Action establishes an “open unless closed” stance for hunting and fishing
BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA — Doug Burgum, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, released Secretarial Order 3447 on Tuesday, a measure to significantly enhance hunting and fishing opportunities on the 573 national wildlife refuges throughout the United States.
The order adopts an “open unless closed” policy toward creating new hunting opportunities on refuges. The order contains language similar to the 2019 Dingell Act, which states real and practicable reasons must be shown for closures to hunting and recreational shooting on Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service Lands. While Burgum’s order should create significant and meaningful access improvements for duck hunters across the National Wildlife Refuge System, nothing in the order supersedes inviolate sanctuary requirements of migratory bird refuges.
Jason Tharpe, Delta’s chief executive officer, applauded the news Tuesday during his testimony before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries during a special oversight hearing titled, “Hunting and Fishing Access in the Great American Outdoors.”
“We greatly appreciate Secretary Burgum and USFWS Director Brian Nesvik’s continued commitment to enhancing and expanding access to waterfowl hunting on our National Wildlife Refuges and other public lands and waters,” Tharpe said. “The Refuge System is the duck hunter’s greatest legacy asset. We welcome the Secretary’s commitment and stand ready to work to see his vision positively impact these incredibly important habitats for both waterfowl and waterfowl hunters.”
During his Senate confirmation hearing in March 2025, Nesvik stated that the Refuge system would be one of his highest priorities, a position he reaffirmed Tuesday during the House Subcommittee hearing.
Burgum’s Secretarial Order is a continuance of President Trump’s “Making America Beautiful Again Initiative.”
“We are eager to harness this good news from the Administration to translate their vision for new, incremental hunting opportunities for waterfowl hunters,” said John Devney, Delta’s chief policy officer. “Delta has long understood that access and opportunity are at the forefront of the needs of duck hunters. We have consistently prioritized refuge access through the annual USFWS ‘Hunt Fish Rule’ for the past decade. We look forward to working with the USFWS not only to enhance hunting access as the order outlines, but to increase infrastructure investments and habitat management.”
Delta Waterfowl is The Duck Hunters OrganizationTM, a leading conservation group founded in 1911 that uses science-based solutions to produce ducks, conserve prairie wetlands, and secure the future of waterfowl hunting in North America. Visit deltawaterfowl.org.
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