NSSF Awards Hunter Grants

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) recently announced at the International Association of State Fish and Wildlife Agencies annual meeting that it has awarded over $509,000 in grants through its Hunting Heritage Partnership. The grants went to state agencies to help provide expanded hunting opportunities to America’s sportsmen.

The Hunting Heritage Partnership was established by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearm industry, to provide much needed direct funding to state wildlife agencies to help them with programs that provide opportunities for, and remove barriers to, hunter participation. "Officials in these grant recipient states have designed unique and dynamic recruitment tools and the Hunting Heritage Partnership grants recognize their successful efforts and help build on them.

These are exactly the kind of creative program development concepts that agencies in other states can look to as models to help preserve our hunting and conservation traditions," said Doug Painter, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Over 38 million Americans enjoy hunting and fishing and spent over $70 billion in 2001 in pursuit of their pastime which supported 1.2 million jobs.

Efforts to expand hunting, such as those recognized by the Hunting Heritage Partnership, help boost the nation’s economy. "When more hunters go afield, everyone benefits. The contributions hunters and anglers make in taxes paid and fees collected help to fund conservation efforts for all Americans to enjoy," said Steve Williams, director, U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Applications from 36 states were submitted to the Hunting Heritage Partnership and grants were awarded to 18 states for programs focusing on issues from recruitment and retention of hunters to increasing access to hunting lands. The National Shooting Sports Foundation is working with the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and members of congress on behalf of America’s 18 million hunters to provide states with additional funding opportunities through the Hunting Heritage Partnership.