Outdoor professionals from around the country gathered in Mobile and at Riverview Plaza last week to brainstorm ways to Recruit, Retain and Reinvigorate (R3) hunters, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts.

The 210 National R3 Symposium attendees, coming from across the U.S., New Zealand and Guam, heard reports on hunting and fishing participation numbers, youth shooting sports, new R3 strategies, demographics of people who enjoy the outdoors, increasing female participation, shooting ranges and much more.

The symposium also featured a “Welcome to Alabama” address by Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) Director Chris Blankenship, who asked for a show of hands from those visiting Alabama for the first time.

“It's great to have people from all over the country come to Alabama, not only for the beautiful scenery and outdoor recreation opportunities, but also because we get to share all of the great work we do in partnership with our department, especially the recruitment efforts to get more people to hunt, fish and enjoy the outdoors in Alabama,” said Secretary Blankenship. “We hope they learn something from us at the symposium and we learn something from them, and that it gets more people involved in the outdoors.”

“I'm fortunate to work with a proactive Governor (Kay Ivey) and a cabinet that is doing a lot of good things across the state. In Mobile, the Mayor (Sandy Stimpson) is doing a great job attracting industry and bringing positive change to coastal Alabama. I look out my hotel room and see ships being built across the river at Austal Shipyards. In downtown Mobile, they build ships for the (U.S.) Navy, littoral combat ships and expeditionary ships. Airbus is in Mobile and they build the A321 and A220 aircraft.”

Commissioner Blankenship also highlighted other economic milestones for Alabama. Airbus is completing another final assembly line, making Mobile the fourth largest aircraft manufacturing location in the world. Alabama also ranks fifth in the nation in automobile manufacturing, with plants for Mercedes-Benz, Toyota/Mazda, Hyundai and Honda.

He said the Port of Mobile is the 10th largest port in the country and that ongoing construction could help it move up the rankings.

“We are deepening and widening the channel to increase port capacity, making it the deepest channel in the Gulf of Mexico,” Blankenship said, noting that Mayor Stimpson is also moving the Mobile airport from west Mobile to Brooklyn Field in downtown Mobile.

“I'm pleased to serve as director of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in a state that's so diverse from one end of the state to the other,” he said. “Outdoor recreation creates 135,000 jobs in the state and has a $14 billion impact. That's really important to us. We're recruiting people who take advantage of outdoor recreation, who hunt, fish, shoot, who are different types of R3s. We have 21 state parks that see 6 million visitors a year. Right now, we've spent about $200 million renovating state parks. We've never spent $200 million on state parks in the history of Alabama.”

Commissioner Blankenship also noted that Alabama currently has 46 Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) covering approximately 800,000 acres under ADCNR management. There are 12 shooting ranges in the state with one more under construction in Shelby County. Alabama leads the nation with 20 archery parks and two more planned, and is home to 23 public fishing lakes providing rural outdoor recreation and subsistence fishing.

“We're also spending about $30 million to improve boating access across the state,” he said. “One of the initiatives the governor and I have is to improve access to the outdoors through boating access and land acquisition to increase opportunities for hunting and public recreation.”

“Alabama also has the largest coastal artificial reef system. Some of you may be planning to go snapper fishing this weekend. Alabama has the largest reef system and the best snapper fishing grounds in the world. A few years ago I was in a meeting with the Japanese Minister of Fisheries. He and I were arguing about which country has the largest reef system. I don't speak Japanese and he speaks very little English. Suffice to say I won the argument.”

Commissioner Blankenship highlighted the Forever Wild Land Trust, which spends $15 million annually to purchase land for public use. To date, the program has purchased more than 200 parcels totaling 300,000 acres.

“As a commissioner, I chair the Forever Wild Committee, which is probably my favorite thing I can do because we're taking a dwindling resource — oil and gas revenue — and redirecting it towards purchasing land that belongs to Alabamians forever,” he said.

