Bass Pro Shops, led by founder Johnny Morris, has acquired the legendary Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada, Florida, uniting it with the World Wide Sportsman Store & Marina. The acquisition reinforces Bass Pro Shops' commitment to nature-based hospitality while preserving the resort's authentic character and heritage of connecting guests to the Florida Keys' natural beauty.
SEVR Broadheads introduces Magneto, a mechanical broadhead system using patented magnetic blade retention instead of traditional O-rings and collars. Available in Ti 1.75 Two-Blade and Ti 1.75 Hybrid configurations, the broadheads feature Grade-5 titanium construction and are designed for vertical bows only.
The Wild Sheep Foundation and International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation are accepting nominations for the biennial Markhor Award, with a deadline of August 14, 2026. The award recognizes outstanding conservation initiatives that integrate sustainable use, particularly hunting, to conserve biodiversity and support local livelihoods.
Jeff Crane, President and CEO of the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, received the National Wildlife Federation's Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades of wildlife conservation leadership. Crane played a pivotal role in advancing landmark legislation including the Great American Outdoors Act and the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act.
Team Beretta achieved multiple podium finishes at the NSCA Southeast Regional Championship in Okeechobee, FL, with Zachary Kienbaum, Desirae Edmunds, and Connor Daniel earning top-three placements across Main, Lady, and Junior divisions using Beretta DT11 and A400 L Sporting shotguns.
Team Ruger's James McGinty earned second place overall and first place in the Enhanced Service Pistol division at the 2026 Pennsylvania State IDPA Championship, scoring 192.63 with his Ruger RXM pistol at the Lawrence County Sportsman's Association in Wampum, PA.
Kahr Firearms Group announces that professional shooter Danyela D'Angelo and her father Danny D'Angelo have been invited to represent Team USA at the fifth IPSC Shotgun World Shoot in Corinth, Greece, September 24-27, 2026. This marks their third invitation to represent the nation internationally.
Sturm, Ruger & Company congratulates Team Ruger's Lauryl Akenhead on achieving High Lady and finishing fourth overall at the 2026 Colemans Creek Hunter Match in Ellerbe, NC. Competing against 96 shooters across 17 stages, Akenhead used her Ruger American Gen II rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor to score 97 in the Open Heavy division.
Keith Trapp of Team Lapua won the 2026 NSSC NRA Long Range Regional at Camp Butner in North Carolina with a 981-32X aggregate. Competing in the F-T/R category, Trapp topped all divisions using Berger bullets, Vihtavuori powder, and Lapua cases.
The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission unanimously approved a 34,610-acre conservation easement on Green Diamond Montana Timberlands LLC lands in the Thompson River drainage. The project protects wildlife habitat, provides permanent public recreation access, and allows continued sustainable timber harvest, with funding from the U.S. Forest Service, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust, and Trust for Public Lands.
Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) filed an opening brief with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Ziegenfuss v. Martin, challenging Texas's carry bans in ordinary public places including restaurants, racetracks, and sporting events. Represented by attorneys from Benbrook Law Group, P.C. and Cooper & Scully, P.C., FPC argues these bans violate the Second Amendment and historical tradition.
Gun Owners of America (GOA), Gun Owners Foundation (GOF), Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL), and journalist John Crump petitioned the Virginia Supreme Court for an urgent ruling challenging Virginia's upcoming ban on "assault firearms" and large capacity magazines set to take effect July 1, 2026. The coalition seeks a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of the ban during litigation.
Gunsite Academy, founded by Jeff Cooper in 1976, announces its 50th Anniversary Alumni Shoot on October 3rd, 2026, at its Paulden, Arizona facility. The event will feature shooting stages, vendor exhibitions, and commemorative activities celebrating five decades of defensive firearms training excellence.
Waypoint TV announces the second installment of its Waypoint Insider program in partnership with South Seas Resort on Captiva Island, Florida. One lucky member will win a 4-night villa stay, Wave Runner tour, two rounds of golf, fishing trip with Reel Animals, and resort credits, building on the program's successful debut with Hawks Cay Resort.
Groupe Beneteau announced the suspension of the Wellcraft Fisherman brand production to the announced closing and planned sale of its Cadillac, Michigan facilities. The company says it will honor "all financial obligations incurred prior to the termination date, including open purchase orders and outstanding invoices.
Viridian Weapon Technologies launched Viridian.tech as its new primary web domain, transitioning from ViridianWeaponTech.com. The move reflects the company's evolution from green laser technology pioneer to a broader technology company developing optics, lasers, weapon lights, cameras, and integrated firearm-mounted systems.
NSSF welcomes U.S. Rep. Derek Schmidt's introduction of H.R. 9298, the SHOT Act, which would strengthen the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act to prevent frivolous public nuisance lawsuits against firearm manufacturers and retailers. Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President & General Counsel, stated the legislation addresses gaps created by court decisions allowing lawsuits intended to bankrupt the industry through litigation.
