"Being injured, I didn't know how I was going to go about living my life besides raising my kids and being at home. Being introduced to the outdoor sports is incredible. ... Being outdoors, I believe, is the best therapy you can get," says U.S. Army veteran Sal Trujillo. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partners from the Washington Waterfowl Association's Lower Columbia Chapter and The Fallen Outdoors introduced 20 new and notice veterans to waterfowl hunting at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge Veterans Hunt.
In an effort to simplify, expedite and improve the permit application process, the public can now apply, and pay for, certain U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permits online. Prior to developing an electronic permitting system, applicants had to apply for permits through mail with paper checks. The new system will allow users to apply, and pay for, certain international affairs and migratory birds permits through a user-friendly database and pay.gov, a secure electronic payment system.