Educate
Advocate
Protect
Educate, Advocate, Protect:
Preserve Our Hunting Heritage
The Center for Conservation Excellence distinguishes itself with a unique educational approach. Developed under the guidance of the state fish and wildlife agencies’ leadership, in collaboration with their professional organization, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, our program delves into the rich history of conservation in the United States through academic education, professional education, and resources for the general public on key topics of conservation history, law, and policy. It also addresses the challenges of modern conservation efforts, emphasizing the pivotal role of fish and wildlife laws via scientific management of fish, wildlife, and habitat. This distinctive curriculum, exclusive to our program, is a standout feature of our academic courses and Continuing Legal Education seminars.
Conservation Law & Policy
The Center for Conservation Excellence is committed to nurturing informed conservation professionals. The academic program, offered at the University and Law College level, is designed to educate a new generation of professionals better equipped to consider and evaluate wildlife issues in their fields. Whether directly in conservation law or a partnering field like environmental law, non-profit governance, or consulting, the students are able to make a significant impact. The professional program, offered most frequently in the form of Continuing Legal Education seminars for practicing attorneys and judges, and oftentimes wildlife biologists and other state agency staff, is a focal point of the CCE to offer continuing updates to those who may professionally or personally be impacted by changing law and policy in conservation. The professional education of these individuals who directly or indirectly work in the conservation space fosters the change necessary to influence American decision-makers and protect America’s fish, wildlife, habitat, and Americans’ rights to hunt, fish, trap, partake, and interact outdoors. Their achievements inspire us all to strive for a better future for conservation that is based on the best scientific management of wildlife and habitat.
Topics to Know in Conservation
The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is a successful system of policies and laws to restore and safeguard fish, wildlife, and their habitats through sound science and active management. The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies formally endorsed the Model at its 100-year anniversary meeting in September 2002 in Big Sky, Montana. The 7 Principles of the Model are:
(1) Wildlife resources are conserved and held in trust for all citizens.
(2) Commerce in dead wildlife is eliminated.
(3) Wildlife is allocated according to democratic rule of law.
(4) Wildlife may only be killed for a legitimate, non-frivolous purpose.
(5) Wildlife is an international resource.
(6) Every person has an equal opportunity under the law to participate in hunting and fishing.
(7) Scientific management is the proper means for wildlife conservation.
With origins in Roman civil law, the PTD is an essential element of North American wildlife law. The Public Trust Doctrine establishes a trustee relationship for the government to hold & manage wildlife, fish, and waterways for the benefit of the resources and the public.
Fundamental to the concept is the notion that natural resources are deemed universally important in the lives of people, and that the public should have an opportunity to access these resources for purposes that traditionally include fishing, hunting, and trapping.
The Animal Rights movement seeks to give animals “legal personhood,” allowing animals to sue in a court of law on behalf of their interests. The movement believes that animals are not ours to use for food, clothing, entertainment, or experimentation. However, in the United States, animals are classified as property in accordance with the law; often differing between personal property (pets & livestock) and as a public trust resource (wildlife). On the other hand, the concept of Animal Welfare is the idea that animals can be used by humans, so long as the animal does not experience undue pain or suffering.
Americans’ rights to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife have long been an American heritage prior to the European colonization of North America. Although the right to hunt is not in the Constitution of the United States of America, the Tenth Amendment states “[t]he powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved by it for the States, or the people.” Meaning that the right to constitutionalize hunting, fishing, and the take of wildlife has been bestowed to the individual states. As of the latest election, 24 states have a constitutional right to hunt and fish, while another 2 states have a constitutional right to only fish. Florida is the latest state to pass a Right to Hunt constitutional amendment in 2024.
The United States has a unique "user pay, public benefit" structure for conservation funding. One such example is the requirement for hunters and anglers to purchase hunting and fishing licenses. The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (Pittman-Robertson Act / P-R) of 1937 and the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act (Dingell-Johnson Act / D-J) of 1950 are administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in cooperation with the state fish and wildlife agencies. These Acts provide funding for states and territories to support conservation, wildlife restoration, and hunter education/safety programs. Funding via P-R comes from a federal excise tax on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment. Modeled after P-R, funding via D-J comes from a federal excise tax on fishing equipment and motorboat & small engine fuel.