NRA Women congratulates one of its own, Karen Mehall Phillips, Director of Communications for NRA Hunters’ Leadership Forum (NRAHLF), on her Honorable Mention in the Professional Outdoor Media Association’s Pinnacle Awards. Karen’s article, “U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Expands Hunter Access While Restricting Use of Traditional Lead Ammo,” highlighted a sneaky slip-in to an otherwise seemingly positive USFWS final Hunt Fish Rule for 2022-2023, which increases access opportunities by providing 38,000 additional acres for public recreation within the federally managed National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS). However, sportsmen called it the way they saw it: a backdoor phaseout of traditional lead products.
In giving credit where it is due, Karen is quick to say that regardless of our professions, every American hunter should be celebrated for playing a vital role in protecting wildlife species, their habitats and the freedom to enjoy our American hunting traditions.
"It is an honor to be recognized among my peers, who all foster excellence in promoting our mainstream outdoor traditions," she said. "It is especially rewarding for the NRA HLF website to be highlighted, as it was launched in 2016 specifically to monitor the issues impacting the future of hunting and wildlife conservation on the state, national and global levels. Our content tells the hunter's story and communicates with the public about why we hunt and where our dollars go to foster hunting's cultural acceptance so it endures into the future."
You can read more about the award-winning article and the author—and the issue she brought to light—in this synopsis posted on NRAHLF.org by acclaimed outdoor writer Jim Zumbo, a legend in his own right.
Congratulations again to Karen Mehall Phillips, a longtime NRA editor and worldwide huntress who continues to promote all that NRA does for America's hunters.
