Post by Boudreaux on Nov 6, 2008 15:06:48 GMT -5
Don't see why only hunters/fisherman have to pay to use state owned land. Seems logical to charge all users.
GONetwork Calls For New WMA Stamps, SPLOT & Sportsman’s Board
WMA-access stamp would ease the financial load on sportsmen.
By Steve Burch
Originally published in the November 2008 issue of GON
GONetwork is proposing plans to increase funds to our WRD and to help sportsmen understand how sportsmen’s dollars are being spent.
While these plans feature specific details, the primary goal is to create permanent input from sportsmen to WRD and DNR regarding how and where sportsmen’s dollars are spent. Today, there is no sportsman oversight into this process.
These plans, and others, will be discussed at a Sportsman’s Summit hosted by GONetwork in early December.
GONetwork has made three specific proposals. They are:
(1) Improvement to the state WMA stamp,
(2) Creation of a Sportsman’s SPLOT and,
(3) Creation of a Sportsman’s Board to advise the DNR Board on the best use of sportsmen’s dollars.
Two WMA Stamps
This proposal addresses a chief complaint of sportsmen — the free use of WMA lands by everyone else.
Currently hikers, bikers, birders, hang-gliders, campers, firing-range users and all others may use the WMA system free of charge all year long. These users contribute nothing to the cost to acquire, maintain, secure and manage these lands. Sportsmen foot the bill for their trash removal, their damage to roads, their law-enforcement needs, and all other costs (save one exception at Dawson Forest WMA). Many believe this loads an unfair financial burden on sportsmen and causes sportsmen’s programs to suffer.
This unfairness is highlighted as current economic conditions result in cuts to the current WMA system.
GONetwork’s proposal seeks to accomplish a number of things, all positive to sportsmen’s issues.
The first benefit is to increase funds for WMA management by charging those who currently use the system for free. WRD allows all forms of outdoor recreation on WMA lands now, yet it charges only those who engage in hunting or fishing recreation.
This recreation classification by WRD is an important one because the current stamp does not, by itself, permit one to hunt or fish.
Today, if you want to hunt on a WMA, you have to have a WMA stamp (good only on a WMA) as well as a hunting license (good everywhere in the entire state).
Under the new proposal, GONetwork suggests that there be two WMA stamps — a WMA-lite stamp named the Outdoor Heritage Stamp, and a WMA-complete stamp, named Wildlife Conservation Stamp. Under this plan, all users of WMAs outside national forest lands would be required to purchase one of these two stamps. These new WMA-lite stamps would bring most other WMA users into the financial cash stream.
The WMA-lite stamp would allow all recreation currently allowed for free, plus small-game hunting (except waterfowl) and warm water or saltwater fishing on the WMA. Under this structure, anyone coming to hang glide or trail ride could also wet a line or squirrel hunt while they were there. Because the license permits this recreation, these WMA users can be counted as hunters and anglers. And because they count as hunters or anglers, each of these users would be worth about $14 per year in federal dollars.
Consequently, their financial contribution is the cost of the stamp plus $14 federal dollars. That represents a huge financial increase to WRD when you remember that today, these people recreate completely for free.
Other places already use this WMA recreational model effectively. In Alabama, their stamp is called the Wildlife Heritage License. It costs $10.
Right here in Georgia, horseback riders are already being charged to ride on Dawson Forest WMA — $5 per horse per day or $50 per horse per year. WRD collects the money for these annual permits right now.
If a WMA-lite stamp works in other states and on Dawson Forest, it should work on most of our WMAs.
A WMA-lite stamp would not permit a purchaser to hunt deer, turkey, waterfowl, and maybe hogs, and would not allow fishing in trout streams. If a person wished to hunt or fish for these other species, then he would purchase a WMA-complete stamp.
This plan is not universally supported. The Georgia Wildlife Federation and its Camo Coalition says the plan won’t work. They note that such a WMA stamp cannot be required to WMAs located on national forest land. Their logic is that the WMA stamp must apply to all WMA lands, or to no WMA lands. And since it cannot be applied to all WMAs, then it cannot be applied to any WMAs.
