Trump lifting restrictions on hunting in national parks and other areas...

[Outdoor-enthusiast24]

Based on the Department of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum's position on Public lands. I am having trouble taking this at face value that he is trying to do good by the hunters and fishermen/women and improve our access. I am an optimistic person and very involved in the conservation community. The way this administration has tried to sell of public lands and ignore public input on places like the Boundary Waters, I'm struggling to be optimistic that there isn't an alternative motive for this action.

Are they hoping someone will shoot an Elk in front of thousands of visitors in Yellowstone or clean a bunch of ducks in a public bathroom, let the public become frustrated with hunters and call for the public lands to be more protected...aka... privatized or is this truly a win for the outdoor community. I'm trying to be optimistic, but I have my doubts. What are others thoughts on this?

Trump is lifting restrictions on hunting in national parks and other areas

President Donald Trump's administration is quietly pushing national park, refuge and wilderness area managers to dramatically scale back hunting restrictions, raising questions about visitor safety and the impact on wildlife.

www.pbs.org

 

[Big Fin]

I have read where the changes will occur. The net increase in access is marginal.

Seeing the tide of articles written about it over the weekend, the pubic relations hit hunting will take is significant.

There will be hunters and hunting groups who want to make a big deal about this. I'd give up ever acre of new access if Burgum would require oil & gas companies to stay out of the critical migration corridors of Wyoming mule deer and pronghorn and focus on those Wyoming lands outside the corridor. That change would be far more beneficial to wildlife and hunting opportunity than opening up the lands on that list.

Also, hunters created the concept of refuges; places off limits to hunting. That was the entire idea behind the National Wildlife Refuge system Roosevelt started with Pelican Island in 1906. These kind of actions, for very little benefit, does nothing to improve the position of hunters as concerned wildlife advocates.

 

[mtmiller]

Affected National Park Service (NPS) Sites
The directive specifically targets 55 NPS units in the lower 48 states. [1, 2]

State [1, 3, 4, 5]	National Park Service Unit	Key Rule Changes
AL/MS/FL	Gulf Islands National Seashore	Reopening "visitor-heavy" areas previously closed for safety.
AZ/UT	Glen Canyon NRA	Removing bans on firing weapons toward or across hiking trails.
CA	Mojave National Preserve	Rolling back local vehicle and equipment restrictions.
CO	Curecanti NRA	Eliminating the 100-yard safety buffer around roads and trails.
FL	Big Cypress National Preserve	Removing requirements to label gear and report kill locations.
LA	Jean Lafitte NHP & Preserve	Lifting the long-standing ban on alligator hunting.
MA	Cape Cod National Seashore	Extending hunting seasons through the spring and summer.
ME	Katahdin Woods and Waters NM	Permitting the use of baiting, which was previously banned.
MI	Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore	Aligning local seasons more closely with state regulations.
MN	Mississippi National River NRA	Permitting tree stands and clearing vegetation for shooting lanes.
MO	Ozark National Scenic Riverways	Deleting safety tag requirements for hunting dogs.
TX	Lake Meredith NRA	Allowing game cleaning in public restrooms; lifting optics bans.
WA	Lake Roosevelt NRA	Relaxing local restrictions on specific hunting methods.
WV	New River Gorge National Park	Broadening hunting access in previously restricted zones.

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[mtmiller]

Affected National Wildlife Refuges (NWR)
While the full "Burgum list" of all 76 sites has not been publicly released as a single document, the following refuges have been identified in the current expansion or through the new "open unless closed" directive. [1, 2, 3, 4]

• Willapa NWR (WA): Expanding big game hunting onto new acreage.
• Balcones Canyonlands NWR (TX): Opening new areas for big game hunting.
• San Luis NWR (CA): Extending season dates for existing pheasant hunting.
• Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR (MN): Adding new land for migratory bird and big game hunting.
• Cabeza Prieta NWR (AZ): Opening hunts for mountain lions and mule deer.
• Buenos Aires NWR (AZ): Allowing new hunts for bobcats and fox.
• Green Bay NWR (WI): Formally opening deer and elk hunting for the first time.
• Seedskadee NWR (WY): Opening new opportunities for deer and elk.
• Laguna Atascosa NWR (TX): Introducing or expanding alligator hunting.
• Everglades Headwaters NWR (FL): Expanding fishing and upland game access.
• Southern Maryland Woodlands NWR (MD): Newly designated areas for hunting access. [1, 2]

What is NOT Changing
The order does not open flagship national parks—like Yellowstone, Yosemite, or Grand Canyon—to hunting. Hunting in those locations is prohibited by federal statutes that the Secretary of the Interior cannot override with a memo

 

[WyoCoalMiner]

Given what this really is, not a free-for-all of hunting in NP's and refuges, but rather an updating of un-necessary or outdated restrictions, I think it has the potential to be a great thing. Hunting was already a part in many Park Service locations and refuges. Possible expansion where applicable sounds like a win to me. Regulated hunting and fishing has always been a driver of the conservation movement. I can't imagine letting the oppinions of those most ignorant of benefits of regulated hunting and fishing keep me from applauding a win.

 

[appaloosa]

Meh...