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By DAVID RAINER
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
National Hunting and Fishing Day will be celebrated across
the nation Saturday, and Alabama will join the festivities with special access
to the abundant natural resources in the state.
At a news conference Tuesday at Lower Wetumpka Shotgun
Sports Club outside Montgomery, Chris Blankenship, Commissioner of the Alabama
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), announced that to
honor the vast economic and cultural impact of hunting and fishing on Alabama,
DCNR will waive boat launch fees at Alabama State Parks and offer a free day of
fishing at Gulf State Park Pier on Saturday.
“We are blessed to live in a beautiful, beautiful state,”
Blankenship said. “We live really in the best state for outdoors activities anywhere
in the country. We have hundreds of miles of rivers and dozens of beautiful
lakes. We have the Mobile Bay estuary and the Mobile Delta. We have the largest
artificial reef system in the country. We have unbelievable hunting for deer,
turkey, squirrel, doves and ducks on private and public land. Hunting and
fishing is a way of life in Alabama.
“One of the beauties of living in this state is to be able
to enjoy the outdoors that God has so gifted us with.”
Blankenship said one of DCNR’s main goals is to provide
outdoor recreational opportunities in a variety of ways. Alabama now has 21
state parks, 20 state lakes, 33 wildlife management areas (WMAs), dozens of
boat ramps, 12 shooting ranges, 12 archery parks, 20 physically disabled
hunting areas, thousands of artificial reefs and thousands of acres of Forever
Wild land available to the public.
“Hunting and fishing have a huge impact on our state
economically,” Blankenship said. “It’s a $2.6 billion industry. That’s billion
with a b. That means a lot of jobs for Alabamians. It’s not only the
recreational opportunities but it puts people to work in the hunting and
fishing industry. We’re a fairly small state, but we rank seventh in all of the
nation in hunting expenditures. We rank 24th in fishing.
“Even though it’s such a big part of our state, only about 4
percent of our residents have hunting licenses. There are plenty of
opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. That’s one of the reasons we have this
National Hunting and Fishing Day – to get people to understand and take
advantage of the opportunities in the state and encourage them to get out and
enjoy the outdoors.”
Blankenship said saltwater license sales are on an upward
trend, probably from increased tourism along the coast and the extension of red
snapper season.
“But we need to encourage participation and provide
opportunities for people to have places to hunt and fish throughout the state,”
he said. “I’m very thankful for the people who work for the Conservation
Department, who maintain these areas and provide these opportunities for
residents and visitors to enjoy our beautiful state.”
The news conference was coordinated by Pam Swanner of the
Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association, an entity dedicated to promotion of hunting,
fishing and other outdoors opportunities found in the 23-county region of
Alabama’s Black Belt.
“Our natural resources are abundant throughout our Sweet
Home Alabama,” Swanner said. “We’re here today to recognize our hunters and
anglers in their leadership roles in wildlife conservation.”
National Hunting and Fishing Day was established in 1971 by
the U.S. Congress. On Saturday, Swanner said Alabama shooting retailers, public
lakes, shooting ranges and Alabama State Parks are offering discounts and
waiving fees for various services. Visit www.alabamablackbeltadventures.org
for a list of Alabama participants.
“We encourage all Alabamians to get outdoors this Saturday,”
Swanner said. “Encourage your sons, daughters, your grandkids or your neighbors
to enjoy the benefits of nature. It’s good for your health. It’s relaxing, and,
most of all, it’s a lot of fun.”
Tim Gothard, Executive Director of the Alabama Wildlife
Federation (AWF), said Saturday is a big day for the Federation.
“National Hunting and Fishing Day represents the fabric of
what the Alabama Wildlife Federation is all about,” Gothard said. “Our
organization was founded in 1935 by hunting and angling conservationists.
Today, our 20,000 members and supporters represent that same passion and
commitment for hunting and angling conservation.”
Gothard said AWF’s Alabama Nature Center facility in
Millbrook has three ponds that are used by more than 10,000 youngsters, school
groups and families annually.
Gothard also pointed out the AWF’s 15 Wild Game Cook-Offs
throughout the state demonstrate the responsible use of the game and fish
harvested.
“The Cook-Offs are celebrations of hunters and anglers and
the game and fish we can harvest in Alabama and throughout North America, and
responsibly using the game and fish we harvest to show it is great and healthy
table fare,” Gothard said.
Bee Frederick, Southeastern States Director for the
Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, said the Foundation works with Congress,
governors and state legislators to protect and advance hunting, angling,
recreational shooting and trapping.
“We do this by working through the largest bipartisan, bicameral
caucus in Congress, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, the 35 members of the
Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus, of which Gov. Kay Ivey is a member, and the 48
states throughout the country that have a state legislature sportsmen’s
caucus,” Frederick said. “The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation is proud to
sponsor the National Hunting and Fishing Day again this year. We understand the
important role that hunting and angling play socially, culturally, historically
and economically across the nation.”
Frederick said the Foundation has been working with the
various legislative bodies to improve access to hunting and fishing
opportunities.
“What we’ve seen is access is cited as the No. 1 reason that
people either give up or don’t get into hunting and angling,” he said.
Frederick said there’s good news and bad news on the horizon
for those who love the outdoors.
“This is especially important when you look at the five-year
study done by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that showed a 20-percent
increase in angling participation across the country,” he said. “But it also
saw a 16-percent decrease in the hunting participation. We must redouble our
efforts to make sure we are working together to tell our story, reduce barriers
and introduce new participants to the great outdoors.”
Chuck Sykes, Alabama WFF Director, highlighted how the
Division is exploring new ways to attract hunters, especially those with little
or no hunting experience, with the new Special Opportunity Area (SOA) hunts.
“One of the missions for Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries
is to provide quality public hunting and fishing opportunities for the citizens
of Alabama and our non-resident visitors,” Sykes said. “One of the most
exciting programs I think we’ve done since I have been with the Department is
the Special Opportunity Areas. Like the Commissioner said, we have 33 WMAs
throughout the state with properties that range in size from about 15,000 acres
to about 60,000 acres. That can be intimidating for someone who is a novice
hunter or accustomed to hunting private land.”
Sykes highlighted two properties, 6,500-acre Cedar Creek SOA
in Dallas County and 4,500-acre Uchee Creek SOA in Russell County. The
properties are divided into manageable hunt units. The registration process for
the SOA hunts is going on now at www.outdooralabama.com.
On Oct. 3, a computer-controlled, random drawing will be held to choose the
hunters.
“If you are selected, you and one of your friends have one
of these hunting units as your private hunting area,” Sykes said. “The only
cost is an Alabama hunting license and a WMA permit. We’ve never before been
able to offer anything like this to the citizens of the state.
“There’s one thing I want people to understand. We receive
no money from the State General Fund. All the services we provide are funded by
hunters and fishermen buying licenses and the money they spend on hunting and
fishing equipment. So hunters and fishermen are paying the way for everybody to
enjoy many outdoor opportunities like these.”
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With a wide variety of hunting and fishing options, Alabama offers ample opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors.
Photo by David Rainer
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