Delta Waterfowl has started its Predator Management Program at 51 sites across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, North Dakota, and South Dakota to increase nest success for the 2026 duck nesting season. The program targets raccoons and skunks to help more ducks hatch in the prairie pothole region, which produces up to 70% of North America's ducks.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is launching a statewide tour of the documentary "Carrying Capacity: The Hunt for Resilience," featuring screenings and community forums across five Wyoming locations. The film explores management of the Jackson and Ferris-Seminoe bighorn sheep herds, with discussions on hunting's role in maintaining healthy, disease-resistant populations.
(402) Creamery and Nebraska Game and Parks launched Fox Tracks, a limited-edition ice cream benefiting conservation education. Beginning March 23, $2 from each pint sold supports the Wildlife Education Fund, with eight lucky customers winning outdoor prizes.
The Mule Deer Foundation and Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife celebrated the 20th anniversary Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City, generating over $8 million in auction proceeds and $2.6 million from permit sales for wildlife conservation. MDF launched its new national campaign "The Vanishing Icon of the West" to address declining mule deer populations across Western habitats.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is recruiting schools for its Schools of Conservation Leadership program, which offers conservation education, professional development for teachers, and equipment grants. The program has expanded to include mentor schools, Generation Conservation Summit competitions, and a new conservation career pathway for high school students.
Georgia's new Black Bass Conservation specialty license plate is now available to drivers. Designed by a Georgia native angler and refined with WRD Fisheries staff, the $45 annual plate funds black bass conservation, habitat enhancement, fisheries research, hatchery production, and education efforts.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Utah Trout Unlimited selected five conservation projects funded by the Utah Cutthroat Slam fishing challenge to support native cutthroat trout restoration. Projects include eDNA sampling, beaver relocations, aquatic monitoring, fish trap operations, and educational signage, each receiving approximately $5,000 in funding.
The Montana Land Board approved four Habitat Conservation Leases protecting over 27,000 acres of rangeland in eastern Montana. The leases, including the Dunbar HCL, IOU Ranch HCL, Lone Tree Land & Livestock Ranch HCL, and Rock Barn Ranch HCL, provide public access for recreation and hunting while supporting wildlife habitat conservation.
NSSF celebrates the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's announcement that nearly $1.3 billion is being delivered to state conservation and wildlife programs, with $804.8 million sourced from firearm and ammunition excise taxes paid by manufacturers under the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act.
Secretary of the Interior Burgum announced a Request for Proposals in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to expand the Western Big Game Seasonal Habitat and Migration Corridors grant program, with funding from the Department of the Interior, U.S. Forest Service, and non-governmental partners. The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation supports this effort to address habitat loss and fragmentation affecting wildlife migration.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, and Hunters Sharing the Harvest held their third town hall meeting at the Great American Outdoor Show to address wildlife crop damage. The panel discussed expanded hunting opportunities, the Certified Hunter Program, and the Agricultural Deer Control Program, with Hunters Sharing the Harvest reporting record venison donations of 283,789 pounds during the 2024-25 season.
Agricultural producers and private landowners can sign up for the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program from February 12-March 20, 2026, or General CRP from March 9-April 17, 2026, administered by the USDA Farm Service Agency. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission highlights CRP's importance for wildlife habitat and hunting opportunities, with additional incentives available through the Berggren Pheasant Plan and Open Fields and Waters Program.
The Natural Resources Commission approved the dedication of Barnebey Woods in Owen County as a nature preserve, managed by Sycamore Land Trust, and expanded Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve in Lake County with the addition of Sundew Prairie. Both areas receive Indiana's highest protection level, with funding supported by blue Environmental Plate sales through the President Benjamin Harrison Conservation Trust.
The Idaho Fish and Game Commission approved a 280-acre acquisition expanding Tex Creek Wildlife Management Area near Idaho Falls. Funded by Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, onX, and Idaho Department of Fish and Game license dollars, the property provides critical winter habitat for mule deer and year-round habitat for Columbian sharp-tailed grouse.
Tom Benavides, Assistant Vice President for Dallas Safari Club, testified before the House Committee on Natural Resources on the importance of hunting to sustainable conservation. Benavides advocated for regulated trade of rhino horn to prevent extinction, stating the U.S. must support legalization rather than maintain decades-long de facto support of the black market.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will retire the Sage-Grouse Local Working Groups effective January 31, concluding 21 years of conservation work that began in 2004. The groups funded 377 projects and secured over $11 million in sage-grouse conservation actions and $68 million in matching funds. The department will continue sage-grouse management through the Sage-Grouse Implementation Team and partnerships with state and federal agencies.
The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation (CSF) testified as the only sportsmen's organization at a House Committee on Natural Resources oversight hearing examining the EXPLORE Act's first-year impacts on public lands access, shooting ranges, and conservation. Senior Vice President Taylor Schmitz represented hunters, anglers, recreational shooters, and trappers to ensure their priorities were documented in the Congressional Record.
Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry exceeded $1 million in donations from hunting and fishing license buyers through the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's online licensing system. The organization provides approximately 100,000 pounds of venison annually to food banks statewide, equaling 400,000 servings to needy Arkansans.
Vermont's Nongame Wildlife Fund, supported through state income tax checkoffs, funds conservation efforts for at-risk species including bumblebees, butterflies, mussels, and mammals. The program has successfully recovered species like common loons, ospreys, and peregrine falcons, with donations leveraging matching federal grants to maximize impact.
For 50 years, the Mississippi State University Deer Lab — a partnership between the university’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center and MSU Extension Service — has delivered nationally recognized research on deer biology, habitat management and land stewardship to hunters, landowners and wildlife professionals across the Magnolia State.