by Karen Mehall Phillips - Wednesday, January 15, 2025
As the new year ushers in new leadership and renewed support of our outdoor traditions, we hunters anticipate more good news as we await confirmation of incoming President Donald J. Trump’s nomination of N.D. Gov. Doug Burgum as Secretary of the Interior (SOI). Announcing their own support of Gov. Burgum today, 41 conservation organizations signed onto a letter to the Honorable Mike Lee, Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and the Honorable Martin Heinrich, Ranking Member, highlighting the governor’s leadership, public service and business experience and his passion for conservation and the issues of key importance to America’s sportsmen and women.
All members of the 50-plus-member coalition known as American Wildlife Conservation Partners (AWCP)—of which the NRA is a founding member—the groups expressed their belief that Gov. Burgum is well-positioned to lead the Department of the Interior (DOI).
“Most recently during his time as governor of North Dakota, Gov. Burgum demonstrated his strong commitment to conservation by successfully balancing a myriad of issues, including fish, wildlife, and land and water conservation as well as other resource management,” the letter stated. “Gov. Burgum brings a unique sense of pragmatism to managing and addressing the issues of importance within the purview of DOI, such as the management of public lands that are critical to sportsmen and women for access, fish and wildlife conservation, among many others.”
Recognizing Gov. Burgum’s experience as a fellow hunter and angler, the letter explained how Gov. Burgum understands the challenges that fish, wildlife and outdoor enthusiasts are facing in the 21st century. While commending his years of public service, it also applauded his demonstrated leadership and commitment to transparency, self-accountability and innovation in the private sector. “These skillsets and traits positioned Gov. Burgum to grow his private sector companies, and we believe these same skillsets will yield positive benefits for DOI [Department of the Interior], sportsmen and women, and the conservation of our nation’s fish, wildlife and their associated habitats,” the letter noted.
The 41 AWCP member groups, including the National Rifle Association, “are confident that Gov. Burgum will bring a thoughtful, collaborative and measured perspective to the Department of the Interior. His background and experiences in both the private and public sectors will position him to effectively lead DOI.” For these reasons, the letter concluded by urging the Committee to support and advance Gov. Burgum’s nomination so the Senate can act quickly to confirm him to serve as the next Secretary of the Interior.
About American Wildlife Conservation Partners (AWCP)
Established in 2000, AWCP is a coalition spanning more than 50 member groups representing the interests of America’s millions of hunter-conservationists, professional wildlife and natural resource managers, outdoor recreationists, conservation educators and wildlife scientists. The AWCP effectively maintains a governance structure that facilitates sign-on letters, agreement of the partners on wildlife conservation issues, and collaboration with the current administration and Congress. Its sign-on letters alone aid America’s natural resources as they express the importance of a given government nominee, policy or measure while conveying the unique perspective of AWCP sign-on groups, each of which wields its own impressive knowledge on the issues and carries weight with policymakers and public opinion leaders.
The AWCP is immersed in supporting wildlife as well as sportsmen’s interests for good reason. For nearly a century, hunters, shooters and anglers have been the linchpins in upholding the American system of conservation funding known as the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, adopted by the NRA Board of Directors as official NRA policy in 2014.