Delta Waterfowl commends the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on its plans to open or expand access at 12 national wildlife refuges. The proposed rule would offer 53 new opportunities for hunting and fishing on about 211,000 acres.

“Today, nearly 80 percent of Service stations offer hunting and fishing access that helps boost local economies and connects people with nature,” said Martha Williams, director of the USFWS. “We are pleased to expand access and offer new opportunities that are compatible with National Wildlife Refuge System purposes.”

However, The Duck Hunters Organization urges greater action from the Service in future rulemaking, including the prioritization of refuge openings/expansions identified by Delta Waterfowl and duck hunters as being potential waterfowling hotspots. Delta continues to advocate for a more aggressive approach to expanding access on federal refuge lands, given ongoing declines of access to quality waterfowling and the increasingly urgent need to recruit, retain, and reactivate new hunters.

“There has never been a greater need or demand for high-quality public hunting access across the United States than right now,” said Cyrus Baird, senior director of government affairs for Delta Waterfowl. “While we applaud the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for providing expanded access to sportsmen and women at certain national wildlife refuges through the annual rule-making process, we still believe there are many more opportunities out there for waterfowl hunters. We look forward to continuing to work with the Service to push for those openings.”

As in previous years, Delta Waterfowl provided the USFWS with a list of priority refuges for opening or expanding waterfowl hunting access. Input and feedback from Delta’s volunteers and members informs these recommendations, which include substantial federal lands in every U.S. flyway.

“Waterfowl hunters have been the foremost leaders in funding the National Wildlife Refuge System,” Baird said. “Providing waterfowlers with new and expanded access to these lands is therefore appropriate, it aligns with the stated goal of the refuge system, and it’s among Delta’s highest organizational focuses. We see this as a generational opportunity to create increases in public land access on the national scale.”

The proposed rule would allow expanded opportunities for migratory bird hunting in five national wildlife refuges:

• Green River (Kentucky): Open for the first time to waterfowl hunting on 793 acres.
• Bayou Teche (Louisiana): Expands existing waterfowl hunting on 835 acres.
• Waccamaw (South Carolina): Expands existing youth waterfowl hunting on 43 acres.
• Trinity River (Texas): Opens coot and merganser hunting on 1,200 acres.
• Canaan Valley (West Virginia): Expands existing migratory bird hunting on 2,412 acres.

With anticipated approval, the changes will take effect in time for waterfowl hunting seasons this fall. A complete online list of the refuges is available at: https://www.fws.gov/story/2024-08/2024-2025-station-specific-hunting-and-sport-fishing-proposed-rule.

A public comment period that began on Aug. 2 will remain open until Sept. 1—visit regulations.gov, Docket Number: FWS-HQ-NWRS-2024-0034. Delta Waterfowl is finalizing formal comments for submission, and will mobilize its members in the coming days to submit formal comments through Delta’s Duck Hunters Action Alert System.

Delta Waterfowl is The Duck Hunters Organization, a leading conservation group working to produce ducks and secure the future of waterfowl hunting in North America. Visit deltawaterfowl.org.

For more information, contact Cyrus Baird at (703) 254-6737 or cbaird@deltawaterfowl.org.