On February 19, 2008, 17 fishing and hunting organizations announced they will begin working together to protect South Carolina’s outdoor legacy by forming the SC Camo Coalition:  Partners working to Conserve Fish and Wildlife.  These are many of the state’s largest and best-known sportsmen’s organizations, representing over 100,000 members statewide. 

There is strength in numbers, and the economic numbers can not be ignored—over one-half million of the state’s residents hunt and/or fish. Spending by Palmetto sportsmen totals almost two billion dollars annually, and SC Camo is a shot in the arm especially critical for strapped rural areas of the state.

Specific challenges that the Camo Coalition intend to address are loss of habitat, decreased access to recreational land and waters, invasive species on the increase, climate change, the loss of connection between young people and the out-of-doors and finally, the need for natural resource management decisions to be made by qualified professionals.

The Camo Coalition arose out of a meeting back in April when outdoor leaders from various organizations sat around a table to discuss future challenges and realized it was time to mobilize as partners.  Each organization will retain their own sovereignty, and the Coalition will focus on the “universal” issues that bind all organizations together as an outdoors community.

The South Carolina Camo Coalition is modeled on a similar effort in Georgia.  Formed several years ago, Georgia Camo now has about 25, 000 members who are alerted when important legislative or policy issues are being decided.  Like Georgia, SC Camo membership is free!

Formation of the SC Camo Coalition was announced on February 19 at the State House in Columbia with Dr. Jim Rex, State Superintendent of Education and about 15 legislators in attendance.  The 17 member organizations endorsed a Charter stating “there is a need for today’s conservation leaders to unify their collective strength and apply it to common challenges to protect water bodies, riparian zones, and wildlife habitat and the hunting, trapping and fishing heritage.”