Delta Applauds New Hunting/Conservation Council

The Department of the Interior has announced the formation of the Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council, a federal advisory committee that will consist of America’s leading experts on hunting, wildlife and conservation. Comparable versions of the Council have spanned several presidential administrations.

The continuation of the Council is a clear recognition by the DOI that the voice of hunters remains critical in implementing, sustaining or rejecting conservation policies. During the committee’s prior term, Delta Waterfowl’s chief policy officer John Devney served as a presidentially appointed member of the Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation Council.

The new administration has again recognized the Council as a worthwhile endeavor to benefit hunters, anglers, wildlife and the general public,” Devney said. “I saw firsthand the impact it can have, particularly in terms of opening access for waterfowlers on federal lands.”

Devney’s advocacy during his tenure on the Council led to the expansion of public hunting and fishing access across 382 national wildlife refuges. This momentum continued in September 2021, when an additional 42 refuges offered new opportunities to sportsmen and women. Since 2018, a total of 2.1 million refuge acres have been opened to hunting and fishing, including on numerous properties noted on Delta Waterfowl’s list of priority refuges.

“That increased access, particularly for duck and goose hunters, is what I’m most proud of during my time on the Council,” Devney said. “It’s an example of the Council’s role in making positive outcomes happen at the federal level for ducks and duck hunters. And I applaud the current administration for looking at the expansions and recognizing it’s something that should be sustained for hunters, for wildlife and for conservation.”

More information regarding the the Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council will soon be available in the Federal Register.