The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), announces that the Hunting Works For America footprint has grown yet again with a new chapter in Oregon.
Hunting Works For Oregon joins Arizona, Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Utah, Colorado and Wisconsin as the 10th state to be included in Hunting Works For America program.
Through its state chapters Hunting Works For America brings a broad range of stakeholders together in order to educate the public and elected officials about the importance of hunting. Shooting sports organizations, conservation groups, businesses, and other non-traditional hunting entities such as chambers of commerce, convention and visitors bureaus and other trade associations, have come together to form Hunting Works For Oregon and share their interest in the economic impact of hunting.
“Even though thousands of people hunt in Oregon every year, that number is declining. We want to make sure that hunters in Oregon continue to have a voice,” said Chris Dolnack, NSSF senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “Hunters and shooters spend $248 million on hunting every single year, but as the number of hunters declines so does their spending power. That’s bad news not only for Oregon’s economy, but for the state’s conservation budget as well.”
The taxes, fees and surcharges that hunters pay when they purchase licenses, tags and equipment fund Oregon’s conservation efforts which benefit game and non-game species as well as anyone who enjoys the outdoors.
Today’s launch of Hunting Works For Oregon took place at the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Bend. Hunting Works For Oregon has five co-chairs from a variety of backgrounds. The co-chairs include Stan Steele, president of the Oregon Outdoor Council and a retired Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Trooper, Gary Lewis, owner of Gary Lewis Outdoors and host of Frontier Unlimited Television, Representative Sal Esquivel, head of the Oregon chapter of the Sportsman’s Caucus, Joe Davis, owner and manager of the Black Bear Diner in Madras, and Roger Lee, the executive director of Economic Development for Central Oregon.
Hunting Works For America was launched in 2010 with just three states, Hunting Works For Arizona, Hunting Works For Minnesota and Hunting Works For North Dakota. Since then the program has added chapters in Iowa, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Utah, Colorado, and Wisconsin. Oregon is the 10th chapter overall and third to launch this year, the most states launched in a single year since the program’s beginning in 2010. All totaled, the Hunting Works For America program now represents more than 1,200, organizations and associations representing tens of thousands of stakeholders.
To learn more or become a member of Hunting Works For Oregon or lean more, which is free of charge, visit HuntingWorksforOR.com.