GONetwork disagrees with this point of view. GONetwork feels that a federal rule on federal lands should not prevent the state from requiring a stamp on lands where it can be applied.
GONetwork notes that many “use stamps” do not universally apply to all situations. For instance, a National Park Pass does not allow one to camp for free on a state park or a Georgia Power park. GONetwork believes that the public can easily learn when and where these stamps are required.
GONetwork supports the goal of charging non-hunting and fishing users for their use of these lands. The two-stamp proposal is one way of achieving this goal. If there are other ways to reach this goal, GONetwork is certainly open to improving a plan that ultimately all users supporting these WMAs financially.
Sportsman’s SPLOT
WRD has not had a license-fee increase in 20 years.
Sportsmen are willing to fund programs that benefit sportsmen and game and fish. Sportsmen balk at having their funds re-directed to other programs that are not directly beneficial to these interests.
Under the current financial structure, there are two areas where these funds may be steered off course. One is in the legislature, and the other within DNR and WRD itself.
GONetwork believes that WRD is due a revenue increase in the form of higher license fees. However, like many sportsmen, GONetwork is concerned about finding ourselves again in the current predicament of paying to fund programs that are either sacrificed by DNR to protect programs that are not aligned with sportsmen’s interests, or having funding reduced by a legislature that does not recognize the contribution made by sportsmen to the WRD budget. Either way, sportsmen lose.
To adequately fund WRD and also side-step the twin financial perils of the legislature and DNR, GONework has proposed a Sportsman’s SPLOT — a special tax on all licenses sold.
SPLOT stands for Sportsman’s Programs, Land, & Operations Tax. It would have a specific lifetime and sunset, every four to six years for instance. SPLOT would clearly state the purpose(s) for which the funds are to used. Sportsmen would know exactly what they are buying before they agree to pay the SPLOT. Funds would be placed in the Sportsman’s SPLOT Fund, and the expenditure of these funds would be through the Sportsman’s Board with advice and consent of the DNR Board.
In essence, SPLOT is sportsmen directly supporting WRD above its current base level of funding in a way that is transparent, requires a reset and approval again by sportsmen every four to six years and accomplishes goals set and approved by sportsmen.
GONetwork believes sportsmen will overwhelmingly support this sort of license increase, when sportsmen can understand what the additional money is buying, and know that the additional license money will be used to fund those sportsmen’s programs.
Sportsman’s Board
GONetwork shares the concern of many sportsmen that our programs are suffering while other programs within WRD are siphoning off money and energy from things sportsmen would promote more vigorously. Sportsmen need a seat at the table when budgetary decisions are being made. A seat at the table likely would have prevented the current license fiasco with cost going up and money going out of state and all of it done under cover by DNR.
GONetwork is proposing the creation of a Sportsman’s Board made up of one representative from each statewide sportsmen’s organization to oversee the expenditure of additional sportsmen’s dollars generated by the WMA stamps and the SPOLT proposal.
The Sportsman’s Board, operating under the advice and consent of the DNR Board, shall consist of 10 members comprised of one seat each from:
GWF
Ga Chapter NWTF
Ga TU
Ga DU
GHFF
GONetwork
GA Chapter QDMA
Ga QU
Ga Bass Chapter Federation
Ga Small Game Association
These groups may direct the expenditure of moneys held in the Sportsman’s Fund in furtherance of the purposes provided in the directives of each SPLOT. Moneys paid into this Sportsman’s Fund shall be deemed supplemental to the current WRD budget and shall in no way supplant funding that would otherwise be appropriated for these WRD/DNR purposes.
The language creating the Sportsman Board is new. However, the language creating the Sportsmen’s SPLOT Fund and directing these SPLOT dollars into the fund is the same language used to administer the current Georgia Duck Stamp program — a program more immune from raids by either the legislature or DNR.
The current financial crunch is a good time for new thinking to move Georgia’s sportsmen forward. These proposals, and others, will be discussed by sportsmen’s groups at the second annual Sportmen’s Summit hosted by GONetwork to be held Dec. 2.
GONetwork will draft a list of questions for the January cover of GON. Your responses to those questions will be a guide to sportsmen’s groups, legislators and WRD on how we all may best serve you.
