Memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim September 26, 2026, as Hunting and Fishing Day in the State of New York

Senate Resolution No. 2230

BY: Senator GRIFFO

        MEMORIALIZING  Governor  Kathy  Hochul to proclaim
        September 26, 2026, as Hunting and  Fishing  Day  in
        the State of New York

  WHEREAS,  The  great  State  of  New  York  has  a  rich and storied
tradition of hunting and angling that dates back farther than the  State
itself and exists to this day; and

  WHEREAS,  It  is  the  sense of this Legislative Body to memorialize
Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim September 26,  2026,  as  Hunting  and
Fishing  Day  in  the  State  of  New York, in conjunction with National
Hunting and Fishing Day; and

  WHEREAS, In 1972, National Hunting and Fishing Day  was  established
to  celebrate  and  recognize  hunters  and  anglers  for  their immense
contributions to fish and wildlife conservation and our society; and

  WHEREAS, Hunting and angling continue to be integral  components  of
the cultural fabric of communities throughout the State of New York, and
in  recent  years,  have  offered  a  growing  number of participants an
opportunity  to  connect  with  nature  on  a   personal   level   while
simultaneously providing food security, a sense of self-sufficiency, and
both mental and physical health benefits; and

  WHEREAS,  New  York State's sportsmen and women were among the first
conservationists to support the establishment  of  the  New  York  State
Department of Environmental Conservation to conserve fish, wildlife, and
their  habitats, and through their license fees, helped fund the State's
efforts to provide for healthy and sustainable natural resources; and

  WHEREAS, Realizing that license  fees  alone  were  insufficient  to
restore  and  sustain  healthy  fish  and wildlife populations, New York
State's sportsmen and  women  supported  self-imposed  excise  taxes  on
firearms  and  ammunition,  fishing tackle, and motorboat fuels to raise
additional conservation funds; and

  WHEREAS, Today, the  New  York  State  Department  of  Environmental
Conservation  is  primarily  funded  by  sportsmen and women through the
American System of Conservation Funding, a "user  pays-public  benefits"
approach  that  is  widely  recognized  as the most successful model for
funding fish and wildlife management in the world; and

  WHEREAS, New York State's sportsmen and women  generated  more  than
$76  million  through  the  American  System  of Conservation Funding to
support the conservation efforts of the New  York  State  Department  of
Environmental Conservation; and

  WHEREAS, Approximately 1.4 million hunters and anglers supported the
State's  economy through their spending, contributing to the billions of
dollars spent on outdoor activities in New York State; and

  WHEREAS, According to the  most  recent  data  from  the  Bureau  of
Economic  Analysis,  on  the  national  level, sportsmen and women spent

nearly $55 billion on hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting;  this
does  not  include  spending  on items such as trips, travel, or license
fees that were necessary for their participation; this  spending  helped
fuel  the  outdoor  economy which comprised 1.7% of New York State's GDP
that same year; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
memorialize  Governor  Kathy  Hochul  to proclaim September 26, 2026, as
Hunting and Fishing Day in the State of New York; and be it further

  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted  to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York.