[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19061]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING SPORTSMEN'S IMPACT ON OUR ECONOMY

 Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, earlier this week I was proud to 
represent the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus in a press conference to 
announce the results of the 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, 
and Wildlife Associated Recreation. This report confirms something that 
many of us have believed for some time, that hunting and fishing are an 
integral part of the fabric of this Nation and an essential part of our 
economy.
  I was joined in this announcement by Secretary of the Interior Gale 
Norton; Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Steve Williams; 
Melinda Gable with the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation; Brent 
Manning with the International Association of Fish and Wildlife 
Agencies; Mike Nussman with the American Sportfishing Association; and 
Doug Painter with National Shooting Sports Foundation.
  Hunting and fishing are an important part of people's lives in my 
home State of Arkansas and all around the country. It is an activity 
that brings friends and families together and the impressive statistics 
that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is releasing today are hard for 
those of us in Congress to ignore. As an avid sportswoman myself, I 
understand first-hand the importance that should be placed on promoting 
and preserving our ability to hunt, fish, and pursue outdoor 
activities. In fact, one of my fondest memories is of sitting with my 
father, brother, and sisters in a duck blind as the sun rose over the 
Arkansas Delta. And now, I get the joy of taking my boys outdoors to go 
fishing and hunting.
  I first joined the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus because of my 
lifelong love of the outdoors and my commitment that as sportsmen, we 
have a duty to protect and provide for sustainable uses of America's 
renewable wildlife resources. And now as the cochair of the 
Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, I, along with my colleagues, am 
working to enact legislation to provide ample resources to conserve 
wildlife and America's rich tradition of outdoor recreation.
  Wildlife and our Nation's lands and waters are the foundation for our 
outdoor recreation as well as the ecosystems in which we survive. A 
perfect example of this is Arkansas' RICE, Rice Industry Caring for the 
Environment, project, where farmers voluntarily set aside 171,000 acres 
of farmland to provide for waterfowl habitat which in turn provides 
enormous environmental benefits.
  The survey shows that last year over 1.4 million Arkansans and 38 
million Americans went hunting, fishing, or wildlife watching. And that 
translated into over $1 billion to Arkansas' economy and a whopping 
$108 billion impact on this Nation's economy. It also shows that over 
20,000 Arkansans and well over 1 million nationally are employed 
directly in hunting and fishing related businesses.
  Those numbers show that hunting and fishing are not just worthwhile 
pastimes, they're big business, too.
  On top of that, in 2001 Arkansas' sportsmen paid over $112 million in 
State and federal taxes. And nationwide, sportsmen paid in over $11.4 
billion. That's $11.4 billion going to fund many of our most pressing 
national priorities such as our national defense, education, highway 
construction, and conservation programs.
  We must continue to recognize the American sportsman's impact on this 
nation's economy and protect our outdoor legacy for future generations. 
And I look forward to continued work with my colleagues in the Senate 
to promote and preserve our ability to hunt, fish, and pursue outdoor 
activities.
  I encourage each of my colleagues to take note of this survey's 
results and the direct impact of sportsmen and sportswomen on his or 
her State's economy.

                          ____________________