From the Director's Desk 

September 24th is National Public Lands Day, a day to "celebrate the connection between people and green space in their community, inspire environmental stewardship, and encourage use of open space for education, recreation, and health benefits," according to the National Park Service.

It is also National Hunting and Fishing Day, a day created by the gun industry to "celebrate the conservation successes of hunters, target shooters and anglers," according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Strange coincidence, no?

State wildlife agencies, sportsmen's groups and public lands agencies around the country will be setting up booths at public events side by side to extol the virtues of hunting, fishing and public lands. The message is clear: hunting, fishing and public lands were meant for each other.

But wait. What about all the other ways to enjoy public lands, like hiking and camping? What about all the other ways of valuing wild creatures, like birdwatching and photography?

Those activities won't be highlighted, because the gun and hunting lobbies have done a great job of making getting outdoors on public lands synonymous with hunting, fishing and target shooting. Why? Because they have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo in wildlife management, which prioritizes hunting and fishing. State wildlife agencies get much of their revenues from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses. The gun lobby enjoys good public relations from being defenders of the hunting heritage. And sportsmen's groups maintain their power over wildlife policy. Everyone wins, except for the public.

Wildlife watchers far outnumber the people who hunt and fish in the U.S. So far, there isn't a "National Wildlife Watching Day" but maybe that is changing. Michigan's governor recently declared September 4th to be Wildlife Watching Day." Hopefully other states will follow Michigan's lead.

Hunting and fishing have their place, but public lands and wildlife are for all Americans to enjoy.

United in stewardship of our public lands, 

Kevin Bixby

...how residents in your state value wildlife? The America’s Wildlife Values state reports explore the “values, attitudes, and beliefs” of residents in regards to fish and wildlife management. You can learn more about wildlife value orientations in your state, issue specific attitudes, and more.

There are four types of wildlife value orientations:

• Mutualists believe wildlife are part of our social network and we should live in harmony
• Traditionalists believe wildlife should be used and managed for human benefit
• Pluralists prioritize the above values differently depending on the context
• Distanced individuals believe wildlife related issues are unimportant to them

To learn which is dominant in your state, and to dive deeper into how gender and age influences these categories, visit the “find your state” page on our website and click on the state report under “America’s Wildlife Values.”