© 2008 Georgia Outdoor News. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: www.gon.com/article.php?id=1755
GONetwork Calls For New WMA Stamps, SPLOT & Sportsman’s Board
WMA-access stamp would ease the financial load on sportsmen.
By Steve Burch
Originally published in the November 2008 issue of GON
GONetwork is proposing plans to increase funds to our WRD and to help sportsmen understand how sportsmen’s dollars are being spent.
While these plans feature specific details, the primary goal is to create permanent input from sportsmen to WRD and DNR regarding how and where sportsmen’s dollars are spent. Today, there is no sportsman oversight into this process.
These plans, and others, will be discussed at a Sportsman’s Summit hosted by GONetwork in early December.
GONetwork has made three specific proposals. They are:
(1) Improvement to the state WMA stamp,
(2) Creation of a Sportsman’s SPLOT and,
(3) Creation of a Sportsman’s Board to advise the DNR Board on the best use of sportsmen’s dollars.
Two WMA Stamps
This proposal addresses a chief complaint of sportsmen — the free use of WMA lands by everyone else.
Currently hikers, bikers, birders, hang-gliders, campers, firing-range users and all others may use the WMA system free of charge all year long. These users contribute nothing to the cost to acquire, maintain, secure and manage these lands. Sportsmen foot the bill for their trash removal, their damage to roads, their law-enforcement needs, and all other costs (save one exception at Dawson Forest WMA). Many believe this loads an unfair financial burden on sportsmen and causes sportsmen’s programs to suffer.
This unfairness is highlighted as current economic conditions result in cuts to the current WMA system.
GONetwork’s proposal seeks to accomplish a number of things, all positive to sportsmen’s issues.
The first benefit is to increase funds for WMA management by charging those who currently use the system for free. WRD allows all forms of outdoor recreation on WMA lands now, yet it charges only those who engage in hunting or fishing recreation.
This recreation classification by WRD is an important one because the current stamp does not, by itself, permit one to hunt or fish.
Today, if you want to hunt on a WMA, you have to have a WMA stamp (good only on a WMA) as well as a hunting license (good everywhere in the entire state).
Under the new proposal, GONetwork suggests that there be two WMA stamps — a WMA-lite stamp named the Outdoor Heritage Stamp, and a WMA-complete stamp, named Wildlife Conservation Stamp. Under this plan, all users of WMAs outside national forest lands would be required to purchase one of these two stamps. These new WMA-lite stamps would bring most other WMA users into the financial cash stream.
The WMA-lite stamp would allow all recreation currently allowed for free, plus small-game hunting (except waterfowl) and warm water or saltwater fishing on the WMA. Under this structure, anyone coming to hang glide or trail ride could also wet a line or squirrel hunt while they were there. Because the license permits this recreation, these WMA users can be counted as hunters and anglers. And because they count as hunters or anglers, each of these users would be worth about $14 per year in federal dollars.
Consequently, their financial contribution is the cost of the stamp plus $14 federal dollars. That represents a huge financial increase to WRD when you remember that today, these people recreate completely for free.
Other places already use this WMA recreational model effectively. In Alabama, their stamp is called the Wildlife Heritage License. It costs $10.
Right here in Georgia, horseback riders are already being charged to ride on Dawson Forest WMA — $5 per horse per day or $50 per horse per year. WRD collects the money for these annual permits right now.
If a WMA-lite stamp works in other states and on Dawson Forest, it should work on most of our WMAs.
A WMA-lite stamp would not permit a purchaser to hunt deer, turkey, waterfowl, and maybe hogs, and would not allow fishing in trout streams. If a person wished to hunt or fish for these other species, then he would purchase a WMA-complete stamp.
This plan is not universally supported. The Georgia Wildlife Federation and its Camo Coalition says the plan won’t work. They note that such a WMA stamp cannot be required to WMAs located on national forest land. Their logic is that the WMA stamp must apply to all WMA lands, or to no WMA lands. And since it cannot be applied to all WMAs, then it cannot be applied to any WMAs.
GONetwork disagrees with this point of view. GONetwork feels that a federal rule on federal lands should not prevent the state from requiring a stamp on lands where it can be applied.
