Texas Game Wardens today recovered the body of Jarod David Dawkins, 27, who was missing since the boat he was on capsized March 17 near Sparta Valley Park on Belton Lake. Dawkins’ body was recovered at 9:03 a.m. just north of the water treatment plant near Westcliff Park.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, sending the most significant collection of conservation measures to come before Congress in a quarter of a century to President Obama for his signature.

Carp anglers from all points of the United States will once again descend on the shores of Lady Bird Lake for the 8th Annual Austin Team Championship later this week.  The Carp Anglers Group – an Oklahoma-based organization boasting 1000 members – has tapped the Austin lake as the official location for their annual catch-and-release competition.

Reports of salivating fish have been documented around the world as anglers prepare to flip on the "eat" switch with the first biodegradable, environmentally-friendly soft bait, infused with scent-emitting Ultrabite® Pheromones.

In support of a new youth target shooting initiative, the National Shooting Sports Foundation will contribute $50,000 to the Scholastic Steel Challenge program of the United States Practical Shooting Association and Steel Challenge Shooting Association.

On Wednesday, in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, 65 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Congressman Mike Ross (D-Ark.), expressed their opposition to the reinstatement of the failed 1994 ban on semi-automatic firearms and ammunition magazines. 

Today, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) -- the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry -- applauded Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, for introducing legislation to rectify a longstanding inequity in the frequency with which firearms and ammunition manufacturers pay a federal excise tax on the products they sell.

By a margin of 77-20, The U.S. Senate voted for a second time yesterday to approve the Omnibus Public Land Protection Act of 2009-a collection of bills vital to sportsmen and women from coast to coast.

Summer will soon be here and for many parents, this may be the first time your family goes boating. To make sure everyone is ready, the non-profit BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water has three free online resources at www.BoatUS.com/foundation/LJLP/fit_video to make sure the kids are safe.

Texas-Conservationists from California, New Mexico, North Carolina and Texas have been named to new positions on the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation board of directors.