Remington announced its limited-edition We the People ammunition line to commemorate America's 250th anniversary. The commemorative loads span rifle, handgun, rimfire, and shotshell categories and are now shipping to dealers nationwide, manufactured only in 2026.
Warne announced the launch of Maxima Horizontal Quick Detach Rings, featuring an index-able quick detach lever system for tool-free optic removal while maintaining return to zero. Available in multiple tube diameters and heights, the rings are machined from high-strength steel with stainless-steel recoil control keys for durability.
Leupold & Stevens, Inc. announced the launch of its new BX-2 Timberline HD binocular line, featuring a roof prism design with Advanced Optical System for superior light transmission and resolution. Available in 10x42 and 12x50 configurations, the waterproof and fogproof binoculars are designed for recreational sportsmen and sportswomen seeking fine detail visibility.
Whitetails Unlimited offers complimentary Deer Management signs and booklets to help landowners manage their properties. The PVC signs measure 11.25 inches and are suitable for use throughout the United States. Contact Whitetails Unlimited at 920.743.6777 or nh@whitetailsunlimited.com to order.
Turkeys for Tomorrow (TFT) partners with TINE, an AI-powered Western Hunt Planner covering 12+ states and 8 major species. The Kickstarter campaign offers early backers exclusive rewards including guided hunts, discounted subscriptions, and lifetime access to simplify complex hunt planning.
Major League Fishing pro bass angler Jesse Wiggins joins host Michael Waddell on The Michael Waddell Podcast to discuss his competitive fishing career, journey from humble beginnings in Alabama to the Bass Pro Tour, and advice for aspiring professional anglers. The podcast is presented by Spandau Arms in partnership with Folds of Honor, Cigars International, and Poncho Outdoors.
Stealth Cam unveiled its redesigned Command app with streamlined features and launched its 3.0 series cellular trail cameras, including the Deceptor MAX 3.0, Revolver PRO 3.0, and Spectre 4K Pro. The new cameras feature AI-powered false image detection, Rack Alert notifications, and PIR zone selection, plus solar charging compatibility with updated lithium battery packs.
Beretta USA is offering a free Tactacam REVEAL Pro 3.0 cellular trail camera with purchases of Beretta BRX1 rifles between June 1-30, 2026. The promotion also applies to Tikka T3x and T1x rifle models. Beretta USA and GrabAGun are hosting a Summer Heat Giveaway featuring a BRX1 paired with a Pulsar Talion XG35 Thermal Riflescope.
Hook & Barrel Magazine announces its July/August 2026 issue featuring Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer discussing his Marine Corps service and veteran recovery. The issue also includes Tim Montana's collaboration with the Crow Nation, WWII history, and a Revolutionary War road trip.
Blue Force Gear will exhibit at the ADS Warrior East Exposition June 24-25, 2026, in Virginia Beach, showcasing the MARCO HR chemlight deployment system and its complete tactical equipment lineup including Ten-Speed pouches, MOLLEminus platforms, and Helium Whisper attachment systems.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department's Commercial Fishing Outfitter and Guides Advisory Board will hold a virtual meeting on June 18, 2026, from 6-8 p.m. The meeting is open to the public and will be livestreamed through Zoom, with public comments accepted at the end.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is creating the Bighorn Sheep Restoration Advisory Panel to address restoration challenges on private land. The temporary five-month panel, appointed by FWP Director Christy Clark, will meet monthly from August through December and provide recommendations on hunting access, management authority, and landowner support. Applications are due by July 3.
Fort Robinson State Park has partially reopened following the South Fork Fire shift northward. The lodge, cabins, activity center, Sutler Store, Post Playhouse, restaurant, and historical tours managed by the Nebraska State Historical Society and University of Nebraska are now open, while horse trails, stagecoach rides, and hiking trails remain closed pending safety assessments.
Shooting USA features the 50 Meter Junior Olympic Championship at CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park where top junior shooters compete for spots on the USA Shooting Junior Olympic Team. The episode includes historical CMP National Matches trophies and a Colt Pro Tip with Wyatt Gibson.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Michigan Natural Features Inventory are asking residents to report bat roost locations through the Michigan Bat Roost Monitoring Program. Last year's inaugural effort yielded over 130 observations from 52 counties, with Kent and Newaygo counties reporting the most sightings. DNR bat specialist John DePue emphasizes that summer roosts are critical for understanding bat conservation needs.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department urges residents and recreationists to secure bear attractants and report conflicts as warmer weather increases bear activity. Brian DeBolt, large carnivore conflict coordinator, emphasizes timely reporting and ethical wildlife viewing practices to minimize human-carnivore interactions and protect both public and bear safety.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is hosting free public events in Billings on June 23-24 to educate the public about greater short-horned lizards and assist with surveys. The Horned Lizard Conservation Society's bioblitz runs June 20-28, with observations submitted through the iNaturalist app.
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is recruiting 40 volunteers to help band Canada Geese at Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area in Addison on July 1. State waterfowl biologist Andrew Bouton notes the annual roundup provides data for monitoring Vermont's resident Canada Goose population.