Commissioner Blankenship took the time to talk about the Outdoor Alabama Academy and the work ADCNR staff is doing to enhance outdoor recreation in Alabama and attract industry and business, as well as persuade college students who are receiving their education in Alabama to stay in the state and enjoy hunting, fishing and shooting.

“The Outdoor Alabama Academy is a new initiative that brings many of our programs under one umbrella and talks about what we are doing to recruit and retain people to hunt and fish in Alabama,” he said. “Our adult mentored hunting program has been very successful.”

Blankenship said the Hunting 101, Fishing 101, Shooting 101 and Trapping 101 programs have been very successful, with classes filling up, indicating the demand for these programs. He also cited outreach efforts spearheaded by ADCNR Marketing and Communications Director Billy Pope and done through colleges and minor league baseball teams across the state.

Justin Grider, R3 coordinator for ADCNR’s Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division, said the networking and research at the symposium was a valuable asset for participants and a great way to showcase Alabama.

“We are really excited to bring the symposium to Alabama,” Grider said. “I was surprised when Commissioner Blankenship asked how many of us had been to Alabama before that only half the room raised their hands. I've talked to so many people who were amazed by the beauty of our state. They had no idea we had so many natural resources. Some are even planning their next trip with their families. We hope to generate interest from a tourism standpoint. If they don't take advantage of our natural resources this time around, they're already planning future fishing and hunting trips.”

“We had people from New Mexico and Ohio come to fish for red snapper, and we had people from Pennsylvania and Texas come to fish for speckled trout and redfish. It's fun to share the natural resources we work so hard to protect in Alabama. It's so gratifying to see our efforts pay off.”

While the national trend is a slight decline in hunting and fishing license sales, that trend is not evident in Alabama.

“We are fortunate in Alabama to see an increase in hunting license sales,” Grider said. “We've also received reports specific to shooting sports, and the overwhelming majority support the fact that funds from firearm and ammunition sales (Pittman-Robertson Act excise tax) are used to protect wildlife. Many also don't know that the funds are also used to provide access to shooting ranges and other hunting and wildlife viewing areas. About 80% support using PR funds to build shooting ranges. Alabama has taken that to heart and made providing access to shooting ranges a priority.”

“Our staff and team are a great bunch, and we're proud to host the symposium and share our programs and efforts here in Alabama.”

Speaking of staff, one of the most popular parts of the symposium is the R3 Minutes segment, where individuals or teams have three minutes to share their programs in a creative way and are judged based on their presentation.

Alabama staffers took home three places in the competition. WFF's Marianne Gauldin won first place by dressing up as a gold miner and sharing mining information from calls to the WFF office. Sergeant Bill Freeman and R3 Assistant Coordinator Olivia Wilkes won second place with their Campus Conservation Program presentation about recruiting college students as employees or lifelong conservationists. Grider earned a spot in the top three with a presentation about the upcoming transfer of wealth and how purchasing lifetime licenses for family members is a great way to share that wealth.

“It's refreshing to have R3 people here in Alabama,” said WFF Director Chuck Sykes, who also currently serves as president of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. “They're very passionate about their work, you have to admit. Getting people involved in our work and buying licenses is the lifeblood of a state agency. That's what this conference is about.”

The National R3 Symposium is an event hosted by the Hunting and Shooting Sports Advancement Council, led by Executive Director Steven Reese, an avid outdoorsman and former president of Auburn University.

“I'm excited to bring the R3 Symposium to Alabama,” Reese said. “It's a special place to me. I love this state and its outdoor areas and the emphasis the state has on protecting the environment. We've never hosted a symposium in the Deep South before, so I'm excited for so many of the attendees to find out what's going on in Alabama. I think it's been a rewarding experience for all of us.”

“Justin Grider and Chuck Sykes are really leading the way nationally. Alabama is clearly a leader in R3 and it's another reason to come see what you guys do.”