Looking for an excuse to put down the phone and get outside this weekend? Gov. Kay Ivey has one.
Saturday is National Hunting and Fishing Day and National Public Lands Day, and Ivey is encouraging Alabamians to spend some of it enjoying the outdoors.
“Some of the finest hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation anywhere in the world can be found right here in our own backyard,” Ivey said. “We are blessed to call God’s country home, so I encourage Alabamians to put down the phones, get outdoors and enjoy all we are blessed with. Better yet, take the kids or grandkids along and pass our great Alabama outdoor traditions on to the next generation.”
Ivey proclaimed Sept. 26 as National Hunting and Fishing Day in Alabama. The observance has been held on the fourth Saturday in September since 1972 to recognize the role hunting, fishing and shooting sports play in conservation.
National Public Lands Day, established in 1994, also falls Saturday and celebrates public lands and the volunteers who help make outdoor recreation accessible.
And Alabamians have plenty of places to take Ivey up on her suggestion.
The state has more than 1 million acres of public hunting land, 21 state parks, 23 state public fishing lakes, 12 public shooting ranges, 20 community archery parks and nearly 300,000 acres of Forever Wild lands. Alabama is also home to what the Governor’s Office describes as the largest artificial reef program in the world.
Since 2017, ADCNR has invested more than $525 million in outdoor recreation improvements under Ivey’s leadership, including state park improvements, new hiking, biking and kayaking trails, beach renourishment, boating access projects and artificial reef enhancements.
Earlier this month, Ivey announced that Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship will retire at the end of September after more than three decades with the department. The announcement detailed the state’s investments in outdoor recreation and conservation during Ivey and Blankenship’s time leading those efforts.
Hunting and fishing also help pay for conservation in Alabama. Revenue from recreational licenses and excise taxes on certain hunting and fishing equipment funds the majority of the state’s conservation efforts, according to the Governor’s Office. License dollars are federally matched at nearly three to one through the Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish Restoration acts.
Those efforts benefit not only popular game species such as white-tailed deer, wild turkey and largemouth bass, but also nongame and protected species including the red-cockaded woodpecker, gopher tortoise and Eastern indigo snake.
For hunters and anglers heading outdoors, buying a license also looks a little different this year. ADCNR launched its new My Outdoor Alabama licensing system in August, replacing a platform that had served the state for nearly two decades.
For those who would like to get outdoors but aren’t quite sure where to start, ADCNR offers beginner courses in hunting, fishing and firearms safety, along with information about outdoor recreation opportunities across the state through Outdoor Alabama.
“Alabama’s great outdoors is part of our way of life and, increasingly, our economic success,” Ivey said. “These time-honored traditions support our jobs, strengthen our communities and bring people from near and far to Alabama. We have invested big in our outdoors, and I am proud we are leaving it better than we found it.”
Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
