Director Steve Williams at the National Shooting Sporsts Summit: Giving Weight to Hunters & Shooters – the Original Conservationists

June 7, 2002

It is a pleasure to be here with you today. Having spent my first four months in Washington wrestling with issues, it is truly refreshing to take time to celebrate hunting, and be among so many wonderful people who take their hunting and shooting seriously. It is also a tremendous honor to have been selected by President George W. Bush and Secretary Gale Norton to serve as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director, and I am privileged to be here today in that capacity.

I'd like to take this opportunity to share with you some observations about hunting that I've made over the years, not only as someone who loves to hunt, but also as a wildlife manager.

Let me begin by addressing the animal rights activists. Despite what these activists believe, hunting is about much more than bringing down a deer, a turkey, or some other game species. It is, in many ways, about a deeply personal and spiritual experience that teaches us about ourselves, about each other, and about nature. Hunting is a personal choice that as an American I am free and proud to make.

To paraphrase Aldo Leopold, the father of wildlife management: "There are two spiritual dangers in not hunting. One is the danger of supposing that dinner comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace."

Those of us who hunt hold in our hearts a deep respect, understanding, and appreciation for nature. For this reason, hunting has tremendous relevance today, especially for those who wish to conserve America's wildlife heritage.

I would suggest to you that hunting is more important to wildlife management now than it has ever been before. I say this because we live in an increasingly urbanized environment, and as a result more and more people fall under the illusion that their well being is somehow separate from that of the natural world. Hunters and the sport of hunting have the power to dispel that illusion.

As Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, I need your help. We
are facing a decline in hunting participation in this country. Our traditional financial, social, and political support for hunting is challenged. Throughout the history of wildlife management, the hunting and shooting community has risen to the challenge and saved the day.

In the early 1900s, when here in the United States, we began to see widespread wildlife population declines, the hunting community saw what was happening and took action. Together with other conservationists, the hunting community sounded the alarm, and great men like Theodore Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot, both avid hunters themselves, responded. With federal and state laws and regulations, and with tough law enforcement, the abuses associated with unchecked wildlife consumption were reduced, and we saw flocks of waterfowl and herds of deer rebound. And for this, the hunting community deserves the credit.

Since then, for more than half a century, hunters have contributed 4.1 billion dollars to wildlife management through the Wildlife Restoration Act. This support has funded crucial activities of state fish and wildlife agencies.

The focus of wildlife conservation has changed and grown more sophisticated over the years, from predator control to wildlife restoration, to wildlife habitat management, and then to adaptive harvest management. What has not changed is the hunting community's steadfast support. History has shown those of us in the wildlife management profession that wildlife conservation is important to hunters. We shouldn't forget that hunters are also important to wildlife conservation.

I believe there is a perception that, as the conservation mission of the Fish and Wildlife Service expanded to encompass non-game species – including threatened and endangered species – we may have left our hunting constituents behind. During my tenure as Director, I am committed to restoring the balance to our conservation mission. We cannot and should not abandon those who first helped establish the Service, those who supported the Service through the years, and who are now desperately needed as part of our efforts.

As you know, every five years the Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with the States, national conservation organizations, and the Census Bureau, conducts the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. I'd like to share with you some preliminary results from the 2001 survey. Last year, more than 80 million Americans – nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population – enjoyed some form of fish-and-wildlife-related recreational activity. All told, they contributed 110 billion dollars to the economy.

Of that amount, hunters contributed 21 billion dollars. Compared to 10 years ago, that is a 29 percent inflation-adjusted increase. That's the good news. The bad news is that the number of hunters is in decline. In 2001, 13 million Americans enjoyed hunting, a 7 percent drop compared to 10 years ago.

We need to re-energize the sport by welcoming and encouraging new participants. That is where youth, woman, and minority shooting and hunting recruitment programs come in. Hunter recruitment programs need to keep up with America's changing demographics. At the Fish and Wildlife Service, we are ready to help. Our Federal Aid program continues to provide hunters' dollars to state wildlife managers. This year, 28.7 million dollars are being apportioned for hunter education, with an additional 7.5 million available in section 10 money to enhance these programs.

While the federal government can provide some funding, it is up to the states to develop innovative hunting and shooting programs that contribute to hunter recruitment and wildlife conservation on-the-ground. There are many successful state programs out there that make very good models. From my experience with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, I can give you two notable examples. The first is a hunter recruitment program called "Pass It On." The program is still fairly new but by providing mentors, youth hunting seasons, shooting opportunities, and equipment, it is becoming increasingly popular with Kansas youth. The other is the Walk-In Hunting Areas program. This program provides landowners financial incentives to conserve natural habitat and public access to private property. By doing so, it links landowners with hunters and gets landowners interested in wildlife conservation.

As the states look to make things happen on-the-ground, let me offer a couple of thoughts on things we need to do to reverse the declining trend in hunter numbers. First, we need to develop more shooting ranges to increase firearm training and shooting opportunities. Just like wildlife is being displaced by urban sprawl, so are shooting ranges. We must find ways to alleviate conflicts and make room for this element of hunter education. Second, we need to continue development of new technology to serve as an alternative delivery system, such as CD and Internet-based instruction and 3-D hunting simulators, which provide solid shooting instruction. Most importantly, we need to develop hunter education, not only as training on ethics and safe and responsible firearm handling, but as a portal, an open door to the actual hunting and shooting experience.

A big event is coming up next year and I hope hunters will take advantage of it to showcase this new technology and promote the sport of hunting. In 2003, the Fish and Wildlife Service is celebrating the National Wildlife Refuge System's centennial. The story of the refuge system is closely interwoven with America's hunting tradition. The first refuge, Pelican Island, was established by famed outdoorsman and former president Theodore Roosevelt. Today many refuges offer first-rate hunting opportunities. Under the Refuge Improvement Act of 1997, hunting was identified as a priority public use, and I am committed to expanding hunting opportunities throughout the refuge system. As the refuges take a national spotlight during the centennial celebration, it is a great opportunity for hunters to highlight the contributions that hunting has made to conservation, to reach out to new segments of the public, and to work with us to develop new youth programs on federal lands.

I believe that in five years we can reverse the tide, that in the next national survey, we'll see the number of hunters increase rather than decrease. Everyone in this room has a contribution to make. I just presented a few ideas about how we can keep America's hunting heritage strong. Each of you have equal or better ideas. I urge you to recommit yourself to our American hunting heritage as you participate in this summit. Thanks for all your work. Let's grow the shooting sports when we return home.