Director Steve Willlams at the
International Hunter Education Associatioan

May 31, 2002

It's great to be back at the IHEA conference. I believe this is my third visit and some indication of how important hunter education is to me. Hunting is an activity I enjoy personally and one that I value as a professional wildlife manager.

As hunter educators, you all know that the sport of hunting is about more than bringing down a deer, a duck, or some other game species. It is, in many ways, about a spiritual experience that teaches us about ourselves, about each other, and about our relationship with the natural world.

To paraphrase Aldo Leopold, the father of wildlife management: "There are two spiritual dangers in not hunting. One is the danger of supposing that dinner comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace."

In our hearts, those of us who hunt develop a deep respect and appreciation for nature. For this reason, the lessons that a hunter educator has to impart to today's young people are becoming increasingly important. We live in an increasingly urbanized environment, and as a result, more and more people fall under the illusion that their well being is somehow separate from that of the natural environment.

In light of this reality, hunting is more important to wildlife management now than it has ever been before. Throughout the history of wildlife management, hunters have been among the most steadfast supporters of conservation measures. For more than half a century, hunters have contributed 4.1 billion dollars to wildlife management through the Wildlife Restoration Act. Through this support, as well as through license sales, hunters have become the primary funders of state fish and wildlife agencies.

In the past few decades, we have seen the influence of other wildlife advocates grow. As a result, the mission of the Fish and Wildlife Service has expanded to encompass non-game species, including threatened and endangered species. These wildlife issues are important, there is no question about it, but traditional wildlife management issues remain important too. Unfortunately, over the years, the hunting community has come to believe that these traditional issues were being overshadowed. As Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, one of my priorities is to restore the balance to our conservation mission. I am committed to strengthening relationships with the hunting community and to strengthening this historically powerful partnership.

This is where you can help. I'd like to share with you some preliminary results from the 2001 National Survey on Hunting and Fishing. Last year, more than 80 million Americans – nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population – enjoyed some form of fish-and-wildlife-related recreational activity. All told, they contributed 110 billion dollars to the economy.

Of that amount, hunters contributed 21 billion dollars. Compared to 10 years ago, that is a 29 percent, inflation-adjusted increase. That's the good news. The bad news is that the number of hunters is in decline. In 2001, 13 million Americans enjoyed hunting, a 7 percent drop compared to 10 years ago.

We need to re-energize the sport by welcoming and encouraging new participants. That is where youth, woman, and minority hunting recruitment programs come in. Hunter recruitment programs need to keep up with America's changing demographics.

At the Fish and Wildlife Service, we are ready to help. Our Federal Aid program continues to provide hunters' dollars to state wildlife managers. This year, 28.7 million dollars are being apportioned for hunter education, with an additional 7.5 million in section 10 money to enhance these programs.

While the federal government can provide funding, it is up to the states to develop innovative hunting programs that contribute to hunter recruitment and to wildlife conservation on-the-ground. There are many successful state programs out there that make very good models. From my experience with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, I can give you two examples.

The first is a hunter recruitment program called "Pass It On." The program is still fairly new, but by providing mentors, youth hunting seasons, shooting opportunities, and equipment, it is becoming increasingly popular with Kansas youth. The other is the Walk-In Hunting Areas program. This program provides landowners incentives to conserve natural habitat and to provide public access to private property. By doing so, it links landowners with hunters and gets landowners interested in wildlife conservation.

Let me offer a couple of thoughts on things we need to do to reverse the declining trend in hunter numbers. First, we need to develop more shooting ranges to increase firearm training opportunities. Just like wildlife is being displaced by urban sprawl, so are shooting ranges. We must find ways to alleviate conflicts and make room for this element of hunter education. Second, we need to continue development of new technology to serve as an alternative delivery system, such as CD and Internet-based instruction and 3-D hunting simulators, which provide solid shooting instruction. Most importantly, we need to develop hunter education, not only as training on ethics and safe and responsible firearm handling, but as a portal, an open door, to the actual hunting and shooting experience.

In 2003, the Fish and Wildlife Service is celebrating the National Wildlife Refuge System's centennial. The story of the refuge system is closely interwoven with America's hunting tradition. The first refuge, Pelican Island, was established by famed outdoorsman and former president, Theodore Roosevelt. Today many refuges offer first-rate hunting opportunities. Under the Refuge Improvement Act of 1997, hunting was identified as a priority public use, and I am committed to expanding hunting opportunities throughout the refuge system.

As the refuges take the national spotlight during the centennial celebration, it is a great opportunity for hunter educators to highlight the contributions that hunting has made to conservation, to reach out to new segments of the public, and to work with us to develop new youth programs on federal lands.

I believe that in five years we can reverse the tide, that in the next national survey, we'll see the number of hunters increase rather than decrease. Everyone in this room has a contribution to make. I just presented a few ideas about how we can keep America's hunting heritage strong. Each of you have equal or better ideas. I urge you to recommit yourself to our American hunting heritage as you participate in this conference. Thanks for all your work.