Winds of change in Sportsmen's Act

by Jason Amaro

For many parts of the West, spring means muddy waters and high flows. In my beloved Southwest, spring means winds. Winds are often a fly caster's worst nighmare--they usually lead to chapped lips and knots--but not all winds are bad. Recently in Washington, D.C., there has been a positive wind of change blowing, in the form of the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act. 

Sen. Martin Heinrich was recently visiting with his constituents in southern New Mexico, where he hosted a small contingent of sportsmen to talk about the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act at a local Mexican restaurant.  Considering the climate in Washington, I was expecting to hear nightmarish stories of one-sidedness and internal battles as we chatted over fiery hot enchiladas and rellenos.  Sen. Heinrich acknowledged that there were tough issues, but that the sportsmen’s voice was clear and that sportsmen wanted something to be accomplished in support of outdoor recreation and public lands. And their voice was strong enough to break through the lines of partisanship and find common ground. The bipartisan Act was recently passed in the Senate and now awaits House action.

“At the end of the day,” Senator Heinrich told us, “I think the thing that mattered the most is that we had really strong people on both sides of the aisle who were willing to fight their own parties.”

The Act itself is comprehensive, but for me and other sportsmen, it boils down to two main commonsense elements, Access and Conservation.

Here's what the Act does on Access:

·         Hunt Unrestricted on National Treasures (HUNT) Act - Directs all federal public land management agencies to identify high priority federal lands where hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation are permitted but where access is non-existent or significantly restricted, and develop plans to provide access.

·          Making Public Lands Public - Requires the greater of 1.5 percent or $10 million of annual Land and Water Conservation Funds be made available for the improvement of recreational access to existing federal lands with significantly restricted public access.

And on Conservation: 

·         Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Reauthorization - Permanently reauthorizes the LWCF, a popular and effective funding source for conservation projects, with set-asides for recreational access and for conservation programs managed by states.

·          National Fish Habitat Conservation - Authorizes the National Fish Habitat Conservation program to encourage partnerships among public agencies, tribes, sportsmen, private landowners, and other stakeholders to promote fish conservation.

The Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act is validation of, and an investment in, our wildlands and watersheds. It gives us the opportunity to reach across the stream and take pride in our wild and free outdoor heritage. TU would like to sincerely thank Senator Heinrich, Senator Lisa Murkowski, and all of the senators who found common ground on the bill, for supporting the bill, a true breath of fresh air.

These are only the highlights--there is much more included in the Act.  If you are looking for more detail, please follow this link: 

Jason Amaro is TU's New Mexico sportsmen coordinator.