National Hunting and Fishing Day

Proclamation

By the Governor of Alabama

WHEREAS, Alabama has a rich and storied tradition of hunting and angling, that dates back further than the state itself and carries forward to this day; and

WHEREAS, Alabama’s sportsmen and women were among the first conservationists to support the establishment of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to conserve fish, wildlife and their habitat, and through their license fees helped fund state efforts to provide for healthy  and sustainable natural resources; and

WHEREAS, upon realizing that license fees alone were insufficient to restore and sustain healthy fish and wildlife populations, sportsmen and women supported self-imposed excise taxes on hunting, fishing and boating equipment to raise additional conservation funds; and

WHEREAS, to this day, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is funded primarily by sportsmen and women, through this American System of Conservation Funding – a “user pays – public benefits” approach that is widely recognized as the most successful System of fish and wildlife management in the world; and

WHEREAS, last year alone, Alabama’s sportsmen and women generated $46,624,230 through this System to support the conservation efforts of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; and

WHEREAS, Alabama’s 1.2 million hunters and anglers support the state’s economy through spending more than $1.9 billion while engaged in their pursuits; and

WHEREAS, this spending supports over 37,476 jobs in Alabama and generates $165 million in state and local taxes and

WHEREAS, National Hunting and Fishing Day was established in 1972 to celebrate and recognize hunters and anglers for their immense contributions to fish and wildlife conservation and to our society:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby proclaim September 24th, 2016, as

National Hunting and Fishing Day

in the State of Alabama to celebrate Alabama’s sportsmen and women.

Given Under My Hand and the Great Seal of the Office of the Governor at the State Capitol in the City of Montgomery on the 28th day of September 2016.

Robert Bentley

Governor