GONetwork notes that many “use stamps” do not universally apply to all situations. For instance, a National Park Pass does not allow one to camp for free on a state park or a Georgia Power park. GONetwork believes that the public can easily learn when and where these stamps are required.
GONetwork supports the goal of charging non-hunting and fishing users for their use of these lands. The two-stamp proposal is one way of achieving this goal. If there are other ways to reach this goal, GONetwork is certainly open to improving a plan that ultimately all users supporting these WMAs financially.
Sportsman’s SPLOT
WRD has not had a license-fee increase in 20 years.
Sportsmen are willing to fund programs that benefit sportsmen and game and fish. Sportsmen balk at having their funds re-directed to other programs that are not directly beneficial to these interests.
Under the current financial structure, there are two areas where these funds may be steered off course. One is in the legislature, and the other within DNR and WRD itself.
GONetwork believes that WRD is due a revenue increase in the form of higher license fees. However, like many sportsmen, GONetwork is concerned about finding ourselves again in the current predicament of paying to fund programs that are either sacrificed by DNR to protect programs that are not aligned with sportsmen’s interests, or having funding reduced by a legislature that does not recognize the contribution made by sportsmen to the WRD budget. Either way, sportsmen lose.
To adequately fund WRD and also side-step the twin financial perils of the legislature and DNR, GONework has proposed a Sportsman’s SPLOT — a special tax on all licenses sold.
SPLOT stands for Sportsman’s Programs, Land, & Operations Tax. It would have a specific lifetime and sunset, every four to six years for instance. SPLOT would clearly state the purpose(s) for which the funds are to used. Sportsmen would know exactly what they are buying before they agree to pay the SPLOT. Funds would be placed in the Sportsman’s SPLOT Fund, and the expenditure of these funds would be through the Sportsman’s Board with advice and consent of the DNR Board.
In essence, SPLOT is sportsmen directly supporting WRD above its current base level of funding in a way that is transparent, requires a reset and approval again by sportsmen every four to six years and accomplishes goals set and approved by sportsmen.
GONetwork believes sportsmen will overwhelmingly support this sort of license increase, when sportsmen can understand what the additional money is buying, and know that the additional license money will be used to fund those sportsmen’s programs.
Sportsman’s Board
GONetwork shares the concern of many sportsmen that our programs are suffering while other programs within WRD are siphoning off money and energy from things sportsmen would promote more vigorously. Sportsmen need a seat at the table when budgetary decisions are being made. A seat at the table likely would have prevented the current license fiasco with cost going up and money going out of state and all of it done under cover by DNR.
GONetwork is proposing the creation of a Sportsman’s Board made up of one representative from each statewide sportsmen’s organization to oversee the expenditure of additional sportsmen’s dollars generated by the WMA stamps and the SPOLT proposal.
The Sportsman’s Board, operating under the advice and consent of the DNR Board, shall consist of 10 members comprised of one seat each from:
GWF
Ga Chapter NWTF
Ga TU
Ga DU
GHFF
GONetwork
GA Chapter QDMA
Ga QU
Ga Bass Chapter Federation
Ga Small Game Association
These groups may direct the expenditure of moneys held in the Sportsman’s Fund in furtherance of the purposes provided in the directives of each SPLOT. Moneys paid into this Sportsman’s Fund shall be deemed supplemental to the current WRD budget and shall in no way supplant funding that would otherwise be appropriated for these WRD/DNR purposes.
The language creating the Sportsman Board is new. However, the language creating the Sportsmen’s SPLOT Fund and directing these SPLOT dollars into the fund is the same language used to administer the current Georgia Duck Stamp program — a program more immune from raids by either the legislature or DNR.
The current financial crunch is a good time for new thinking to move Georgia’s sportsmen forward. These proposals, and others, will be discussed by sportsmen’s groups at the second annual Sportmen’s Summit hosted by GONetwork to be held Dec. 2.
GONetwork will draft a list of questions for the January cover of GON. Your responses to those questions will be a guide to sportsmen’s groups, legislators and WRD on how we all may best serve you.
© 2008 Georgia Outdoor News. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: www.gon.com/article.php?id=1755
