The 2005 Summit on the Future of Hunting in Florida in Orlando represents a vital effort to ensure the future of hunting here. Representatives from hunting and conservation groups, along with individual stakeholders, are meeting with officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to participate in an interactive workshop that will allow many different hunting philosophies and plans to be discussed.

Historical trends show that there are fewer hunters in Florida. On top of that, the state’s landscape and population are changing in ways some see as adverse to hunting and hunters.

The summit’s aim is to:

• Rally the hunting community and hunting organizations to develop and adopt a statewide initiative to help secure the future of hunting in Florida
• Challenge all hunting organizations and groups to become actively involved in participating in this initiative
• Enable more Floridians to enjoy the experience of hunting and become actively engaged in conservation of fish and wildlife resources

Florida Chapter President of the National Wild Turkey Federation and hunting summit steering committee chairman, Bill Marvin said, “It is clear that Florida’s hunters are extremely passionate about the traditions and heritage of hunting. The summit will help focus this passion on building a secure future for hunting and making sure hunters continue to play a major role in conserving Florida’s wildlife for future generations.”

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