A Busy September Defending Hunting In Nation’s Capital

Every September, there is a week marked by a migration of conservation leaders into the nation’s capital. The week is filled with meetings and receptions, capped by the highlight event: The annual banquet and auction of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. This was the 36th year of the dinner, and SCI was represented in force.

Just the week prior, SCI CEO W. Laird Hamberlin was invited to and attended the exclusive Outdoor & Recreation Conservation Roundtable at the White House, hosted by Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and attended by CEOs from across the outdoor industry. Representing hunters nationwide, Laird was recognized among this small group of leaders to discuss SCI’s top legislative priorities, including:

• Endangered Species Act reform to enable science-based management.
• Public land access for hunters, anglers and outdoor recreationists.
• Addressing frivolous lawsuits from anti-hunting groups that slow down common-sense conservation efforts.

This meeting came on the heels of an individual August meeting among Laird, other SCI leadership and Secretary Burgum, along with high-ranking staff from the Interior Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

We also met with Brian Nesvik, the new Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. SCI supported Director Nesvik’s confirmation because he brings experience as a seasoned conservationist, decorated military leader and proven wildlife manager to one of the most important conservation roles in the federal government.

SCI remains committed to supporting leaders like Director Nesvik who understand that ethical hunting, sustainable-use policy and conservation go hand in hand. In addition, we look forward to working with Director Nesvik, who is an avid hunter and friend of SCI, having attended the Convention many times in the past.

His arrival coincides with a policy victory for hunters on the Endangered Species Act. Just as Nesvik took the reins, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it will pause use of the controversial “blanket 4(d) rule” and initiate steps to rescind it over the next 14 months. The blanket 4(d) rule automatically applies endangered-level protections to threatened-listed species while ignoring the specific needs or conditions of each species.

This one-size-fits-all approach discourages conservation efforts and undermines species recovery. SCI has previously submitted comments in opposition to the blanket 4(d) rule and applauds its withdrawal for the benefit of the conservation of threatened-listed species.

The work of your Advocacy Department continues against the backdrop of local events and meetings. Earlier this month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published the final 2025-26 Station-Specific Hunting and Sport Fishing Regulations, commonly referred to as the Hunt-Fish Rule.

In June, SCI submitted comments expressing support for the opening of hunting opportunities on nine National Wildlife Refuges and the expansion of hunting opportunities on seven National Wildlife Refuges, across more than 87,000 acres. SCI applauds the Service’s final rule opening those acres to hunting, including the inaugural hunting opportunities at Southern Maryland Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge and the formal opening of hunting opportunities at Grasslands Wildlife Management Area.

However, these new opportunities are only available to hunters and anglers who do not use lead ammunition or tackle. SCI is disappointed that the Service has not reconsidered unsupported restrictions on the use of lead ammunition or tackle that negatively impact hunting opportunities. SCI has fought against these unnecessary bans in court and in Congress, and we will continue to fight for expanded hunting access to our public lands!

The key location of our Hunters’ Embassy on Capitol Hill continues to draw important events. In early September, SCI hosted Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) for a fundraising lunch at the SCI Hunters’ Embassy with more than 30 attendees. SCI thanks the Senator for his friendship and his commitment to protecting hunting freedoms and our Second Amendment rights.

SCI also held a Hunt Club Roundtable with Representative Rob Wittman (R-VA) at the Hunters’ Embassy and thanked the Representative for his continued leadership on lead ammunition and tackle bans.

And finally, in September, SCI held a Hunters’ Embassy Lunch and Learn with Kurt Thiede of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Thiede taught a course on state wildlife management and the impact of federal policy decisions.

SCI will continue to fight for the issues most important to hunters, including Endangered Species Act modernization, protecting access to public lands and affordable, traditional ammunition and removing red tape from international trophy imports. We will be working closely with our champions on the Hill to advance major pieces of legislation, such as Gray Wolf and GYE Grizzly delisting bills, as well as Chairman Bruce Westerman’s (R-AR) comprehensive ESA reform bill, the ESA Amendments Act.

Many of the CSF dinner attendees went to the airport to fly home the day after. But SCI remains on duty in the nation’s capital and continues to ensure your voice is heard where it matters most — at the highest levels of government.