News  R3 Summit builds partnerships, promotes fishing and hunting

This June, representatives from nearly 30 organizations gathered at MassWildlife’s Field Headquarters for an R3 Summit. R3 is a national movement to Recruit, Retain, and Reactivate hunters, anglers, and shooting sports participants. The gathering allowed partners to collaborate on ways to support and grow outdoor recreation in Massachusetts.

The R3 initiative is a response to ongoing state and national trends. Participation in fishing and hunting peaked in Massachusetts in 1988. Since then, fishing has declined by 40% and hunting by 58%. These downward trends are occurring nationally as well, which has led to a movement to reconnect and introduce people to these outdoor pursuits and keep outdoor recreation relevant to future generations.

“Getting outside is critical to our well-being and improves our quality of life,” said Tom O’Shea, Department of Fish and Game Commissioner. “We are committed to working with our partners to equitably connect more people with nature and to make the outdoors more welcoming and accessible to everyone.”

Historically, hunters were one of the first conservation groups in the U.S. to recognize the importance of protecting open space for wildlife species. Most state fish and wildlife agencies, like MassWildlife, are heavily dependent on the revenue from hunting and fishing licenses and dedicated federal funds to support their state’s conservation programs. Therefore, declines in hunting and fishing participation have a direct impact on conservation funding at a time when habitat and species conservation are more important than ever. Though numbers may be dwindling, hunters and anglers remain the backbone of conservation efforts across the country through advocacy, funding, species management, and volunteer time.

“No single organization can provide all the resources needed to recruit, retain, and reactivate anglers, hunters, and shooting sports participants,” said Mark Tisa, Director of MassWildlife. “Building and maintaining strong partnerships brings a diversity of perspectives and builds more capacity to provide expanded R3 programming here in the Commonwealth.”

The Massachusetts R3 Summit brought together over 30 leaders in the outdoor community. Summit participants heard from state and national speakers about outdoor recreation participation trends, best practices for R3 efforts, and ways to improve educational programs that teach people how to hunt and fish. They also had the chance to collaborate on participation barriers and opportunities specific to Massachusetts.

“There are many groups here in Massachusetts working to teach and grow participation,” commented Keith Fritze, Massachusetts chapter president of the National Wild Turkey Federation. “The Summit allowed us to come together and think about how each of our organizations, each with our own areas of expertise, can combine efforts and work towards a common goal.”

MassWildlife has been working towards R3 goals for years—offering a variety of outdoor skills programs, improving resources to support new hunters and anglers, and expanding access to lands and waters open to hunting and fishing. The Summit, along with the release of the Massachusetts R3 Plan, mark a new chapter and a renewed commitment to building a strong outdoor coalition through collaboration and partnership.