Hunting and Fishing

2 Strategy to Increase Quality Hunting and Fishing on National Wildlife Refuges Strategy to Increase Quality Hunting and Fishing on National Wildlife Refuges Conserving the Future: Wildlife Refuges and the Next Generation Recommendation 17 - Hunting and Fishing Table of Contents I. Introduction...................................................... 5 II. Background and History................................ 7 III. System Mission............................................... 10 IV. Current Status of Opportunities for Hunting and Fishing on Refuges......... 11 V. Define the Action............................................ 13 VI. Training ........................................................... 14 VII. Coordination and Cooperative Work with the States ................................... 16 VIII. Fish Stocking and Fisheries Management .................................................. 17 IX. Accessible Facilities ..................................... 18 X. Welcome and Orient New and Existing Users ................................................ 19 XI. Outdoor Skills and Mentoring .................... 21 XII. Charting a Course.......................................... 22 XIII. Measure and Reward Success..................... 23 XIV. Conclusion........................................................ 24 XV. Case Studies..................................................... 25 XVI. Appendix........................................................... 27 4 Strategy to Increase Quality Hunting and Fishing on National Wildlife Refuges I. Introduction Recommendation 17: TheService will work closely with In 2011 the U.S. Fish and opportunities currently state fish and Wildlife Service (Service), offered for youth and people working with partners, with disabilities. Based on wildlife agencies developed a vision for the this review, the Service and National Wildlife Refuge states will work cooperatively to conduct a System (System) that was to prepare a strategy for review of its designed for the System to increasing quality hunting deliver conservation into and fishing opportunities on current hunting the future for a changing national wildlife refuges. America. This vision, and fishing complementary to the Service Nine teams were formed to mission, encompassed 24 implement the new vision opportunities, recommendations that Conserving the Future: especially addressed a diverse set of Wildlife Refuges and the Next ideas, including public use; Generation. The Hunting, opportunities planning; strategic growth Fishing, and Outdoor of the System; science and Recreation implementation currently research; working with team was chartered to partners, friends, and lead implementation of offered for youth volunteers; leadership; Recommendations 17 and and people communications; law 18. This document serves enforcement; urban refuges; as the team’s strategy to with disabilities. climate change; and work address Recommendation 17 beyond refuge boundaries. and is specific to hunting and fishing within the System. A Service Mission similar process will develop a strategy for Recommendation The mission of the U.S. 18, which pertains to other, Fish and Wildlife Service non-consumptive recreation is working with others opportunities on national to conserve, protect, and wildlife refuges. enhance fish and wildlife, plants, and their habitats for Recommendation 17 is the continuing benefit of the consistent with established American people. procedures for coordinating and working cooperatively Recommendation 17: The with state fish and wildlife Service will work closely with agency representatives state fish and wildlife agencies on management of units to conduct a review of its of the System (601 FW 7). current hunting and fishing Both the Service and state opportunities, especially fish and wildlife agencies Introduction 5 have authorities and responsibilities • Training – For our Managers, Visitor for management of fish and wildlife on Services Professionals and State national wildlife refuges. Development Partners; give them the knowledge to and implementation of an effective succeed. (Action Item 1) strategy for increasing quality hunting and fishing opportunities on refuges will • Coordination and Cooperative Work require close coordination and cooperative with the States – Reaffirm and work with the States. The Service is strengthen our relationship with committed to working with the States to states, our partners in conservation. implement this strategy and the agencies (Action Item 2) will work cooperatively with the Sport • Fish Stocking and Fisheries Fishing and Boating Partnership Council Management – Will help maintain and the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage historic uses and allow potential new Conservation Council to implement this uses on refuges. (Action Item 3) strategy for increasing quality hunting and fishing opportunities on refuges. The • Accessible Facilities – Resolve Service will also continue to engage Tribes, deficiencies to understand what we non-governmental organizations and other need to know to fix the problem. partners in the implementation of this (Action Item 4) strategy. • Welcome and Orient New and Existing Users – Make people feel How Will This welcome. (Action Items 5–8) Comprehensive Long-Term • Outdoor Skills and Mentoring –build Strategy it and they will come. (Action Items Achieve Success? 9–10) • Charting a Course – Improve and The Service and the States will work to expand opportunities to define the implement this strategy cooperatively with future. (Action Item 11) the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council and the Wildlife and Hunting • Measure and Reward Success– Define Heritage Conservation Council. Other how we will measure success, and how partners such as Tribes and NGOs are we will reward it. (Action Item 12–13) important partners to work with on this strategy as well. Implementation of this The work on this strategy will be strategy will achieve success of fulfilling the ongoing. The Service and States will vision of Recommendation 17 through the work strategically to continue to adapt following measures: efforts to achieve success intended by Recommendation 17. • Background and History – Who we are and how we got here. • Current Status of Opportunities for Hunting and Fishing on Refuges. 6 Strategy to Increase Quality Hunting and Fishing on National Wildlife Refuges II. Background and History “Wild beasts and birds are by right not The pursuit of hunting and developing conservation the property fishing in America has a laws and leaders. Concerned rich tradition. In the early sportsmen of that period merely of the years following our declared spawned much of the independence, the young conservation movement that people who are nation had few laws that now exists. governed the exploitation of alive today, but fish and wildlife for food and Theodore Roosevelt is profit. This lack of organized quoted as saying, “Wild the property conservation took a heavy toll beasts and birds are by right of unknown on the nation’s wild resources. not the property merely Market hunters took fish of the people who are alive generations, and wildlife at will while today, but the property of habitat disappeared under unknown generations, whose whose plows and roads, resulting belongings we have no right in devastating reductions in to squander.” As president, belongings we wildlife populations. Some Roosevelt used politics, species, such as the heath hen his power and personality have no right to and the passenger pigeon, to make great strides in were taken to the point of conservation. He said, “The squander.” no return and have been conservation of natural lost to future generations; resources is the fundamental -Theodore Roosevelt others such as bison, wild problem. Unless we solve turkey and trumpeter that problem it will avail us swans came to the brink of little to solve all others.” He extinction, but were saved. wasn’t just a man of words Increasingly, concerned – while president he also sportsmen demanded created the first national change and a few prominent wildlife refuge at Pelican leaders within the sportsmen Island in 1903, as well as 50 community came together other refuges as federal bird to answer the call. People reservations, 150 national like Theodore Roosevelt, forests, 5 national parks, George Bird Grinnell, and 18 national monuments, 4 others, who founded the national game preserves and Boone and Crockett Club 24 reclamation areas. in 1887, led the charge for change. They played a While the tide had turned key role in the formation for conservation in America of early national parks, with the foundation laid by national wildlife refuges Roosevelt and others, much and forest reserves, and in work remained. Important Background and History 7 laws were passed including the the or fur, self-defense and property protection. Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, the Laws restrict against the casual killing Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation of wildlife merely for antlers, horns, or Stamp Act of 1934, the Federal Aid in feathers. Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937, and later, the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration 6. INTERNATIONAL RESOURCE – Act of 1950. Collectively, with the work Wildlife and fish migrate freely across of state fish and wildlife agencies, federal boundaries between states, provinces and support in legislation and policies, and countries. Working together, the United the work of countless sportsmen’s groups States and Canada jointly coordinate and nonprofit conservation organizations,

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