Ways To Pass On Your Legacy As A Sportsman To Future Generations

How we make our mark on the world is a discussion usually reserved for the young and the old.  The younger through the lens of idealism, the older through a lens of reflection.  The way you pass on your legacy as a sportsman should be something you think about soon after you decide you are one.  The sporting community is one place where financial status doesn’t matter.  It is our actions and deeds in good stewardship of the land that define us.  It is our actions and growth over time that define how we will be remembered.

I  put together a few ways people can start fostering future generations of sportsmen.  These options offer several degrees of commitment from free to astoundingly generous.

Become a Volunteer Fishing Instructor   Instructors assist new anglers with teaching how to tie a knot, or bait a hook.  This can be an immediately rewarding experience.  There is a certain joy in seeing a person achieve success from your teaching.  Instructors volunteer to staff youth fishing events.  These are usually weekend events near urban centers.  Some events are geared toward teaching adults as well.

Contact your State Fish & Game Agency for details.

Become A Hunter Education Instructor  This can be either a paid or volunteer role.  Instructors conduct and assist with Field Day activities required to educate hunters.  Hunter Education is required by law.  States rely on volunteers and for profit instructors to assist new hunters through the certification process.  Many a sportsman has spent a lifetime educating thousands in their spare time.  Imagine being able to help thousands of people learn how to hunt, and feed their families.

Contact your State DFW or NRA Chapter for details.

The next options require a modest investment.  They are ideal options for a small to medium business owner who wants to sponsor something when established sports are well sponsored.

Sponsor a School Archery Program  The National Archery in the Schools Program is an in-school program aimed at improving educational performance among students in grades 4th – 12th. And through it students are learning focus, self-control, discipline, patience, and the life lessons required to be successful in the classroom and in life.

An activity that doesn’t discriminate based on popularity, athletic skill, gender, size, or academic ability. It’s a different kind of team sport. It’s open to any student. Its biggest supporters are professional educators. Teams come together around one thing: archery.

Cost: $3000-$5000 for a full set of gear and instruction materials. Ongoing sponsorship for award materials is also needed.  This may be a tax deductible situation.  Check with your CPA to verify if that is possible for your tax situation.

Contact NASP for details.  https://www.naspschools.org/

Sponsor a School Fishing Program   This is an educational program designed to introduce students to fishing and to show students the ever increasing career and educational opportunities through fishing. It also shows students how the basic elements of their education are used by tournament anglers every day out on the water and how you can use fishing and having fun to sharpen those basic skills that will help you later in life no matter what your career choice.

Cost:  $25 for Chapter Membership INCLUDES insurance coverage.  (That’s HUGE)

Equipment costs will vary based on waterway access and equipment.  $1000-$50000

Contact The Student Angler Federation for more details. http://www.highschoolfishing.org/

Finally, we come to the deep pocket legacy investments.  These are truly grand gestures.  Typically, these items are reserved for large companies, organizations and lottery winners.

Buy A Wild Space For Conservation  Every year large tracts of sporting land come on the market.  These sportsman properties vary in size from 600 to over 30 thousand acres.  Values range from a modest $1,000,000 to $40,000,000 for a fully operating turnkey business.

Contact your local Realtor for details.  https://www.realtor.com/

Fund a Boat Launch or Park Rehab Project  Large rehab projects, even in a small community, can average $1,000,000 to bring a long under funded site to current standards.  These types of projects are typically discussed during estate planning.  Those who own a medium sized commercial landscape and construction business may be able to take such a project on in stages as a community relations project.

Contact your Director of DFW or State Representative for details.

Fund a National Monument, Park, or Wildlife Area  This is a mic dropper.  This is the sort of thing a quiet billionaire leaves behind because they had a happy experience there.  These are $100,000,000 to $1,000,000,000 projects that become a part of our National History.  By the time you have that sort of money to part with, you know what that kind of contribution means.

Contact your National Park Director or President for details.

We have clearly had a little fun with this article but the sentiment is genuine.  There are many ways to pass on your legacy as a sportsman.    Americans are ingenious and resourceful people.  Our American landscape has sites named after people throughout the history of our Nation.  They are remembered for their contributions both great and small due to the impact of their actions.