[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/for-hunters-earth-day-is-every-day\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/for-hunters-earth-day-is-every-day\/","headline":"For Hunters, Earth Day is Every Day","name":"For Hunters, Earth Day is Every Day","description":"Today\u00a0is Earth Day.\u00a0\u00a0 While it\u2019s terrific to have a day recognizing the importance of the natural environment and conservation, it\u2019s...","datePublished":"2016-04-22","dateModified":"2018-10-24","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/#Person","name":"Hector Agosto","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Legendary Whitetails","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","url":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","width":522,"height":226}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Mountain-Landscape.png","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Mountain-Landscape.png","height":524,"width":940},"url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/for-hunters-earth-day-is-every-day\/","about":["News"],"wordCount":545,"keywords":["News"],"articleBody":"Today\u00a0is Earth Day.\u00a0\u00a0 While it\u2019s terrific to have a day recognizing the importance of the natural environment and conservation, it\u2019s just another day for many hunters, land managers, and sportsmen.\u00a0 Growing up in a hunting and farming family, I guess I never really understood why people would blatantly destroy what Mother Nature was so graciously providing.\u00a0 Was it to make a quick buck?\u00a0 Was it due to laziness or convenience?\u00a0 Whatever the reason was for throwing that McDonald’s cup out the window, consider this the next time: we can destroy much faster than Earth can create.As hunters, outdoorsmen, and conservationists, we are the ones out there 365 days a year.\u00a0 The outdoors is our means of sustenance and we prefer to keep it clean.\u00a0 This is precisely why every day is Earth Day for a hunter.\u00a0 Some businesses or communities will plant a tree or two or a hundred on Earth Day because it feels good and looks good, not just aesthetically, but also as a PR move. Meanwhile, hunters and land managers are out there every single day planting trees, prairie grasses, and food plots without any expectation of credit.\u00a0 Why? Because we have a deep connection to the Earth and natural world.\u00a0 It provides us with clean protein and we do everything we can to make the land naturally productive.Those of us that don\u2019t own land or have the luxury of managing habitat, which is the majority, still participate in the conservation effort in a larger than recognized way.\u00a0 Sure, we may not be physically improving the landscape with habitat improvements, but our dollars sure are.\u00a0 The thing many non-hunters and anti-hunters don\u2019t understand is that we (hunters, anglers, and shooters) are BY FAR the largest donors to conservation.So, just how much do sportsmen contribute to conservation?According to a survey provided by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) here\u2019s the breakdown:Sportsmen contribute $8 million every day to conservation, $2.9 billion every year.More than $1.42 billion (48%) comes from hunting and fishing license sales$749 million (25%) through excise taxes paid on firearms, ammo, and tackle$608 million (20%) from other revenue sources like Duck and Wildlife stampsAnti-hunters listen up, hunters and anglers provide more than 75% of the annual funds of the 50 state conservation agencies.\u00a0 You know what that means? It means we are paying and contributing the most to programs that benefit all Americans and all wildlife. Education is a powerful thing.\u00a0 You just have to be willing to learn.So, whether you\u2019re out picking up litter or planting trees today, just remember one day of collective \u201cclean-up\u201d is not a sustainable practice to overcome the other 364 days of littering and habitat loss.\u00a0 As hunters and sportsmen, we often do our part every day, not just on Earth Day."},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Legendary Whitetail's Blog"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/for-hunters-earth-day-is-every-day\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"For Hunters, Earth Day is Every Day"}}]}]