Senator Parker Space honored with the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance’s Conservation Leadership Award
NEW JERSEY – Senator Parker Space (R-Sussex, Morris, Warren) was honored on Sunday by the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance (NJOA) with their annual Conservation Leadership Award.
“I am deeply honored to receive this award,” said Space. “My family and I have been supporting the rights of law-abiding sportsmen and sportswomen for decades while promoting the proper management of our outdoor spaces and wildlife. I appreciate the hard work which the leadership and membership of the NJOA perform each and every day. Their motto of ‘Preservation Through Conservation’ is not just a slogan but words they live by.”
The award is presented to an individual annually “for outstanding stewardship and for being the voice of the sportsmen and sportswomen of New Jersey.”
“I speak from the heart; this award is given to somebody who gives a commitment to our way of life, to the conservation of our natural resources, and the ability to enjoy them,” said John Rogalo, Vice President of the NJOA and Sussex County resident. “I can’t thank Senator Space enough for dedicating a lifetime for this commitment and for representing our values in the legislature.”
Senator Space is widely seen as the conservative conscience of the legislature on outdoor issues. He is a lifelong hunter and as owner of Space Farm Zoo and Museum in Wantage, has promoted sound wildlife polices through educational programs there.
As a legislator, he has volunteered to serve as the Senate Republican Co-Chairman of the New Jersey Angling, Hunting, and Conservation Caucus and in the Assembly, he served on the Assembly Agriculture Committee for a decade. He was instrumental in seeing positive legislation being enacted such as the creation of apprentice firearm and bow and arrow hunting licenses; the creation and expansion of the “Fishing Buddy License;” authorizing the use of a tracking dog to search and recover wild deer during hunting season; and allowing hunters to legally carry a concealed handgun in conformance with New Jersey law.
In addition, Senator Space has been at the forefront of protecting the interests of sportsmen during legislative fights over the bear hunt and attacks on the Fish and Game Council as well as opposing the redesignation of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
He also vehemently opposed the attempt to indefinitely close state lands such as parks, forests, and wildlife management areas, shooting ranges, and prevent firearm sales during the early days of the pandemic and opposed all new gun control laws enacted since he has been in office.
