JACKSON, Miss.–You probably enjoy at least one of the two big outdoor man v. nature activities. Your lawmakers are honoring those outdoor traditions by supporting National Hunting and Fishing Day, year 43, which comes up Saturday.
Rep. C. Scott Bounds, co-chair of the Mississippi Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, and fellow co-chairs, Sen. Angela Hill, Sen. Russell Jolly and 106 other Mississippi lawmakers are “proud to join like-minded sportsmen-legislators from across the nation” to celebrate, said a news release from the capitol.
This is the news release:
In celebrating this day, we recognize the time-honored traditions of hunting and angling, as well as the historical and current contributions of the original conservationists – hunters and anglers – in supporting sound, science-based fish and wildlife management.
Through the purchase of licenses, tags and duck stamps, and by paying excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, fishing tackle, motorboat fuel and other hunting and fishing equipment, sportsmen and women drive conservation funding in the United States. Collectively, these funding sources create the American System of Conservation Funding, a unique “user-pays, public-benefits” model. Authorized in 1937, the Pittman-Robertson Act, and later the Dingell-Johnson Act in 1950 and the Wallop-Breaux Amendment in 1984, provide funds from excise tax revenue to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP). Last year alone, Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson combined to contribute $14 million. Hunting and fishing licenses brought in an additional $15 million to fund conservation and education efforts. All Mississippians benefit from these monies through improved access to public lands and public shooting facilities, improved water quality, increased habitat restoration and numerous other Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP) projects funded through this system.
Mississippi’s fish and wildlife resources would not be nearly as abundant without our sportsmen and women, nor would our economy be as vibrant. From the Gulf Coast to the Delta, the positive impact of sportsmen is evident in local communities that depend on the dollars spent by hunters and anglers on food, gas and lodging. In the latest U.S. Fish and Wildlife Survey, sportsmen and women spend more than $2.2 billion annually in Mississippi.
The Mississippi Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus recognizes the contributions of sportsmen and women for conservation and to the economy and thanks the MDWFP for their tireless efforts promoting hunting, angling, recreational shooting and trapping in our great state. Additionally, Governor Phil Bryant recently signed a proclamationrecognizing National Hunting and Fishing Day earlier this month.
Today, we celebrate the many and varied benefits that hunting and angling provide for the Magnolia State. Enjoy this special occasion and the vast opportunities to hunt and fish in Mississippi. The outdoor traditions of hunting and angling should not be taken for granted, and opportunities to hunt and fish should continue to be abundantly available for future generations.
More information on National Hunting and Fishing Day is available athttp://www.nhfday.org.
