NSSF Set to Sponsor National Hunting and Fishing Day
National Shooting Sports Foundation 04.09.12
The National Shooting Sports Foundation will once again renew its major sponsorship of National Hunting and Fishing Day, the official federal commemoration of hunters, anglers and conservation. NSSF has been involved with National Hunting and Fishing Day for 41 years.
NHF Day continues to grow and reach new outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen each year with the continued support of generous sponsors. Through licenses, permits and special taxes, hunters and anglers generate $100,000 every 30 minutes—totaling more than $1.75 billion per year—for fish, wildlife and habitat. No one contributes more for conservation.
NHF Day is set to take place Sept. 22, 2012.
The sponsorship by NSSF supports the Wonders of Wildlife museum—the official home of National Hunting and Fishing Day. The Springfield, Mo., facility oversees educational initiatives to help the American public understand the indelible relationship between hunting, angling, healthy habitat, and wildlife and fisheries conservation.
Each year National Hunting and Fishing Day chooses an honorary chairperson, and this year NASCAR Sprint Cup driver/owner Tony Stewart is serving in that capacity and will deliver the message of NHF Day.
As the driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Stewart has won 12 driving championships, including three Sprint Cup Series titles, in a career spanning more than three decades.
Stewart is a champion off the racetrack as much as he is on, and has been recognized for his philanthropic efforts via his Tony Stewart Foundation, which raises funds for distribution to three specific groups – chronically ill children, drivers injured in motorsports activities, and organizations dedicated to the protection of various animal species.
“Our involvement with National Hunting and Fishing Day has everything to do with preserving our outdoors heritage,” said Melissa Schilling, director of recruitment and retention at the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry. “NHF Day reflects our dedication to conserving wildlife, lands and waters so future generations will have a lasting memory of the good times associated with these magnificent resources. We are proud to sponsor, once again, NHF Day and look forward to a bright year with Tony Stewart as the honorary chair.”
“The National Shooting Sports Foundation has been a tremendous sponsor for over 40 years,” said Misty Mitchell, director of Wonders of Wildlife. “Their continued dedication drives our goals as hunters and fishermen. With the help of organizations like NSSF we will continue to be the voice of conservation efforts across the nation.”
In 1972, Congress formalized NHF Day to remind the public that conservation depends on funding and leadership from hunters and anglers. Every president from Richard Nixon through Barack Obama has issued official proclamations of support for the annual commemoration, now recognized as one of the most effective grassroots campaigns ever undertaken to promote traditional outdoor sports.
The growing list of sponsors for NHF Day 2011 includes Wonders of Wildlife, NSSF, Bass Pro Shops, Smith & Wesson, Sportsman’s Channel, Realtree, GunBroker.com, Yamaha, Pope and Young Club, Ducks Unlimited and the Izaak Walton League of America.
For more information about NHF Day, visit www.nhfday.org.
