OGDEN, UTAH (January 30, 2009)—Tread Lightly! will be working in 2009 to increase its outreach to the hunting, fishing and shooting sports communities.
“These recreationists have played a huge role in conservation efforts throughout history,” said Tread Lightly!’s executive director Lori McCullough. “We think hunters and anglers will embrace Tread Lightly!’s message and principles, further reducing impacts on public land and waterways. This will, in turn, help keep hunting, shooting and fishing areas open to the public.”
Tread Lightly!’s connection with these enthusiast communities was jump started when 40 organizations signed on to the Federal Lands Hunting, Fishing, and Shooting Sports Roundtable Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. A clause in the MOU encourages these organizations to promote outdoor ethics, like those developed by Tread Lightly! to their constituents. Some of the organizations signed on the MOU Roundtable include Safari Club International, National Shooting Sports Foundation, Izaak Walton League of America, National Rifle Association, Delta Waterfowl Foundation and The National Wild Turkey Federation.
The Roundtable recently commissioned Tread Lightly! to develop a national shooting sports education and outreach campaign. The campaign will focus on reducing litter, property damage and environmental impacts from irresponsible shooting on public land.
A partnership between The U.S. Forest Service and Tread Lightly! provided $10,000 for the campaign development and implementation. Yamaha Motor Corporation also donated an additional $10,000 towards the project.
In developing the campaign, Tread Lightly! will draw from extensive shooting sports research conducted by a public opinion research firm called Responsive Management.
Tread Lightly! plans to unveil the campaign this spring or early summer.
Additionally, Tread Lightly! is forming strategic alliances with several of these hunting, shooting, and fishing organizations. Partnerships have already been established with The National Wild Turkey Federation and The Delta Waterfowl Foundation. These two conservation groups play key roles in preserving wildlife, habitat and hunting opportunities.
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Tread Lightly!, Inc. is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to proactively protect recreation access and opportunities in the outdoors through education and stewardship initiatives. Tread Lightly! is the nation’s signature ethics message for outdoor enthusiasts that use motorized vehicles. The organization also offers unique training and restoration programs strategically designed to instill an ethic of responsibility in a wide variety of outdoor enthusiasts and the industries that serve them.
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