[ad_1]
The Trump administration proposed on Wednesday to open more federally protected hunting and fishing lands as part of a significant expansion of these activities in the country's wildlife refuges.
The plan covers 1.4 million acres (5,666 square kilometers) on federal public lands, including 74 national wildlife refuges, said US Interior Secretary David Bernhardt at the Ottawa National Wildlife Wildlife, on Lake Erie, in northern Ohio.
The proposal would allow for the first time hunting and fishing in 15 national hatcheries. The department also wants to revise hunting and fishing rules in shelters in all states to better adapt them to state regulations.
Last September, land managers from the Department of the Interior were asked to review hunting and fishing regulations to determine the points of conflict between them and state regulations, in the goal of moving to management by the state unless federal laws do not support it.
A comprehensive review of federal and state rules is something the US Fish and Wildlife Service has never done before, said Bernhardt.
With the proposed extension to 46 sites, the number of wildlife sanctuaries where hunting would be permitted would increase from 5 to 382, while fishing would be permitted in 316 locations.
"It's a dramatic statement about our commitment to access," Bernhardt said, adding, "The goal is to get more people out."
Lack of access to hunting and fishing sites is one of the most common reasons why people do not start these activities, said Bernhardt.
One of the new huts where hunting and fishing would be allowed is the National Wildlife Refuge, Green Bay, Wisconsin. Deer and elk hunting would be allowed for the first time in the Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge.
The expansion is the largest proposed by the administration so far, said Bernhardt.
It is planned to finalize the proposal in September, following public comments.
[ad_2]
Source link