TRCP Welcomes Interior Action Expanding Hunting and Fishing Access on National Wildlife Refuges

Final rule will deliver largest expansion of refuge and hatchery access in Fish and Wildlife Service history

(Washington D.C.)-Today, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership welcomed the announcement of a final rule from the Department of the Interior expanding hunting and fishing access at 111 national wildlife refuges and national fish hatcheries across 32 states. The rule will add nearly 1,500 new hunting and fishing opportunities, opening more than 92 million acres—over 95 percent of National Wildlife Refuge System lands— for hunting access, marking the largest such expansion in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service history. 

“Hunters and anglers have long been central to conserving wildlife and habitat in this country, and national wildlife refuges are no exception,” said Joel Webster, TRCP’s chief conservation officer. “We appreciate the Department of the Interior’s work to expand access to these lands in a way that is consistent with wildlife conservation and the laws that guide the refuge system’s unique mission.”  

The final rule will build on the direction set by Secretarial Order 3447 and aims to deliver on the priorities of the Make America Beautiful Again Commission. It will include more than 1,000 updates to existing regulations intended to reduce complexity and better align federal rules with state fish and wildlife laws. National wildlife refuges were established with strong support from hunters and anglers, and the 1997 National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act identifies hunting and fishing among six priority, wildlife-dependent public uses that receive enhanced consideration in refuge management. Expanding scientifically regulated access consistent with state management could allow refuges to continue demonstrating effective wildlife stewardship while connecting the public directly to conservation. 

The final rule is expected to publish in the Federal Register in time for hunting season.  

Learn more by visiting: Department of the Interior Announces Largest Expansion of Hunting and Fishing Opportunities in U.S. Fish and Wildlife History | U.S. Department of the Interior

Founded in 2002, the TRCP is the largest coalition of conservation organizations in the country, uniting and amplifying the voices of sportsmen and women by convening hunting and fishing groups, conservation organizations, and outdoor businesses to a common purpose.