Protecting Our Right to Hunt and Fish, Voluntary Easements, and State Policy (Ep 745)

Take a deeper dive into how state policy drives habitat conservation, promotes access, and protects our hunting and outdoor traditions.

Dr. Mike Brasher sits down with South Carolina State Senator Chip Campsen, DU’s Southern Region Director of Public Policy Ed Penny, and Wildlife Mississippi Executive Director James Cummins. They unpack proven tools like the South Carolina Conservation Bank, dedicated state funding models, and why respectful behavior and smart policy both matter for the future of hunting and fishing.

From perpetual conservation easements to college‑town river hunts and the role of Boone & Crockett, this episode shows how statehouses—and the people who vote them in—influence opportunities for every hunter and angler. 

Takeaways:

• How the South Carolina Conservation Bank leverages competitive grants and easements to protect ~500,000 acres—and why seed funding stretches dollars farther 
• Voluntary, perpetual easements: property‑rights friendly, customizable, and often paired with public access incentives 
• Why clustered easements (ACE Basin, Santee Delta) create ecosystem‑scale wins for waterfowl and wildlife 
• Dedicated state funding models (e.g., Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund) unlock big federal matches and local projects 
• Social license to hunt and fish: how hunter behavior, messaging, and policy safeguard opportunity beyond a constitutional “right” 
• CSF/NASC: bipartisan networks where state legislators swap playbooks that protect hunting, angling, and access 

 
Listen now: www.ducks.org/DUPodcast
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