The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has been awarded the Pope & Young Club’s 2001 Conservation Award.

The Conservation Award is presented to recognize achievement by a person or organization in the promotion of the future of bowhunting and hunting, the image of bowhunting and hunting, and the conservation and wise use of our natural resources.

The CSF was chosen as this year’s recipient for promoting bowhunting in the Nation’s Capitol through the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, the Congressional Bowhunting Task Force and the Congressional Bow Shoot.

Pope and Young Club President G. Fred Asbell stated "the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation is one of the best things happening in the outdoor world today. The importance of what they do cannot be over-emphasized. Their efforts on the part of sportsmen everywhere are pivotal in the future of hunting, fishing and the outdoor life."

The purpose of the two-day Bow Shoot event is to expose our nation’s elected officials to archery and bowhunting so that they can make more informed decisions when issues that affect the future of bowhunting or archery come before them. Through this event more than 50 Members of Congress and their staff have been introduced to bowhunting and issues facing the archery community. Since it’s inception, the Bow Hunting Task Force has been successful in simplifying the way the excise tax is collected for the sale of arrow parts and in the release of more than $12 million in bow and arrow excise tax receipts that the Internal Revenue Service had failed to transfer to the Pittman-Robertson Trust Fund, during the second, third and fourth quarters of fiscal year 1997. Failure to deposit the excise tax receipts led to a loss of approximately $750 in interest. These excise taxes paid by archers directly support state and wildlife conservation and hunter education.

The award was presented at the Pope & Young Club 22nd Biennium Convention and Awards Banquet on April 27, 2001 in Salt Lake City. Past recipients of this award include AMO's "Save our Heritage" Program (1993); the Becoming an Outdoors Woman Program (1997); and the National Bowhunter Education Foundation (1999).

The Pope and Young Club is one of North America's leading bowhunting and conservation organizations. Founded in 1961 as a nonprofit scientific organization, the Club is patterned after the prestigious Boone and Crockett Club. The Club advocates and encourages responsible bowhunting by promoting quality, fair chase hunting, and sound conservation practices. Today it fosters and nourishes bowhunting excellence and acts in the best interest of our bowhunting heritage everywhere. The Club promotes and participates in improving sound wildlife conservation and wise use of our natural resources.