U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance facts for kids

The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance is a group that helps protect the rights of people who enjoy outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, trapping, and sport shooting. It's a non-profit organization, which means it doesn't aim to make money. Instead, it uses its funds to support its goals. The Alliance started in 1977 and is based in Columbus, Ohio, in the United States.

How It Started

The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance began in 1977. It was first known by a longer name: the Wildlife Legislative Fund of America and Wildlife Conservation Fund of America. The group formed because of a serious issue in Ohio. A vote was planned that could have stopped trapping in the state. This threat made people realize they needed an organization to defend outdoor traditions. The group officially became the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance in 1978. Since then, the Alliance has worked on many laws and public votes. These efforts always focus on protecting the rights of hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts.

Standing Up for Outdoor Activities

The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance often speaks out to protect the rights of hunters, trappers, and sport shooters. They sometimes disagree with groups that focus only on animal rights. The Alliance believes in balancing wildlife protection with traditional outdoor activities.

Protecting Public Lands

In Maine, a part of the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance spoke up about a new state park idea. This park would have closed off a lot of public land. People used this land for fun activities like hunting and snowmobiling. The Alliance argued that people should still be able to use these areas.

Black Bear Hunting in New Jersey

In 2004, there was a big discussion about black bear hunting in New Jersey. The state's environmental leader, Bradley Campbell, wanted to stop the hunting season. But the hunting season was already planned. Mr. Campbell then used his power to stop hunters from getting licenses for black bears. The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance disagreed with this decision. They filed a lawsuit against the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. A lawsuit is when you take a legal problem to court. The Alliance argued that Mr. Campbell did not have the right to stop the licenses. However, their lawsuit was not successful.

Supporting the SHARE Act

The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance also supported a bill called the Sportsmen’s Heritage And Recreational Enhancement Act of 2013. A bill is a proposed law. They asked their members to contact their government representatives. They wanted people to ask their representatives to vote for the bill. This bill was a very large one, covering many different topics. It included laws about firearms, fishing, hunting, and how federal lands are used. The bill passed in the United States House of Representatives on February 5, 2014.

Special Programs

The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance runs several programs. These programs help more people get involved in outdoor activities. They also work to unite businesses that support these activities.

Families Afield

The Families Afield program was created with other groups. These include the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the National Wild Turkey Federation. This program wants to get more women and families involved in hunting. They created a special "apprentice" hunting license. This license lets someone who hasn't finished a hunter safety course go hunting. But they must be with an experienced hunter. This helps new hunters learn safely.

Outdoor Business Council

The Outdoor Business Council is another program. Its goal is to bring together all businesses related to the outdoors. By working together, these businesses can better protect the rights of people who enjoy outdoor activities. This helps outdoorsmen all over the United States.

See also

• Hunting in the United States
• Hunting organizations
• Recreational fishing organizations