Countless fish, turtles and coastal birds were “oiled” in the enormous outflow from the ruptured Deepwater Horizon in 2010. (NOAA)
In the spring of 2010, when the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and the northern Gulf went black, it was impossible to imagine any outcome that could fairly be called redemptive. Eleven men were killed and countless fish and coastal wildlife died. Whole marshes died, and million-dollar beaches became ghost towns.
Sixteen years later, the shoreline tells a different story.
The spill eventually resulted in the largest environmental damage settlement in U.S. history and one of the most ambitious ecosystem restoration efforts ever attempted anywhere. BP ultimately paid more than $20.8 billion in civil penalties and natural resource damages, with additional criminal fines and private claims pushing the total cost higher still.
Unlike earlier environmental cases, this money didn’t vanish into general accounts. Federal law required it to remain on the Gulf coast, and that reshaped everything that followed.
The RESTORE Act of 2012 directed 80 percent of Clean Water Act penalties back to the five affected Gulf states—Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas—for ecosystem restoration, economic recovery, and coastal resilience. Scientific oversight came largely from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, working alongside the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state agencies. Decisions about where and how to spend the money rested largely with state and local trustees who knew the damage firsthand.
Over the next five years, NOAA and the states led a natural resource damage assessment that spanned thousands of square miles of ocean and shoreline. More than 1,300 miles of coast were oiled. Crews collected more than 100,000 samples to document impacts to fish, birds, turtles, marine mammals, wetlands, and deep-sea habitats. Satellite imagery, current models, seafood testing, and wildlife rescue operations fed into a single conclusion: recovery would require work at a scale never before attempted in the Gulf.
Louisiana, closest to the disaster, absorbed the largest share of that effort. Long before the spill the state had been losing land at an alarming rate. Settlement funds accelerated projects already on the drawing board and made others possible. Massive sediment diversions, barrier-island reconstruction, and marsh-creation efforts rebuilt tens of thousands of acres of coastal habitat.
Massive island and marsh building projects along the Gulf Coast have resulted in habitat improvements that would have been unimaginable without BP funding, forced by the Deepwater Horizon settlement. (NOAA)
At Queen Bess Island, once nearly erased by erosion, pelicans now nest again by the thousands. The Upper Barataria Marsh Creation project alone is restoring more than 1,200 acres of tidal marsh designed to blunt storm surge and slow land loss across the basin.
Mississippi focused heavily on living shorelines, oyster reefs, and public access. Restoration projects in the Mississippi Sound rebuilt oyster habitat damaged by oil and prolonged freshwater exposure. Artificial reefs placed in nearshore waters now hold bait and game fish that had largely disappeared from those areas after the spill. Along the coast, aging boat ramps and small harbors were rebuilt or expanded.
In Alabama, settlement funds rebuilt Gulf State Park Lodge, destroyed by Hurricane Ivan, restored dunes, and added miles of trails and boardwalks designed to absorb storm surge. The park now functions as a buffer, protecting inland development while drawing visitors year-round. What had been one of the most storm-damaged stretches of Alabama’s coast became one of its most resilient and beautiful.
Florida’s Panhandle, where oil washed ashore for months, invested heavily in shoreline stability and bay health. Living shorelines and seagrass restoration projects in Choctawhatchee Bay, Pensacola Bay, and St. Joseph Bay improved water clarity and nursery habitat for redfish, speckled trout, and scallops. Early restoration projects rebuilt dunes and beaches. Later phases expanded fishing piers, kayak launches, and marinas. In Apalachicola, GulfCorps crews constructed living shorelines that now protect working waterfronts from erosion while keeping them accessible.
Many more projects are underway, and trustees meet annually to develop plans for future improvements along the Gulf Coast, all funded by the trust fund. (NOAA)
Texas, though less visibly oiled, felt the spill through fishery closures and tourism losses. The state directed much of its funding toward restoring freshwater inflows and coastal wetlands in systems such as Galveston Bay. Those projects stabilized marshes that support shrimp, crabs, and red drum. Long-term monitoring and fisheries research funded through the settlement left managers with a clearer picture of Gulf dynamics than existed before 2010.
It’s particularly impressive that all of this has been pulled off in so short a time, with relatively little bureaucratic or political obstruction and, thus far, no reported large examples of corruption or misuse.
Projects for the most part have moved through public review, scientific vetting, and boots on the ground with measured haste, and a drive along coastal roads in any of these states will quickly turn up examples of the impressive results.
To be sure, hurricanes continue to rearrange the coast and development pressure is greater every year. The Gulf today still carries some scars from the spill, but the water is clean, estuaries are thriving everywhere that development is blocked and fisheries are back to where they were, or as near as they can be given the increasing pressure of more boats, better fish finding gear and more anglers every year.
Deepwater Horizon was one environmental storm that truly has had a silver lining.
The Deepwater Horizon Trustee Council will hold its eleventh annual public meeting via webinar on June 23, 2026, from noon to 1 p.m. Central Time, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time. The webinar is open to everyone with an interest in Gulf fisheries, habitat and water quality.
