Did you know that one of the most serious threats to America’s outdoor heritage is invasive species? Nowhere is that threat more evident than in our own Great Lakes. Learn more.
Biologists and longtime sportsmen have seen firsthand the devastating effects of invasive species such as the sea lamprey eel, zebra mussels and Asian carp.
By wreaking havoc on equipment and on fishing and hunting, invasive species cost the American public $137 billion per year.
Hunters and anglers unintentionally spread invasive species from one body of water to another through boats, boots or other gear.
The wild turkey has been a staple of American tradition since the 1500s, but its survival has not always been certain.
Native only to North and Central America, the wild turkey was discovered by Europeans in Mexico in the early 1500s.
By the 1930s, the wild turkey population was at less than 30,000 birds; a victim of market hunting, subsistence hunting and widespread habitat destruction.
Over the next 50 years, state wildlife agencies funded by hunters’ dollars and working with the National Wild Turkey Federation, captured more than 200,000 wild turkeys and released them in quality wild turkey habitat.
Today there are more than 7 million wild turkeys roaming the woodlands and river-bottoms across the country.
Habitat Management Strategies for Alaska’s Tongass National Forest
Steven Rinella emphasizes the value of undeveloped winter range for Sitka black-tailed deer in southeastern Alaska’s Tongass National Forest.
• Created by Theodore Roosevelt in 1908, the Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest in the United States at 17 million acres.
• Safeguarding the last remaining undeveloped forests in the Tongass National Forest is key to maintaining the region’s high deer populations and high quality hunting.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture and others are working to transition the traditional southeast Alaska economy so public lands management benefits both people and wildlife.
• The proposed “Sealaska” legislation could end public ownership and access on more than 70,000 acres of the highest quality national forest lands in southeast Alaska.
Ducks Unlimited’s governmental affairs staff sit down to discuss the future of the Farm Bill with Rep. Kristi Noem (SD) and Rep. Tim Walz (MN). Watch the video below to find out where conservation, commerce and our sporting trations fit in.
“You want me to wake up at what time to fish?” This was the first sentence I clearly remember saying to my new boss Christen Duxbury when she told me the itinerary for the TRCP staff retreat.
I had started as the TRCP communications intern the week before, and while I grew up in northwestern Pennsylvania and loved fishing for bluegill, waking up at 4 a.m. to fish with my boss and coworkers was not my idea of fun.
The TRCP’s (from left to right) Kendra Bailey, Christen Duxbury, Annie Wilson, Michelle Dietz and Mia Sheppard at a staff retreat.
Unable to feign illness, I showed up and joined the rest of the team in the quest for stripers. And while I was not exactly bright-eyed and bushy tailed, it was my first glimpse into what I signed up for with the TRCP. The level of dedication and enthusiasm present among TRCP staff was palpable.
Some work the daily 9-5 grind to collect a paycheck – TRCP staffers work around the clock because they deeply care about their work. Each one would rather be romping around the great outdoors with a gun or a pole in hand. Instead, more than half of TRCP employees are surrounded by concrete and cubicles in Washington, D.C. These staffers have the foresight to recognize that by coming into work every day they are helping ensure future generations of sportsmen quality places to hunt and fish – and that if they failed to show up, hunting and fishing would remain at risk.
Throughout my seven-month internship I worked with people like Brandon Helm, who watches a video of a trout stream each morning for inspiration to keep influencing policy for the benefits of sportsmen and the fish and wildlife upon which they depend. Or Duxbury, the public-lands hunting, trail-running bundle of energy who keeps the outdoor community informed about conservation policy. And Bob Hale, TRCP’s numbers man, who takes afternoon walks around the city to escape his office.
I thought I knew hunting and fishing enthusiasts growing up, but working at the TRCP revealed to me a new level of dedication. These people possess enthusiasm not just for the outdoor experience but also for the prolonged conservation and well-being of outdoor resources in this country. Working for the TRCP was an eye-opening experience, not just because of how much I learned professionally, but because the contagious passion of the staff members.
Even if they did make me get up at 4 a.m.
Editor’s note: The TRCP offers internship positions in communications and conservation policy. To learn more contact cduxbury@trcp.org or bhelm@trcp.org.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
CHEERS TO CONSERVATION
Theodore Roosevelt’s experiences hunting and fishing certainly fueled his passion for conservation, but it seems that a passion for coffee may have powered his mornings. In fact, Roosevelt’s son once said that his father’s coffee cup was “more in the nature of a bathtub.” TRCP has partnered with Afuera Coffee Co. to bring together his two loves: a strong morning brew and a dedication to conservation. With your purchase, you’ll not only enjoy waking up to the rich aroma of this bolder roast—you’ll be supporting the important work of preserving hunting and fishing opportunities for all.
