Report: Trump Administration Pushing for Rule Change to Allow Hunting, Fishing in National Park Boundaries

A report indicates that President Trump’s administration is pushing for a rule change that will allow hunting and fishing within national park boundaries.

The change would impact hunting “bear and wolves in Alaska wildlife preserves” and fishing on waters inside park boundaries.

According to McClatchy, the administration is rallying behind the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act. The goals of the Act are to:

(1) Facilitate the expansion and enhancement of hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting opportunities on Federal land, in consultation with the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council, the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council, State and tribal fish and wildlife agencies, and the public;

(2) Conserve and enhance aquatic systems and the management of game species and the habitat of those species on Federal land, including through hunting and fishing, in a manner that respects (A) State management authority over wildlife resources; and (B) private property rights; and

(3) Consider hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting opportunities as part of all Federal plans for land, resource, and travel management.

McClatchy claims that tension concerning the broader hunting opportunities exists between the Trump administration and the National Parks Service, particularly between the expanded hunting/fishing opportunities and National Park Service Acting Director Michael Reynolds.

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) alleges that the administration is stifling National Park Service opposition to the expanded hunting and fishing opportunities via a document preventing them from communicating with Congress. Interior Department spokeswoman Heather Swift responded to PEER’s claims via email, saying, “At no point did the Department tell the NPS not to communicate with Congress. In fact, the document in question is not even addressed to Congress. The document was an early internal draft meant to express the Department’s position on a legislative proposal.”

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.