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May 5, 2015

Local non-profit sportsmen’s groups are eligible

PHOENIX – The Arizona Game and Fish Department is now accepting applications for $75,000 available in grant funding for local sportsmen's organizations to provide public, hands-on, mentored projects focused on the retention of new hunters or anglers.

The priority funding focus of this year’s grant program is on moving beginners from the recruitment stage to the retention stage of the Adoption Sequence. Projects and events that involve the pursuit or harvest of wildlife or fish with a license are being requested. Grants will be awarded through a competitive application process and must be open to the public. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. (MST), June 22, 2015.

Doug Burt, hunting and shooting sports program manager, said the Local Sportsmen’s Group grant program is one way that Game and Fish supports these organizations, which are the backbone of wildlife conservation in Arizona.

“Based on the developing science and data in recruitment and retention, there are many ‘introductory’ programs, but not many programs for providing those beginners with the next progressive step necessary to become self-reliant as a hunter or angler,” Burt said. “Local sportsmen's organizations offer a perfect solution because they are part of the community and can provide the skills and social support that beginners need, where the state cannot.”

Game and Fish is seeking hands-on hunting or fishing projects that select participants who have had a recent trial experience and are ready for the next step in hunting and/or fishing. The project also should have a way to connect them to another similar program for continued hands-on engagement and retention development.

“The Local Sportsmen’s Group grant program is perfect for organizations that are looking to start or expand retention programs in their communities, but might lack the funding,” Burt said. “This grant program is an investment in local organizations that, day in and day out, are teaching people how to be safe, ethical and responsible hunter-angler conservationists.”

To apply, download an application packet from http://www.azgfd.gov/LSG or call (623) 236-7487. Completed applications can be submitted by e-mail to dburt@azgfd.gov, or mailed to Arizona Game and Fish Department, IEWR, Attn .: Local Sportsmen’s Grant Administrator, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086.

Applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. (MST) June 22, 2015 (postmarks do not count).

There is no cost to Arizona taxpayers for this grant program. Game and Fish does not receive any of the state’s general tax funds and operates under a user-pay, public-benefit model. The grant program is an investment in the continuance of wildlife conservation efforts and outdoors recreation participation in Arizona.

The Local Sportsmen’s Group grant program was created in 2007 to assist local sportsmen’s organizations, which are critical to wildlife conservation and the continuance of our hunting heritage.

Local sportsmen’s groups historically have played a key role in wildlife conservation and defining the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, such as their role in eliminating market hunting at the end of the 19th century and the grassroots support they provided in the 1930s for dedicated funding via Congressional acts for wildlife conservation.