Vermont Receives $6,000 Grant To Benefit Hunting
From the NSSF

Vermont has received a $6,000 National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) grant to help expand and enhance hunting opportunities.

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department received the grant for a direct-mail appeal to potential hunters. The appeal will promote the sport, and drive traffic to an associated Web site where additional information can be obtained. The campaign is expected to stabilize or slightly increase hunting license sales in 2004.

The grant was made through NSSF's Hunting Heritage Partnership program. Across the country, according to the latest U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service survey of fishing, hunting and wildlife-related recreation, approximately 13 million hunters are licensed and active today. That's a million fewer than a decade ago, yet America continues to depend on hunters as the primary funding source for most wildlife and habitat conservation programs.

The Hunting Heritage Partnership was established by NSSF, the trade association for the firearm industry, to help state wildlife agencies enhance opportunities for hunting, thus positively affecting conservation for the future.

Approximately $1 million in grants has been distributed over the past two years.

"Our partners in the recipient states have designed unique and dynamic recruitment tools that will help carry-on America's hunting legacy and the conservation funding that relies on it. These are exactly the kind of creative program development concepts that agencies in other states can look to as models to help preserve our hunting and conservation traditions," said Doug Painter, president of NSSF.

This year, a total of 13 state agencies received over $474,948 in grant awards from NSSF. Applications from 27 states were considered.