Ready, aim, conserve! Nine students from Fort Lewis College loaded up their shotguns at the Bayfield Lions Club Outdoor Gun Range, where they explored the important role hunting plays in wildlife conservation while practicing their marksmanship skills.
With hunting season underway in Colorado, the excursion provided CFACT Collegian Rachel Cook with the perfect opportunity to teach her peers about the perfect opportunity to highlight hunting’s often-overlooked conservation benefits. Between rounds at the range, students learned how hunters have helped manage animal populations for centuries.
CFACT Collegian Rachel Cook gives a lecture during her range event discussing the connection between hunting and conservation
As Rachel explained, “It is our duty to the ecosystem” to practice responsible hunting and keep animal populations “in check.”
Thanks to local business sponsor KP Pawn, students had access to a variety of firearms and calibers, giving them plenty to try during the several hours they spent at the range.
Beyond their scopes and empty casings, the outing put an often-overlooked side of conservation in the crosshairs.
Fort Lewis University students practice their aim right in time for hunting season
Conservation and good environmental practices are sometimes associated with leaving nature untouched, but that perspective misses the target. Responsible wildlife management often requires a hands-on approach. Hunting is necessary to prevent overgrazing, overcrowding, starvation, and the spread of disease when animal populations grow beyond what their habitats can realistically support.
The benefit of hunting to wildlife doesn’t stop there. Hunting licenses come with a fee, as well as excise taxes on firearms and ammunition, which are redirected to support habitat restoration, conservation programs, and wildlife research across the nation — further supporting conservation.
With a fresh understanding of hunting’s contributions to wildlife conservation, students spend a day at the range
Rachel’s event provided students with a change of pace from the traditional campus event by letting them enjoy the real experience of target shooting while learning about their responsibility to nature as hunters and environmental stewards — rather than sitting through a typical classroom lecture.
For these students, conservation wasn’t just a talking point. It was right on target.
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The post Fort Lewis Collegians Explore a Different Caliber of Conservation was first published by the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), and is republished here with permission. Please support their efforts.
