WASHINGTON, D.C. – August 18, 2020 – Today, U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary David Bernhardt and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Director Aurelia Skipwith released their final rule to expand hunting and fishing opportunities to Americans by opening 2.3 million acres to public access. This represents the single largest expansion of land to hunting and fishing in the history of the USFWS.
“Now, more than ever, Americans are desperate to get outside and enjoy all of the natural beauty our nation has to offer,” said Ducks Unlimited CEO Adam Putnam. “This historic expansion of access to our public lands will provide increased opportunities for hunters, anglers, hikers and other outdoor recreation enthusiasts – or simply those who seek an outlet from being cooped up indoors these last few months. DU applauds this final rule by Secretary Bernhardt and Director Skipwith. We look forward to its swift implementation and to getting America back to nature for the best social distancing there is and the cheapest therapy available: the outdoors.”
The final rule will open 2.3 million acres of land for hunting, fishing and other recreation activities on 147 national wildlife refuges and nine fish hatcheries. For more information from the Department of the Interior, click here.
For more information, visit www.ducks.org, and be sure to Follow DU’s newest Twitter feed – @DUNews1937 – to get the most up-to-date news from Ducks Unlimited.
Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 14.5 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.
