Birdman
09-27-2004, 12:56 PM
National Hunting and Fishing Day - "Open Fields" Needs Co-Sponsors
In 1972, Congress established National Hunting & Fishing Day to recognize sportsmen and women for their many conservation achievements. President Richard M. Nixon then signed a proclamation creating the first National Hunting and Fishing Day. Each U.S. President since then has also designated the fourth Saturday in September as National Hunting and Fishing Day. Through special license fees and excise taxes on their equipment, sportsmen and sportswomen contribute over $3 million each day -- some $23 billion to date -- to pay for land acquisition, habitat improvement and other wildlife programs. Sportsmen and women make conservation happen in this country.
So don't America's hunters and anglers deserve access to the places and fish and wildlife they're helping conserve? You bet they do, and the Open Fields access bill helps address the access needs of the average American sportsmen. In the spirit of National Hunting and Fishing Day, the TRCP asks you to contact your Congressional members and thank those who have become co-sponsors and urge those who have not yet signed on, to do so right away. The Open Fields bill will make millions of acres of private land available to public hunting and fishing through monetary incentives administered by state fish and game agencies. It will also give states without good private land access programs the boost needed to start them. Access is the number one issue contributing to the decline in sportsmen participation and "Open Fields" directly addresses this issue. Let your members of Congress know, that if they want do something for the hunters and anglers they represent on National Hunting and Fishing Day, they should step up and sign on as co-sponsors to Open Fields. Take Action Today!
Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Congressional Members who are not Open Fields Co-Sponsors as of 9-24-04
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Supporting "Open Fields"
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
I am writing as a constituent of yours who loves the outdoors. It has been very frustrating over the years to watch more and more private land be posted off limits to me for hunting and fishing. There was a time when a knock on the door and a courteous request was enough to get the nod for a great day in the woods or by a stream. Now many landowners are leasing their land and giving me and my friends a "no" for that and other reasons.
State access programs are providing a remedy to this problem. As you may know they offer landowners financial incentives to voluntarily allow public hunting and angling on their land. They also encourage habitat improvement. S.1840/H.R. 3482, titled the "Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program of 2003", known as the "Open Fields" bill, gives these state access programs a much needed funding boost.
In the spirit of National Hunting and Fishing Day, I am writing to urge you to co-sponsor this bill, which is quickly gathering bipartisan support. The small $50 million-a-year expenditure it calls for could open more than 20 million acres of private farms and ranches to the public. Fish and Wildlife Service numbers show the number of sportsmen and women in this country is heading down hill and shrinking access is largely to blame. This small expenditure is a simple way to start reversing this trend. The average American sportsmen and women who can't afford to buy access need this help.
And of course the modest income this could help provide to family farmers and ranchers could represent the difference for many between hanging on to their places, and losing them.
Lastly, for states without existing private land access programs, or with floundering programs, Open Fields could provide the impetus for getting one started or rebuilding it.
What better way could you think of to mark National Hunting and Fishing Day than to sign on as a co-sponsor to Open Fields?
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Ronnie Wells
Take Action!
Instructions:
Click here to take action on this issue
Tell-A-Friend:
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What's At Stake:
Several states have developed programs that have opened millions of acres of private land to the public for hunting and fishing. Each state's program is a little different and is designed to meet the needs of a given state's sportsmen, but they all have one thing in common: serious lack of funding. In fact some states have access programs on the books but can't administer them at all because of funding.
"Open Fields" will help states to expand existing programs and enroll the thousands of landowners they have on waiting lists. It also will help the states with floundering programs get them up and running, and it will help states without any access programs at all start new ones.
Anyone who has taken advantage of the public access programs in states like Kansas, Montana, Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming knows what a win-win these programs are for sportsmen, landowners and fish and wildlife. "Open Fields" provides needed funding to expand this concept nationwide. If we don't do something about access, we will continue to watch American sporting traditions fade away. Getting "Open Fields" passed is something we can do right now to reverse this trend.
Current Congressional Co-Sponsors of "Open Fields"
Senators
Baucus (D-MT)
Biden (D-DE)
Coleman (R-MN)
Conrad (D-ND)*
Daschle (D-SD)
Dayton (D-MN)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Enzi (R-WY)
Hagel (R-NE)
Harkin (D-IA)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kerry (D-MA)
Leahy (D-VT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reid (D-NV)
Roberts (R-KS)*
Schumer (D-NY)
Representatives
Boehlert (R-NY)
English (R-PA)
Gordon (D-TN)
Green (R-WI)
Herseth (D-SD)
McCollum (D-MN)
McCotter (R-MI)
Moore (R-KS)
Ney (R-OH)
Oberstar (D-MN)
Osborne (R-NE)*
Pastor (D-AZ)
Pomeroy (D-ND)*
Ramstad (R-MN)
Terry (R-NE)
Udall (D-CO)
Van Hollen (D-MD)
Wu (D-OR)
*Introduced S. 1840 on November 7, 2003
**Introduced H.R. 3482 on November 7, 2003
Campaign Expiration Date:
September 27, 2004
In 1972, Congress established National Hunting & Fishing Day to recognize sportsmen and women for their many conservation achievements. President Richard M. Nixon then signed a proclamation creating the first National Hunting and Fishing Day. Each U.S. President since then has also designated the fourth Saturday in September as National Hunting and Fishing Day. Through special license fees and excise taxes on their equipment, sportsmen and sportswomen contribute over $3 million each day -- some $23 billion to date -- to pay for land acquisition, habitat improvement and other wildlife programs. Sportsmen and women make conservation happen in this country.
