NATIONAL HUNTING AND FISHING DAY, 2009

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

From atop Pikes Peak to the shores of the James River, Americans celebrate the great abundance and utility of our natural resources. Since our Nation's founding, hunters and anglers have cherished these unparalleled natural gifts and marveled at their untamed beauty. National Hunting and Fishing Day recognizes the contributions of millions of Americans who continue to engage in these ageless pursuits.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently presented Pheasants Forever's Dave Nomsen with a National Great Blue Heron Award in recognition of his wetland and waterfowl conservation work. Nomsen, who is Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever's Vice President of Government Affairs, received the award yesterday at the Waterfowl Working Group meeting of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies gathering in Austin, Texas.

The Obama administration announced yesterday that Harris Sherman, executive director of the Colorado Department Natural Resources, will be nominated as undersecretary of natural resources and the environment for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a position that oversees vast tracts of America’s public lands and fish, wildlife and recreational resources. The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, a national sportsmen’s group, responded to Sherman’s nomination by stressing the continued need to safeguard these valuable lands and resources.