EDGEFIELD, S.C. —-(Ammoland.com)- The National Wild Turkey Federation is pleased with the newest Secretarial Order issued by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke which supports and expands opportunities for all Americans to enjoy the outdoors on public lands.
According to a release from his office, the new order, Secretarial Order 3356 is an extension of Secretarial Order 3347, which was issued on Zinke’s first day in office, March 2, 2017. That order sought to restore the American sportsmen conservation ethic, which was established by President Theodore Roosevelt.
“Secretary Zinke continues to champion the rights of the hunting community,” said Becky Humphries, NWTF CEO. “Hunting participation is on the decline in part due to lack of opportunities to pursue outdoor sports on our public lands, but Secretarial Order 3356 can have a positive impact opening up lands to hunting and help provide future access for generations to come.”
The order seeks to improve wildlife management and conservation, increase access to public lands for hunting, shooting and fishing, and puts a new and a greater emphasis on recruiting and retaining new sportsmen conservationists. A focus will be put on engaging youth, veterans, minorities and others who traditionally have low participation rates in outdoor recreational activities. These new sportsmen and women will have a positive impact on the Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative for generations to come.
“Hunting and fishing is a cornerstone of the American tradition and hunters and fishers of America are the backbone of land and wildlife conservation,” said Secretary Zinke. “The more people we can get outdoors, the better things will be for our public lands. As someone who grew up hunting and fishing on our public lands – packing bologna sandwiches and heading out at 4AM with my dad – I know how important it is to expand access to public lands for future generations. Some of my best memories are hunting deer or reeling in rainbow trout back home in Montana, and I think every American should be able to have that experience.”
For more information on the specifics of the order, log on to https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/secretary-zinke-signs-secretarial-order-support-sportsmen-enhance-wildlife.
About the National Wild Turkey Federation
When the National Wild Turkey Federation was founded in 1973, there were about 1.3 million wild turkeys in North America. After decades of work, that number hit a historic high of almost 7 million turkeys. To succeed, the NWTF stood behind science-based conservation and hunters’ rights. Today, the NWTF is focused on the future of hunting and conservation through its Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative – a charge that mobilizes science, fundraising and devoted volunteers to conserve or enhance more than 4 million acres of essential wildlife habitat, recruit at least 1.5 million hunters and open access to 500,000 acres for hunting. For more information, visit NWTF.org.