Summer 2012 - West Virginia Department of Commerce

West Virginia’sCelebration ofBy Jerry Westfalland Art ShomoIts History and PurposeEvery year, on the fourth full weekend inSeptember, something special happens. Allacross the country, Americans come togetherto celebrate their love of hunting and fishing. So younever heard about this exciting event? It’s called NationalHunting and Fishing Day, and is sponsored by many statewildlife agencies all over the United States. West Virginiais no exception, as the state will celebrate its 35th annualNational Hunting and Fishing Day (NH&FD) Celebrationon September 22-23, 2012. This event is jointly sponsoredby the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources andthe West Virginia Wildlife Federation.The history of the NH&FD movement takes usback to the 1960s, when hunters and anglers wereinterested in the ideas promoted by the growingenvironmental movement. They understood longbefore the 1960s that wildlife is intricately associatedwith habitat, and that habitat destruction ordegradation negatively affected wildlife. They weredismayed, however, that the contributions hunters andanglers made to habitat protection and enhancementwere not being communicated to the public. Somepeople did not understand the critical role hunters andanglers play in conservation.14 West Virginia Wildlife