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

Assembly Resolution No. 1577

BY: M. of A. Rules (Smullen)

        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 further than the state
itself and carries forward 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 the observance
of National Hunting and Fishing Day; and

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

  WHEREAS, Hunting and angling continue to be an integral component of
the cultural fabric of communities throughout the state of New York, and
over  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'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 habitat, and through their license fees helped fund state  efforts
to provide for healthy and sustainable natural resources; and

  WHEREAS, Upon realizing that license fees alone were insufficient to
restore  and  sustain  healthy fish and wildlife populations, New York'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, To this day, 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,  Last  year alone, New York's sportsmen and women generated
$76.3 million through the American System  of  Conservation  Funding  to
support  the  conservation  efforts  of the New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation; and

  WHEREAS, 1,398,924 hunters and anglers support the  state's  economy
through  their  spending,  contributing to the billions spent on outdoor
activities in New York last year; and

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

than  $38  billion on hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting, which
does not include spending on items such as trips and travel, or  license
fees  that  were necessary for their participation; this spending helped
fuel  the  outdoor  economy, which comprised 1.6% of New York'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 copies of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted  to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York.