The Georgia Department of Natural Resources and members of the hunting and shooting industry recently turned out in support of a Memorandum of Understanding at the National Shooting Sports Foundation Industry Summit in Savannah as a continued commitment to wildlife conservation and the preservation of Georgia’s outdoor heritage, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division.
“This is a natural partnership between Georgia grown businesses in the outdoor industry and the Department of Natural Resources, which stewards the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration dollars allocated back to Georgia,” said Dan Forster, director of the Wildlife Resources Division. “Combining efforts and increasing communications will give us all the ability to better market outdoor recreation and increase recruitment, retention and reactivation of our customers for generations to come.”
Industry partners pay excise taxes and import duties on equipment and gear manufactured for purchase by hunters, anglers, boaters, archers, and recreational shooters. These funds are then returned to state wildlife agencies through the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program. This program and the partnerships it fosters are among the most successful conservation efforts in the nation’s rich history of fish and wildlife management.
All of the participating organizations are committed to actions critical to conservation, including advocating for science-based policy that will promote jobs and further Georgia’s economic prosperity; fostering new and continued participation in and public support of angling, boating, hunting, trapping, and shooting sports activities; and cooperatively educating stakeholders about the economic benefits of these activities to Georgia businesses and communities.
For more information on the Georgia Outdoor Industry Coalition, call the Division’s Director’s Office in Social Circle at 770-918-6401.
