(Washington, D.C.) – This week, the Council to Advance to Hunting and the Shooting Sports (Council) officially announced plans for the 2020 National R3 Symposium to occur May 12-14, 2020 in Broken Arrow, OK. The first-ever National R3 Symposium occurred in May 2018 and resulted in a groundswell of national focus and efforts to increase the recruitment, retention, and reactivation of participants in hunting, target shooting, angling, and boating. Drawing on the success of the 2018 Symposium, the 2020 event will provide a venue for partners to focus on the growth of participation in these activities and to gather, discuss, learn, and contribute to the continued momentum of national R3 efforts.
“While the 2018 event set the pace for momentum throughout the last two years, the 2020 Symposium will be designed to ensure that the event addresses the needs for the current state of R3 efforts in the country,” commented John Frampton, Council CEO and President. “State fish and wildlife agencies and many conservation partners have demonstrated that hunters, target shooters, anglers, and boaters are critical components of the American conservation landscape, and many have made investments in staff positions, built coalitions, and started testing new ideas. It is our intention to provide a venue in which R3 professionals can continue to advance the conversations and maintain the momentum. We are confident that good things are happening from the ground up and the topics on the agenda for this year will highlight the successes and learning opportunities of these efforts so we can continue to adapt and improve.”
As with the 2018 Symposium, the Council has convened a steering committee to help set the theme and agenda topics for the 2020 event. “We are working with our committee members to ensure that we address the key needs for the R3 profession right now. The steering committee has already helped to adjust the agenda to allow for more networking and more workshop-style sessions so participants can walk away with more hands-on insights,” commented Kristen Black, Manager of Communications and Human Dimensions for the Council. The 2020 event will include sessions tailored for R3 coordinators, as well as professionals from industry, other government entities, and conservation nonprofits. Sessions will focus on opportunities for professionals and organizations to partner and address present challenges and on-the-ground implementation at the state, regional, and national levels. The Plenary session will feature well-known and influential speakers from industry, agency, and outdoor media as well.
“What we’ve taken on as a conservation community – the initiative to increase participation in any one of these activities, let alone all of them – is not an easy task. We continue to refine our approaches and advance R3 efforts each day. For the Council, the 2020 National R3 Symposium is an opportunity to ensure that we not only maintain this momentum, but continue to spur this initiative forward. We look forward to welcoming our colleagues to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma in May to have the hard conversations and continue the commitment to the work that is so important to conservation’s future,” said Samantha Pedder, Council Director of Operations.
Make plans now to join us in Broken Arrow, OK on May 12-14, 2020. More information, including hotel and sponsorship packages, can be found at: www.cahss.org/nationalr3symposium. Registration and agenda information will be released beginning in the New Year.
About the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports
Purpose: Ensure support for and active participation in hunting and the shooting sports for future generations.
Vision: America where hunting and the shooting sports are an integral part of mainstream culture and where hunters and shooters are widely recognized as premiere conservation contributors.
Mission: Facilitate the promotion and growth of hunting and the shooting sports and the education of the public on the contributions that hunters and shooters make towards wildlife conservation.
