Saturday marks the nation’s 46^th annual National Hunting and Fishing Day. Oklahoma Senator Mark Allen says hunters and anglers are the primary source of conservation funding for the Sooner State through their purchases of licenses, tags and stamps. Senator Allen says all Oklahomans benefit from these funds.

Last year alone, the American System of Conservation Funding contributed $25 million, while hunting and fishing licenses brought an additional 19-million-dollars to fund state conservation efforts through the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. The benefit from these funds will improve access to public lands, public shooting ranges, improved soil and water quality, habitat restoration, fish and wildlife research, private and public habitat management, hunter education, boat access area construction, and many other ODWC projects.

Oklahoma’s 780,000-plus sportsmen and women spend over $1.5 billion per year on their outdoor pursuits, supporting roughly 23,500 jobs in the state and contribute more than $143 million in state and local taxes.

An effort to increase hunter participation also known as R3 is called recruitment, retention, and reactivation. Over 450 individual R3 programs nationwide have had regional success. Senator Allen say the hunting and angling heritage in Oklahoma should not be taken for granted. He says encouraging the next generation of Oklahoma’s sportsmen and women to be involved in the outdoors will help ensure the conservation of our abundant natural resources for the future.

National Hunting and Fishing Day will be on Saturday, Sept. 22