NSSF Awards Challenge Grant to Fund ‘Respected Access is Open Access’ Campaign
OGDEN, Utah –-(Ammoland.com)- The National Shooting Sports Foundation has awarded a $50,000 challenge grant to help fund the educational and outreach campaign created by the nonprofit Tread Lightly! called “Respected Access is Open Access.”
This grant will help fund an important element of the campaign—the production costs of a minimum of 250 information kiosks to be provided to the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and state agencies that manage America’s public lands. These important education and information tools will be placed on public lands throughout the nation to encourage responsible behavior in America’s great outdoors.
“Careless behavior by even a few hunters or target shooters is damaging to the image of all,” said Chris Dolnack, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of NSSF, the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry. “Our challenge grant of $50,000 to Tread Lightly! furthers NSSF’s commitment to promoting good sportsmanship. We encourage others to take up the challenge and help fund this education initiative.”
Respected Access is Open Access was officially launched in late 2009 at the request of the Federal Lands Hunting and Shooting Sports Roundtable. The campaign works to improve the behavior of outdoor recreationists on public and private land and addresses littering, careless behavior by hunters and target shooters, illegal dumping, straying from the trail and other issues. The ultimate goal of this movement is to protect and enhance access and opportunities for people so they can enjoy recreational shooting, hunting and other outdoor activities now and in the future.
“This is a remarkable gift that will give us the ability to truly take the campaign to the next level,” said Lori McCullough, Tread Lightly!’s executive director. “With this grant, NSSF is also challenging us to find matching funding from other like-minded companies and organizations. We will be working hard this year to accomplish this goal.”
Part of the match has already been made by Yamaha Motor Company, which plans to award a $20,000 grant to Tread Lightly! this spring through its OHV Access Initiative to help further advance the campaign, especially for the OHV community.
As the trade association for the firearms industry, NSSF’s mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 6,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers.
More information about the Respected Access is Open Access campaign and its partners can be found at respectedaccess.org.
Tread Lightly!, Inc. is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to promote responsible outdoor recreation through ethics education and stewardship. Tread Lightly! is the nation’s signature ethics message for all outdoor enthusiasts—especially those that use motorized vehicles. The organization also offers unique training and restoration programs strategically designed to instill an ethic of responsibility in a wide variety of outdoor enthusiasts and the industries that serve them.