SFW Comments on Utah’s Interest in Federal Lands Transfer
March 21, 2015 — North Salt Lake, UT • • • Sportsmen for Fish & Wildlife (SFW) today issued the following comments regarding recent discussions and activities relative to federal government potentially relinquishing hundreds of millions of acres of public land to states’ control.
SFW has not taken an official position on this issue. SFW is working through a process that will lead to greater abundance of wildlife, greater opportunity for hunters, and greater land access for citizens. SFW has begun gathering input and opinions from its membership and will continue to do so. SFW is also meeting with key decision makers to make clear that the needs of sportsmen and the public are taken into consideration.
SFW supports land management that:
- remain open to public access
- protect wild and remote places, and the wildlife that depend on it
- produce abundant big game, upland game and aquatic species
- provide for state fish and game agencies to manage wildlife within state borders, including big game, upland game, fisheries and predators
- ensure opportunities for habitat restoration, “Healthy Land Initiative” opportunities and watershed enhancement and protection
SFW President Jon Larson commented, “Our public lands sit at the very pinnacle of importance for the long-term health and viability of wildlife and are at the heart of SFW’s mission to protect and enhance wildlife and habitat in the western states. There are many ramifications and potential outcomes to such a decision, and as a wildlife conservation organization we need to take adequate time to study the pros and cons and consider potential risks and benefits.”
SFW Beaver Chapter Chairman Brayden Richmond added, “Not only are the great public lands places where we hunt, fish and camp, these lands are also places where our members have lived, worked and played for past generations and will be for many generations to come.”
SFW’s Mission Statement – The mission of SFW is to promote the protection and enhancement of wildlife habitat, assist in providing quality wildlife management programs, educating the public about the role hunters play in wildlife conservation, and perpetuating the family tradition of hunting and fishing.
More About SFW – Sportsmen for Fish & Wildlife is a non-profit charitable wildlife conservation organization headquartered in northern Utah. SFW has funded more than $12 million in Utah Wildlife and Habitat Enhancement projects since 2001. For more information about SFW and wildlife conservation projects throughout the state, visit www.SFW.net.
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