Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

09/04/2026

The Forest Service is revising the rule that determines which roads and trails are open, and hunters and anglers have an opportunity to inform the outcome.

Virtually every hunt starts from a road. Many of these are National Forest roads that carry friends and families to their Labor Day campsite, the fourth-of-July swimming hole, where kids learn to ride a dirtbike, and where favorite hunting and fishing trips begin.

Last week, the USFS opened a public scoping period on a forthcoming revision to the 2005 Travel Management Rule. This revision is a public process, and hunters and anglers are not opposed to updating the Travel Management Rule. However, refinements should be made to the proposed rule and hunters and anglers need to speak up to ensure that transportation management supports public access, conserves wildlife and healthy habitat, and manages for quality outdoor opportunities.

Hunters and anglers have an opportunity to inform the outcome. Learn more, and take action, by visiting: https://www.trcp.org/2026/09/02/hunters-and-anglers-can-help-shape-the-future-of-our-national-forest-road-and-trail-system/

09/03/2026

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has an opportunity this November to strengthen protections for Atlantic menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay through Draft Addendum II, which is now officially open for public comment until Oct. 9.

TRCP is recommending the following options that we believe will best achieve that goal:
- Make the amount of Bay harvest responsive to coastwide management on the Atlantic.
- Make the timing of harvest more precautionary to protect menhaden predators.
- Make those timing limits actually mean something, by not allowing overharvest in certain periods.
- Make the entire system adaptable, with regular intervals to review how management is working.

Please take a moment to sign our petition to show your support for menhaden and sportfish conservation. Take action:

As the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission considers several measures to strengthen Chesapeake Bay menhaden management, TRCP offers specific guidance for submitting comments.

09/02/2026

"The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness." - John Muir

📸: joshmettenphoto

09/01/2026

Rule Expanding Hunting and Fishing Access on National Wildlife Refuges Now in Effect

The Department of the Interior's final rule expanding hunting and fishing access on national wildlife refuges has now been published in the Federal Register.

It marks the largest such expansion in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service history — opening more than 92 million acres across 111 refuges and hatcheries in 32 states, with nearly 1,500 new hunting and fishing opportunities.

"Hunters and anglers have long been central to conserving wildlife and habitat in this country, and national wildlife refuges are no exception. We're glad to see this rule finalized in time for fall hunting season," said Joel Webster, TRCP's chief conservation officer. "We appreciate the Department of the Interior's work to expand access to these lands in a way that is consistent with wildlife conservation and the laws that guide the refuge system's unique mission."

Read the final rule: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/01/2026-17895/national-wildlife-refuge-system-2026-2027-station-specific-hunting-and-sport-fishing-regulations

Read TRCP’s full statement: https://www.trcp.org/2026/08/14/trcp-welcomes-interior-action-expanding-hunting-and-fishing-access-on-national-wildlife-refuges/

08/31/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who entered the TRCP MeatEater 2026 Sweepstakes! Your participation directly supports conservation efforts that benefit fish, wildlife, habitat, and your access to the places you love to hunt and fish.

This year’s sweepstakes was a major success thanks to you. We’re excited to announce the winners:
2nd Runner-Up (TRCP Swag Bag): Vito Carpinelli - Temecula, CA
1st Runner-Up (YETI M20 Cooler): Landon Wyatt - Charlotte, NC
Grand Prize (Turkey Hunt with Steve Rinella & Janis Putelis): Chris Welker - Greenville, WI

Congratulations to the lucky winners!*

At TRCP, we’re advocating every day to ensure hunters and anglers have a voice in shaping the future of conservation. Stay engaged with us by:
- Reading our weekly TRCP newsletter
- Signing action alerts
- Following thetrcp across social media
- Making a donation to support our mission

Thank you for being an advocate for conservation and helping us guarantee all Americans quality places to hunt and fish.

*Each potential winner will be contacted by Ventura Associates, International LLC with details on eligibility verification.

