ROANOKE, W.Va. — West Virginia will join a nationwide celebration this weekend of the contributions made by sportsmen in America to our wildlife resources.
Saturday is National Hunting and Fishing Day across the country, but in West Virginia the event is celebrated over two days with a large hunting and fishing exposition at Stonewall Resort State Park. The event is a collaboration put on by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and the West Virginia Wildlife Federation.
“We’re the second largest National Hunting and Fishing Day event in the country,” said Krista Snodgrass who coordinates the event for the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. “This is a great time for the DNR to display what we do.”
The history of National Hunting and Fishing Day dates back to President Theodore Roosevelt. Long lauded as the president who put the most emphasis on conservation, Roosevelt was a hunter and fisherman and worried when he saw the resources devastated by poor management. He was instrumental in creating a number of protections and regulations in place today. During the 1960’s hunters and anglers began to embrace the environmental movement which swept the country, but many were disappointed the contributions made by sportsman to the effort were not recognized.
Ira Joliffe, owner of Joliffe’s Gun Shop in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania was the first to suggest a national day designated to honor the heritage and contributions of sportsmen. Pennsylvania Governor Raymond Shafer liked Joliffe’s idea and declared the first “Outdoor Sportsman’s Day” in Pennsylvania in 1970.
A year later, U.S. Senator Thomas McIntyre of New Hampshire, at the urging of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, sponsored a Joint Resolution which established the fourth Saturday of September each year as National Hunting and Fishing Day. Representative Bob Sikes of Florida sponsored an identical resolution in the House of Representatives. President Nixon signed the first proclamation in 1972.
Each year the National Hunting and Fishing Day Foundation has selected an honorary chairman. The list is a Who’s Who from the world of sports, politics, or entertainment who lend their notoriety to drawing national attention to the event. The first honorary chairman named in 1976 was Jim “Catfish” Hunter and this year’s honorary chairman is country music singer Craig Morgan.
This weekend at Stonewall Jackson there are a host of activities for the young and old alike. Organizers created the Youth Outdoor Challenge enabling youngsters to sample as many aspects of the outdoors as possible in the course of a day. There are also opportunities for adults from rank amateur status to seasoned, lifelong sportsmen to learn and enjoy.
Hours are Saturday 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults and children age 15 and under are admitted free.