The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced on August 27 that it was opening 42 new hunting and sport fishing opportunities across more than 87,000 acres within the National Wildlife Refuge System and National Fish Hatchery System. This update includes inaugural hunting opportunities at Southern Maryland Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge and the formal opening of hunting opportunities at Grasslands Wildlife Management Area, as well as inaugural sport fishing at North Attleboro National Fish Hatchery.

“We are pleased to offer these new hunting and fishing opportunities that are compatible with our conservation mission,” said Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Brian Nesvik. “Hunting and fishing significantly benefit the outdoors by helping manage wildlife populations, promote outdoor stewardship and contribute to local economies. These refuges and hatcheries provide incredible opportunities for sportsmen and sportswomen and their families across the country to pass on a fishing and hunting heritage to future generations.”

In addition, on September 12, the FWS announced that it would continue and expand its Voluntary Lead-Free Hunting Ammunition Incentive Program. According to the release, the FWS is engaged in a deliberate, transparent process of evaluating the future of lead use on FWS lands and waters. Lead ammunition is widely available and commonly used for hunting, creating pathways for lead to enter wildlife food chains. The lead-free program was launched in 2024 by the FWS at seven national wildlife refuges and encourages voluntary adoption of lead-free ammunition as a non-regulatory means of addressing lead ingestion by wildlife on federal lands. This year’s incentive program will include 25 hunting seasons at 13 refuges in 11 states.

“We are committed to providing access to quality hunting experiences on national wildlife refuges and supporting the contributions of the hunting community to wildlife conservation,” said Nesvik. “Our analysis after the first year of the pilot indicates most hunters were satisfied with the program and we are pleased to expand it to accommodate more hunters.”