WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, participated in a roundtable discussion on Wednesday on ideas for conserving habitat, improving access to public lands and waters, and teaching America’s youth about hunting, fishing, and getting them outdoors. The meeting was hosted by the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee and focused on the reauthorization of the Farm Bill, the Sportsmen Act, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the duck stamp, and other programs and policies that will help ensure future generations of Americans can enjoy the great outdoors. The forum was attended by a dozen conservation organizations representing thousands of sportsmen and women, including Louis Caputo, Jr., state chairman of Delaware Ducks Unlimited.
Coming on the heels of the Senate Agriculture Committee’s overwhelming bipartisan approval of the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013, Senate Democrats highlighted the bill’s conservation title, which reforms and strengthens programs that protect and improve wildlife habitat, restore ecosystems, encourage regional partnerships, and preserve our agricultural land.
“It is critical that we continue to invest in conserving wildlife habitat for current and future generations of sportsmen,” Senator Coons said. “I am so proud of the work that Ducks Unlimited and other organizations in Delaware are doing to ensure that we are protecting Delaware’s magnificent landscapes, and hunting and fishing heritage. I want to thanks Lou Caputo for coming to today’s meeting and sharing his views on the importance of federal programs like NAWCA in Delaware and the impact they have in our state. More than 6,000 Delawareans are members of Ducks Unlimited and they take great pride in ensuring that the land they fish, hunt, and hike on will remain protected for their children and grandchildren.”
Hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation are critical to the country’s economy with the thousands of jobs and a multi-billion dollar economic impact, and today’s meeting served as an opportunity for the Senate and organizations in attendance to jointly agree on the need to move bipartisan, conservation and sportsmen legislation in this Congress.
"In my opinion, we are at a crossroads in this country and we all need to work toward and help to implement comprehensive federal legislation that will insure that conservation programs exist for wetlands, grasslands and other habitats especially on working agricultural lands that will ultimately benefit wildlife, farmers and ranchers, our children and all of our citizens,” Louis Caputo, Jr., state chairman of Delaware Ducks Unlimited, said. “I would also ask that we give attention to our National Park System, National Wildlife Refuges, National Forests and other federal lands in the U.S. Many families enjoy the natural beauty and recreational opportunities of these lands as vacation destinations. We need to support and conserve all of these habitats and places in the U.S. while accommodating agriculture and energy production for our citizens. I wish to thank the Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee for taking the time today to listen to each of us that presented our views on conservation and sportsmen's issues. This meeting provided me the opportunity to speak about my thoughts, wishes and goals for and about a country that is so beautiful and rich in natural resources. Through the collaboration and hard work from all of us we will together preserve and protect our great outdoors for future generations to come."
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control also announced Wednesday a $1 million federal grant to protect more than 800 acres of valuable coastal lands in the Delaware Bayshore. The funding was through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s North American Wetlands Conservation Act, which will be used, with $2.1 million in matching funds from the state Open Space Program, conservation groups, including Ducks Unlimited, and other private contributors, to acquire property along the Bayshore in Kent County.
America’s outdoor enthusiasts are an integral component in the country’s economic engine, injecting billions of dollars annually into the economy and accounting for one percent of the gross domestic product. Hunting and fishing are on the rise in America. From 2006 to 2011, hunting was up nine percent and fishing is up 11 percent, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Over 90 million Americans age 16 and older participated in some recreational activity related to fish and wildlife. Of those 90 million people who participated in wildlife-related recreation, nearly 37.4 million fished or hunted. While doing so, they spent more than $89.8 billion on equipment, trip expenses, licenses, fees and other miscellaneous goods. Equipment purchases accounted for $43.2 billion and trip expenses for $32.2 billion. Sales of licenses and other goods totaled $14.3 billion. On average, each sportsperson spent $2,407 in 2011.
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