What a Record Hunting and Fishing Expansion Means for America’s Wildlife Refuges

The Department of the Interior implemented a massive expansion of fishing and hunting access in the United States, opening 1,488 opportunities across 32 states. With the rule in effect as of Monday, more than 92 million acres, or 95% of National Wildlife Refuge System land, are now available for the practices.Expanded hunting and fishing are now allowed in areas where the practices were never before legal, including Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado and Stewart Lake National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota. The rule also permits hunting and fishing for additional species and expands some seasons at locations where those activities were already allowed.“America’s hunters and anglers now have something significant to look forward to in the fall,” said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in the press release announcing the rule Aug. 13. “We are also promoting good government by reducing the regulatory burden and working with states to facilitate these outdoor activities.”The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) oversees more than 570 national wildlife refuges that were “established to serve a statutory purpose that targets the conservation of native species dependent on its ...