On Saturday, August 17th, over 120 individuals gathered to talk about the future of hunting, angling, and shooting sports at the Nebraska R3 Summit. As many know, the number of people participating in these time honored activities, is declining. As a result, declining participation rate means less dollars available to put conservation efforts on the ground. To many, including the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, this is an alarming issue.
Nebraska R3 Summit Produces Results
So, NGPC held their second Hunter-Angler R3 (recruitment, retention, and reactivation) Summit, to bring together interested volunteers, industry leaders, agency staff, and conservation organizations. Attendees had the opportunity to hear from national leaders on the R3 front. Not to mention, learn about what Nebraska has done to help the problem up until this point. In addition, they had a chance to meet with each other and start to talk about potential solutions for the decline for participation. After several hours of discussion, five committees were formed to help brainstorm new ideas. The five committees are:
- Communicating R3 Needs to Partners
- Land/Water Access
- Filling the Gaps in our New Hunter Programs
- Targeting New Audiences
- Creating Mentor Tools
As a BGCA member, NGPC and its partners, value the ideas and opinions that you all can share with us. Additionally, if you are interested in becoming a part of any of the above working groups and brainstorming some new solutions, contact Micaela Rahe to learn more.
Article by: Micaela Rahe – Nebraska Hunting & Shooting R3 Coordinator