So don't America's hunters and anglers deserve access to the places and fish and wildlife they're helping conserve? You bet they do, and the Open Fields access bill helps address the access needs of the average American sportsmen. In the spirit of National Hunting and Fishing Day, the TRCP asks you to contact your Congressional members and thank those who have become co-sponsors and urge those who have not yet signed on, to do so right away. The Open Fields bill will make millions of acres of private land available to public hunting and fishing through monetary incentives administered by state fish and game agencies. It will also give states without good private land access programs the boost needed to start them. Access is the number one issue contributing to the decline in sportsmen participation and "Open Fields" directly addresses this issue. Let your members of Congress know, that if they want do something for the hunters and anglers they represent on National Hunting and Fishing Day, they should step up and sign on as co-sponsors to Open Fields. Take Action Today!
Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Congressional Members who are not Open Fields Co-Sponsors as of 9-24-04
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Supporting "Open Fields"
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
I am writing as a constituent of yours who loves the outdoors. It has been very frustrating over the years to watch more and more private land be posted off limits to me for hunting and fishing. There was a time when a knock on the door and a courteous request was enough to get the nod for a great day in the woods or by a stream. Now many landowners are leasing their land and giving me and my friends a "no" for that and other reasons.
State access programs are providing a remedy to this problem. As you may know they offer landowners financial incentives to voluntarily allow public hunting and angling on their land. They also encourage habitat improvement. S.1840/H.R. 3482, titled the "Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program of 2003", known as the "Open Fields" bill, gives these state access programs a much needed funding boost.
In the spirit of National Hunting and Fishing Day, I am writing to urge you to co-sponsor this bill, which is quickly gathering bipartisan support. The small $50 million-a-year expenditure it calls for could open more than 20 million acres of private farms and ranches to the public. Fish and Wildlife Service numbers show the number of sportsmen and women in this country is heading down hill and shrinking access is largely to blame. This small expenditure is a simple way to start reversing this trend. The average American sportsmen and women who can't afford to buy access need this help.
And of course the modest income this could help provide to family farmers and ranchers could represent the difference for many between hanging on to their places, and losing them.
Lastly, for states without existing private land access programs, or with floundering programs, Open Fields could provide the impetus for getting one started or rebuilding it.
What better way could you think of to mark National Hunting and Fishing Day than to sign on as a co-sponsor to Open Fields?
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Ronnie Wells
Take Action!
Instructions:
Click here to take action on this issue
Tell-A-Friend:
To share this information with your family and friends, click here:
Tell-a-Friend!
What's At Stake:
Several states have developed programs that have opened millions of acres of private land to the public for hunting and fishing. Each state's program is a little different and is designed to meet the needs of a given state's sportsmen, but they all have one thing in common: serious lack of funding. In fact some states have access programs on the books but can't administer them at all because of funding.
"Open Fields" will help states to expand existing programs and enroll the thousands of landowners they have on waiting lists. It also will help the states with floundering programs get them up and running, and it will help states without any access programs at all start new ones.
Anyone who has taken advantage of the public access programs in states like Kansas, Montana, Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming knows what a win-win these programs are for sportsmen, landowners and fish and wildlife. "Open Fields" provides needed funding to expand this concept nationwide. If we don't do something about access, we will continue to watch American sporting traditions fade away. Getting "Open Fields" passed is something we can do right now to reverse this trend.
Current Congressional Co-Sponsors of "Open Fields"
Senators
Baucus (D-MT)
Biden (D-DE)
Coleman (R-MN)
Conrad (D-ND)*
Daschle (D-SD)
Dayton (D-MN)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Enzi (R-WY)
Hagel (R-NE)
Harkin (D-IA)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kerry (D-MA)
Leahy (D-VT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reid (D-NV)
Roberts (R-KS)*
Schumer (D-NY)
Representatives
Boehlert (R-NY)
English (R-PA)
Gordon (D-TN)
Green (R-WI)
Herseth (D-SD)
McCollum (D-MN)
McCotter (R-MI)
Moore (R-KS)
Ney (R-OH)
Oberstar (D-MN)
Osborne (R-NE)*
Pastor (D-AZ)
Pomeroy (D-ND)*
Ramstad (R-MN)
Terry (R-NE)
Udall (D-CO)
Van Hollen (D-MD)
Wu (D-OR)
*Introduced S. 1840 on November 7, 2003
**Introduced H.R. 3482 on November 7, 2003
Campaign Expiration Date:
September 27, 2004