It was 1933 when the New York State Conservation Council was Incorporated. If you do the math, 2023 marks the 90th Anniversary of the “Council”. 2023 also marks my 10th year as president of the Council.

In 2033 it will be the 100th Anniversary of the Council. Let me assure you it won’t be the 20th anniversary of my presidency. It has been an honor to serve, but this honor is something worth sharing.

From our website; https://nyscc.com/about/

History and Accomplishments: The New York State Conservation Council (NYSCC) is the oldest statewide conservation organization in New York, incorporated in 1933 by sportsmen/conservationists to help secure and manage our natural resources for future generations, as well as to protect the rights of sportsmen and sportswomen to hunt, fish, trap and own firearms. Since its inception the NYSCC has fought for regulations and laws to protect and manage our fish, wildlife, and other natural resources. Many of the hunting, fishing, and trapping regulations safeguarding our resources today are the result of the NYSCC’s efforts.

May I invite you to visit our website site at https://nyscc.com/about/ to see a what we do, a list of some of our accomplishments, some of our successes, and recommendations we support. If listed in this article it would eat up a couple of pages of this newsletter.

I look at the items listed on this page and can see it does not cover everything we do and that is okay.

What is more important than the items listed on this webpage is what we plan for and do for tomorrow. We need to continue to be a leading voice in NYS for the sporting community and sound conservation. We need to continue to serve on the different committees and boards, that by statute, we are selected to serve on. We need to continue the fight to support or oppose legislation as necessary, in order to protect those, we represent and the environment we all value so highly.

What is mentioned above are missions and goals we have accomplished in the past and we will accomplish in the future as long as there are those that support the Council.

The sporting community is seeing a shrinking of those supporting sporting issues, across the board not just with the New York State Conservation Council. This is happening even with recent increase in license sales. I do not believe it is intentional or deliberate. It is more the case of we are being a little lethargic as a group, while others that are against us are seeing the opportunity to step up their game.

Solution, we need to have the resolve to move forward and change, in the pursuit of protecting the sporting community is needed now. Don’t look back and what we have done look forward to what we need to do.

As the Council goes, we need to continue to reinvigorate our leadership and representatives.

We need a new Council president. Ten years is a long time to serve, and I can tell you I would make an excellent board member as the immediate past president position. Let me tell you there is room for newer members to serve as active member representatives and board members. You should find, joining in with our present BOD to be a valued and worth time venture.

Funding the Council continues to be an issue. Going virtual with our office has saved us well in more than of $12,000 of operational expenses, without a single loss of service. Sounds good then COVID steps in, people get older memberships are lost, and some other voices and groups go silent to wipe out much of what we gained in our cost savings moves.

Let me sum this up. Now is the time to step up membership and support from voting and nonvoting ranks. New blood is needed in helping those that presently now serve us. Financial support, through general membership, supporting memberships, sustaining membership, and donations are key elements to ensure efficient operation of a group (The NYSCC) that has been serving the sporting community and conservation since 1933.

Let 2033 become a milestone for growth and support for the New York State Conservation Council.