This fund is the most important and effective contribution you can give to future hunting opportunities in Alaska. It represents the most direct contribution any non-resident can give to help preserve and enhance quality hunting opportunities. With your participation, we can substantially help control our own destiny. Without it, we will continue to see our hunting rights reduced and restricted.
What Is It?
The Alaska Professional Hunters Association, Inc. established the Hunter Preservation Fund in 2004 to help ensure that non-resident hunters will continue to have hunting opportunities in Alaska. Anti-hunting sentiment, public land access, hunting privileges, subsistence, reduced hunting seasons, restrictive regulations, predator-prey ratios and ballot initiatives are all challenges that are facts of life for hunters today. This is especially true for the non-resident hunters.
Since 1973, APHA has been a leading organization in Alaska guarding the continual flow of regulatory restrictions on hunting and public land access being attempted by anti-sport hunting groups or government agencies. APHA provides full time representation in Washington DC and Juneau, is an active and respected participant in Alaska Board of Game process, initiates predator harvest fee programs, and continually is at the forefront of advocating for management of our wildlife for balanceand abundance. The APHA role in this arena is vital to all hunting opportunity and access rights on public lands throughout the US. We can no longer have only a reactive position to the continual stream of challenges being presented to us. It is past time to become proactive. Our goal is to continue to create conservation partnerships, help with scientific needs, challenge policies that continue to take away our hunting and access rights and to preserve and enhance quality wilderness hunting opportunities in Alaska.
Professional members of the APHA support industry and resource stewardship efforts through their annual membership dues. In addition, the APHA receives support funding from numerous sportsman and conservation organizations. These important traditional funding sources do not meet the needs for APHA to be successful with the present and future challenges we are faced with.
How It Works
The HPF is a $200.00 fee per contracted client, which each APHA professional member is responsible to collect and pay to APHA. HPF funds received by the contracting guide may be paid to APHA at any time during each year but are due by December 1st of each year. To protect the privacy between clients and guides, personal information will be kept strictly confidential by APHA. Additionally, anyone wishing to make a direct donation to this fund can do so by direct mailing to APHA.
How Best to Implement It
APHA members that have already become involved with the HPF have found that it works the most efficiently to implement the fee as follows:
- Include a description of the fee and what it does in your advertising media.
- Mention it to all prospective clients during original correspondence.
- Include it as a line item expense on your guide/client contract, due with deposit.
- Send the funds and new HPF member information to APHA
What the Hunter Receives
Each client who pays the HPF will receive the following:
- Two year sustaining membership in The Alaska Professional Hunters Association
- Two year subscription to The Alaska Professional Hunter Magazine
- APHA Lapel Pin and Decal
- The knowledge that they have helped to give future generations the ability to hunt in Alaska