The Trump administration on Tuesday opened up hunting and fishing on nearly 150 national wildlife refuges and fisheries, expanding the ability of hunters to kill large game, migratory birds and other animals.
The 147 newly opened and expanded hunting grounds are spread across almost every state and include parts of the Everglades in Florida, the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Texas and the Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge in Kansas.
“The Trump administration has now made an additional 2.3 million acres accessible for new hunting and fishing opportunities,” Home Secretary David Bernhardt said in a statement. “We continue to take important actions to further support conservation initiatives and to support athletes and women who are the true conservatives of America.”
While officials called for efforts to create greater access for athletes, environmentalists expressed concern that the weakened protections could damage ecosystems and endanger protected species by sending hunters to more predators.
“Mountain lions, bears and other top predators are so important to ecosystems,” said Collette Adkins, director of the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement. “These beautiful and important animals will be at the crossroads in many American national refuges.”
A total of 430 locations in the National Wildlife Refuge System will be open for hunting and 360 will be open for fishing following the relocation, with 21 national fishermen also open for hunting and sport fishing.
The Center for Biological Diversity also warned that other species of animals could be accidentally shot or damaged by lead ammunition and approaches that could be toxic to birds.
“This rule favors trophy hunters at the expense of the rest of us who love and appreciate bears, bobcats and other animals,” Adkins said. “It’s outrageous, and we’ll do everything we can to stop it.”
The administration has previously made several moves to promote hunting, including recently enacted rules for killing Alaskan bear cubs and wolf pups.
It moved separately to open a wild scene in Alaska on Monday for oil and gas wells, sparking controversy.
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