LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to
proclaim Saturday, September 26, 2015, as Hunting and Fishing Day in the
State of New York, in conjunction with the observance of National Hunt-
ing and Fishing Day

WHEREAS, New York has a rich and storied tradition of hunting and angl-
ing, that dates back further than the state itself and carries forward
to this day; and
WHEREAS, New York's sportsmen and women were among the first conserva-
tionists to support the establishment of the Fisheries, Game, and Forest
Commission in 1895 (the precursor to the Conservation Department formed
in 1911, and later the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation (NYSDEC) formed in 1970) to conserve fish, wildlife and
their habitats; and
WHEREAS, Through their license fees, New York sportsmen and women
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, sportsmen and
women supported excise taxes on firearms and ammunition, as well as
hunting, fishing, archery and boating equipment to raise additional
conservation funds; and
WHEREAS, To this day, the NYSDEC's Division of Fish, Wildlife, and
Marine Resources is funded primarily by sportsmen and women, through
this American System of Conservation Funding, a "user pays-public bene-
fits" approach that is widely recognized as the most successful System
of fish and wildlife management in the world; and
WHEREAS, Last year alone, New York's sportsmen and women generated
over $71.2 million through this System to support the conservation
efforts of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation;
and
WHEREAS, New York's 2.1 million hunters and anglers support the
state's economy by spending $4.95 billion to engage in their pursuits;
and
WHEREAS, This spending supports over 56,000 jobs in New York and
generates $623 million in state and local taxes; and
WHEREAS, National Hunting and Fishing Day was established in 1972 to
celebrate and recognize hunters and anglers for their immense contrib-
utions to fish and wildlife conservation, and to our society; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim Saturday, September 26,
2015, as Hunting and Fishing Day in the State of New York, in recogni-
tion of the many and varied social, cultural, economic, and ecological
benefits of our time-honored traditions of hunting and angling; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New
York; the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; and
local, regional and national media sources so that all may know and
appreciate the contributions from hunters, anglers, recreational shoot-
ers and trappers on behalf of our state's natural resources.