The Archery Trade Association (ATA) just concluded its 2014 Archery and Bowhunting Summit in Louisville, Kentucky. Now in its 10^th year, this annual gathering of professionals from state and federal agencies, non-profits and the archery industry focused on the aggressive implementation of target archery and bowhunting recruitment programs. From range design, location and construction to the development of programs that capture the interest of potential hunters and shooters, cutting edge ideas about archery participation were the focus of this year's Summit. Many state fish and wildlife agencies are focused on recruitment and retention programs and discussions on how to capitalize on current popular culture to drive participation are relevant to all who work on these issues.

Recent archery related films, particularly movies such as The Hunger Games and Brave that depict young people shooting bows, have driven a dramatic increase in retail sales of archery equipment and participation in the archery shooting sports is reaching unprecedented levels. Programs like the Salvation Army Outdoors Program, USA Archery's Explore Archery, the National Archery in the Schools Program, Scholastic 3-D Archery, Explore Bowhunting, Explore Bowfishing, the National Wild Turkey Federation's Save the Hunt, ATA's Archery Park Development, and many others are rapidly developing unique approaches to capitalize on this boom to interest new and returning archery participants.

This participation growth has spurred a strong upward trend in archery equipment sales and is driving increases in the associated federal excise tax. As a result, attention has turned toward how we capitalize on this momentum to retain these new shooters and prevent another missed opportunity. Many long-time fish and wildlife professionals still recall the bump in fishing interest that resulted in Hollywood's glamorization of fly-fishing in the movie "A River Runs Through It" and our subsequent failure to capture and grow that brief increase in interest into lifelong participants.

Collectively, the conservation community spends millions of dollars each year to increase the number of participants in hunting and shooting. The Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports (CAHSS) is assessing the various recruitment, retention and reengagement (R3) programs and developing a National R3 Plan with the goal of breaking down barriers to hunting and shooting sports. The Wildlife Management Institute is working with CAHSS, all 50 states and a broad range of non-profit and industry partners to implement this plan as our best approach to identify, improve, promote and capitalize on R3 successes.

It is imperative that the primary providers and facilitators of our unique conservation funding model take advantage of the growth of any of our sectors (target archery, hunting, sport shooting, recreational angling, and boating) ? failing to build from these unique opportunities is unwise from a business perspective and essential for ensuring sustainable funding for conservation into the future. (jwg)