[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 69 (Thursday, May 22, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1023-E1024]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     THE SPORTSMEN'S BILL OF RIGHTS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN S. TANNER

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 1997

  Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, today, my colleagues and I are introducing 
the Sportsmen's Bill of Rights in the House of Representatives. Our 
goal is to assure the same kind of access to Federal public lands and 
waters for tomorrow's hunters and anglers, that present and past 
generations of hunters and anglers have known.
  Over the past 200 years, fishing and hunting have become intertwined 
in America's culture and should be protected where the activities are 
compatible with other uses. Fishing and hunting are part of a 
traditional way of life that has been preserved for present generations 
and we want to make sure these activities are preserved for future 
generations. America's 37 million anglers and 15 million hunters 
represent the largest single group of contributors to the conservation 
of our fisheries and wildlife species and continue to play a critical 
role in the sound management of them. And they spend billions every 
year that create thousands of jobs for our citizens. Indeed, through 
two trust funds known as Pittman-Robertson and Wallop-Breaux, America's 
sports men and women and the relevant manufacturers have contributed $6 
billion to conservation and education initiatives over the past 60 
years.
  No where is that more important than where I was raised. In Tennessee 
and, indeed, across the South, angling and hunting is a way of life. 
It's a part of our culture. Last year's BASS Anglers Classic held in 
North Carolina drew 28,000 people demonstrating the popularity of 
angling. Because of our sports men and women and the work of people 
like Gary Myers of the Tennessee Wildlife

[[Page E1024]]

Resources Agency, white-tailed deer populations as well as turkey 
populations, migratory waterfowl, and many other wildlife species, are 
strong in large measure because of hunters who value the resource. In 
Tennessee, alone hunters, anglers, and boaters, spend nearly $1 billion 
a year on their sports, and some have estimated that economic activity 
is responsible for at least 26,000 jobs across the State.
  Considering all of that, it is important to protect the kind of 
access present and past generations have had to hunt and fish on 
Federal public lands and waters for our children and the generations 
that follow them. I look forward to passing these traditions to my 
grandchildren. That is the overarching goal of this legislation and as 
a cochairman of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus I believe that is 
a positive thing.
  The bill would preserve access to Federal public lands for hunting 
and fishing, but also leaves intact the authority of Federal agencies 
managing those lands to prohibit these and other activities where they 
are not compatible with public safety, national security, or other 
ongoing activities on a particular section of land or water. The bill 
is narrowly focused to address land and water owned and managed by the 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau 
of Land Management.
  The bill is supported in principle by the International Association 
of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. It also has the support of organizations 
including the Delta Wildlife Foundation, Safari Club International, 
Quail Unlimited, the Wildlife Legislative Fund of America, and the 
National Rifle Association.
  A companion bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator 
Richard Shelby of Alabama, and we look forward to moving the measure 
through the legislative process in a bipartisan fashion.

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