DENVER – Climate change is threatening the wildlife, lands, and waters that hunters and anglers rely upon — and sportsmen and sportswomen have a crucial role to play in seeking common-sense climate solutions, according to a new report from the National Wildlife Federation.

“Whether it be the drying up of our favorite duck swamps, wildfire that closes down our best elk spots, degrading ocean conditions that cripple our salmon and steelhead pursuits, or flooding in our beloved whitetail bottoms, we know that it isn’t a matter of if, but when, climate change will find our favorite spots and change our sporting lives,” said National Wildlife Federation Director of Sporting Advocacy Aaron Kindle in the report’s introduction.

The report examines effective solutions that are being deployed in restoring natural infrastructure — such as wetlands, forests, rivers, and grasslands — in order to recover wildlife and protect communities. As the report notes: “the most logical, cost effective and sustainable solutions are often those that harness and augment the power of natural systems and restore developed and degraded landscapes and waterways. And even better, these types of solutions improve hunting and fishing.”

As leaders in Congress consider historic investments in restoring natural infrastructure, the report urges hunters and anglers to use their first-hand knowledge from the field to speak out for climate solutions. “We can and we must be leading voices to promote and implement strategies, policies, and good ideas that combat climate change, and that save hunting and fishing for generations to come."