08/30/2026

Earlier this summer, MT Field Representative Ryan Chapin got a bird's eye view of Lolo National Forest in western Montana. Hosted by EcoFlight, a nonprofit organization that uses small aircraft to help people better understand conservation issues, landscapes, and communities, the event included significantly more participants than the previous year, reflecting a growing interest in the ongoing Lolo National Forest Plan Revision as the Draft Plan and the DEIS move closer to public release in the late summer of 2026. Read more about the trip and how this planning process can be guided by hunters and anglers on behalf of conservation.

Read the full story:

An aerial tour over the Lolo National Forest highlights growing interest, collaboration, and momentum surrounding the forest plan revision as it moves closer to a public reveal and the 90-day comment window.

08/28/2026

The story of the Rio Grande is one of a single, shared resource under immense pressure. From its headwaters in Colorado, through the interconnected landscapes of New Mexico, and into the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas where it flows along the Mexico border, communities, land managers, Tribes, agricultural producers, and conservation partners are working to sustain the river in the face of growing water challenges.

In this final blog of our three-part series on how federal WaterSMART funding shapes watershed restoration and resilience, we focus on South Texas, where the river reaches its terminus and every remaining drop serves people, agriculture, fish, and wildlife – underscoring the importance of making the most of limited water supplies through innovative management and conservation.

Learn more:

The story of the Rio Grande is one of a single, shared resource under immense pressure. From its headwaters in Colorado, through the interconnected landscapes of New Mexico, and into the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas where it flows along the Mexico border, communities, land managers, Tribes...

08/27/2026

The Next Year Will Be Critical for the Colorado River
https://www.trcp.org/2026/08/24/the-next-year-will-be-critical-for-the-colorado-river/

A new federal decision offers short-term stability for the river basin, but a more durable agreement between states is still needed as the region adapts to future hydrologic realities.

On Aug. 21, the Department of the Interior finalized a Record of Decision establishing interim operating guidelines for the Colorado River through 2028. This decision provides a near-term operational framework for hydropower facilities, infrastructure, and water management in the river, while the seven states that comprise the Colorado River Basin—Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and California—continue working toward a long-term agreement. The decision provides important near-term stability for the Basin, but it is not the finish line. Instead, it creates an opportunity to focus on the work that will ultimately determine the Colorado River’s future.

Learn more: https://www.trcp.org/2026/08/24/the-next-year-will-be-critical-for-the-colorado-river/

The Department of the Interior has finalized a Record of Decision establishing interim operating guidelines for the Colorado River through 2028, which offers short-term stability for the river basin, but a more durable agreement between states is still needed as the region adapts to future hydrologi...

08/26/2026

The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership joins Montana’s motorists, hunters, anglers and conservationists in wanting to keep drivers and big game safe on the highway. Montana has one of the highest rates of wildlife-vehicle collisions in the West, but thanks to a strong effort supported by hunters, anglers, conservationists, and transportation and wildlife agencies, a new specialty license plate is available for purchase at Montana DMVs, funding wildlife crossing infrastructure across the state.

Montana Field Representative, Ryan Chapin, ponied up for these plates for his rig just in time for hunting season, because supporting wildlife crossings is supporting habitat connectivity, healthy wildlife migrations, and conservation.

Read more: https://www.trcp.org/2026/08/13/montanas-new-wildlife-crossing-license-plate-hits-the-road/

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks / Montana Department of Transportation / National Wildlife Federation / Greater Yellowstone Coalition / Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance / Vital Ground

08/25/2026

The Farm Bill-funded Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP) provides critical funding for state and tribal governments to increase public access opportunities for hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation on private lands.

Pennsylvania is fortunate to have almost 86,000 miles of streams and rivers. A diverse landscape produces small headwater mountain runs, limestone creeks, freestone streams, big rivers, and one Great Lake, offering some of the finest fishing in the country. But with a population of 13 million people and many waterways flowing through private land, access can be a barrier for the many who seek to enjoy these resources. In fact, over 80% of Pennsylvania’s stocked trout waters exist on private lands, while 70% of wild trout waters and almost 60% of our Class A trout waters also are on private lands. These privately owned stretches can impede anglers trying to access fishable waters.

Learn more:

The Farm Bill-funded Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP) provides critical funding for state and tribal governments to increase public access opportunities for hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation on private lands.