schoonen.
RMEF was bugling about it as well.
“The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has a clear track record defending and expanding hunter access to public lands, as well as defending hunters’ ability to use the ammunition of their choice,” said Blake Henning, chief conservation officer. “Secretarial Order 3447 is aligned with our approach to these issues and we commend Secretary Burgum for making it clear that public lands should default to being open.”
And the Mule Deer Foundation also touched on that “open unless closed” concept.
“This is one of the most important conservation and access actions taken in decades,” said Greg Sheehan, MDF president and CEO. “Secretary Burgum is reaffirming that hunting and fishing are not fringe activities on public lands, they are foundational to how wildlife is conserved, funded, and managed in America … Wildlife refuges exist because hunters built them. From Federal Duck Stamps to Pittman-Robertson excise taxes on firearms and ammunition, sportsmen and women have paid for the acquisition, restoration, and long-term care of these lands. This order properly recognizes that history and ensures the public can continue to participate in wildlife management through scientifically regulated harvest.”
