Episode 797: American Conservation Coalition

What this episode covers

The rapidly growing American Conservation Coalition is making waves in the hunting/conservation space. I admit that wasn’t aware of the organization until recently. So, I am excited to have ACC president Chris Barnard join the show this week. With over 80,000 members nationwide, the ACC is a driven group of young conservative hunters who further the message that red leaning hunters are just as passionate and dedicated to the North American Conservation Model as their left leaning counterparts. For far too long Republican hunters have been labeled as a group that simply looks the other way on public land, but as we’ve seen with conservative pushback on Utah Senator Mike Lee’s continued assault on public lands, nothing could be further from the truth. Highlights from today’s conversation include: * Who is the American Conservation Coalition and what is their mission? * Growing up in a non-hunting European country and how Europe’s generally negative attitude towards hunting gave Chris an interesting perspective on that flawed mindset * A staff made up of young hunters * Where energy and public land collide * ACC’s influence in D.C. * Why have conservatives been cast as anti-public land? * Changing the narrative among young hunters * Patriot Parks Act * How will the AI age impact hunting and conservation? * Polar bears and trout as climate change mascots * Green decoys * Roadless Rule * How to get involved