Bow Hunter Brandon
10-29-2007, 11:11 AM
Many of the members of MDHA are concerned about the possible closure of the state waterfowl management area's starting on November 1st. They have been asking the leadership what can be done to stop this from happening.
After some research and discussion it was decided that the most feasible solution is to bring pressure on both the legislature and the DNR to come to a solution. Although MDHA has not officially taken a position on the proposed license increases we are being told that they are the solution needed at this time to keep these WMA's open. With that being said we are asking people to make a decision themselves on where they stand on the license increases and make contacts with the following people.
For those of you that are not aware of the closures scheduled here is the press release.
Barring a last-minute legislative decision to accept the Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) hunting and fishing license fee increase package, the department will be forced to lay off 79 employees and discontinue or scale back a number of services, DNR Director Rebecca HUMPHRIES told employees today.
If nothing is done about the situation in the next 12 months, at least 37 state parks and eight interpretative centers will close, meaning a cut of 253 more staff.
Cuts of $8.2 million are needed at the DNR to balance a Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 budget heavily reliant on declining user fee revenue. For most of the year, DNR officials have asked the Legislature to approve a recommended fee increase package.
But after the Legislature swallowed hard on a 10 percent income tax increase and an expansion of the use tax to services, the political will to raise hunting and fishing fees simply isn't there. Word is the Republican-led Senate, in particular, simply is not interested in moving the fee bills after approving $1.4 billion in new revenue for the current Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 budget.
That means starting Nov. 1st; two more campgrounds will be shut down, growing the total to 22. Two of the state's fish hatcheries and a research station will close, putting at risk $2 billion in fishing losses from the roughly 4.5 million fewer salmon and trout in the state's water ways. The state's research vessels will be grounded. About 28,300 acres of waterfowl areas will be closed off to hunters.
Roughly 6,000 nuisance Canadian geese cannot be removed from southeast Michigan as has been the practice. Conservation officer numbers will be reduced, opening the door to more poaching, increased accident and injuries due to hunter safety violations or reckless use of boats, snowmobiles and off-road vehicles, Humphries said.
Cuts in the timber-marking program will impact tourism and the state's $13 billion timber industry, she said.
An unknown number of field offices also will be closed. The emergency dispatch for poaching will be cut off from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Conservation officers also will no longer be available for law enforcement backup, said DNR Spokeswoman Mary DETTLOFF.
Humphries described the cuts as the most "severe budgetary" measures put in place and they only will get worse, she said. The DNR already has swallowed $20 million in program cuts since Fiscal Year (FY) 2005, meaning 50 conservation officer positions have been left vacant.
It's meant scaled back programs fighting bovine TB and other wildlife disease. Fewer personnel are available to fight forest fires, fix trails and mark timber for sale.
A review of the FY 2005 budget passed by the Legislature calls for 2,070 full-time employees. That number moved to 2,082 in FY 2008.
If changes don't improve by April 2008, Humphries said the DNR will stop taking reservations for any state park into Fiscal Year (FY) 2009. It simply may not be open. Humphries said this cut will be a $580 million blow to the economy.
If you feel that these programs are of value and can support the license increase you can contact the following people.
Regarding House Bill 4624 which is currently waiting on the appropriations committee.
Matthew Gillard introduced the bill and is on the committee that it is currently stalled in.
Matthew Gillard
S1485 House Office Building
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514
matthewgillard@house.mi.gov
Phone: 517-373-0833
Fax: 517-373-8446
In addition Contact:
George Cushingberry Jr.
georgecushingberry@house.mi.gov
Phone: 517-373-2276
Fax: 517-373-7186
Senate Bill 0406 is the match to the House Bill and is also sitting in the there appropriations committee.
Contact the following Senators.
Liz Brater
Office Phone: (517) 373-2406
SenLBrater@senate.michigan.gov
Ron Jelinek
Office Phone: (517) 373-6960
SenRJelinek@senate.michigan.gov
Michelle McManus
Office Phone: (517) 373-1725
SenMMcManus@senate.michigan.gov
You can also contact your representative by looking them up here.
http://house.michigan.gov/find_a_rep.asp
You can contact your senator by looking them up here.
http://senate.michigan.gov/FindYourSenator/michiganfys.asp
In addition it’s important you contact the DNR and let them know how upset you are with the proposed closures. That contact can be made here.
Sharon Schafer is the budget chief for the DNR.
Here phone number is 517-335-3276
Her email is schafesm@michigan.gov
If you took the time to make these contacts please post up and let us know. A lot of pressure will be needed to make changes in such a short time but it has been done in the past and can be done again now.
Your letter does not need to be long but it does need to be to the point. Something as simple as the following would work.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing today to express my concern over the proposed cuts the DNR will begin making on November 1st and specifically the closure of the Waterfowl Management Area's. These areas’s provide public access for many waterfowl hunters each year and are a valuable resource for the residents of this great state. These area's not only provide hunting opportunities for the hunters but they provide year round food, resting places and nesting cover for migrating waterfowl, song birds and many other animals. They are an important part of Michigan’s wild places and need to continue to be maintained. Please take this letter to heart and work to keep the waterfowl management area's open to the public as well as the other key programs the DNR has targeted for closure.
Sincerely,
After some research and discussion it was decided that the most feasible solution is to bring pressure on both the legislature and the DNR to come to a solution. Although MDHA has not officially taken a position on the proposed license increases we are being told that they are the solution needed at this time to keep these WMA's open. With that being said we are asking people to make a decision themselves on where they stand on the license increases and make contacts with the following people.
For those of you that are not aware of the closures scheduled here is the press release.
Barring a last-minute legislative decision to accept the Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) hunting and fishing license fee increase package, the department will be forced to lay off 79 employees and discontinue or scale back a number of services, DNR Director Rebecca HUMPHRIES told employees today.
If nothing is done about the situation in the next 12 months, at least 37 state parks and eight interpretative centers will close, meaning a cut of 253 more staff.
Cuts of $8.2 million are needed at the DNR to balance a Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 budget heavily reliant on declining user fee revenue. For most of the year, DNR officials have asked the Legislature to approve a recommended fee increase package.
But after the Legislature swallowed hard on a 10 percent income tax increase and an expansion of the use tax to services, the political will to raise hunting and fishing fees simply isn't there. Word is the Republican-led Senate, in particular, simply is not interested in moving the fee bills after approving $1.4 billion in new revenue for the current Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 budget.
That means starting Nov. 1st; two more campgrounds will be shut down, growing the total to 22. Two of the state's fish hatcheries and a research station will close, putting at risk $2 billion in fishing losses from the roughly 4.5 million fewer salmon and trout in the state's water ways. The state's research vessels will be grounded. About 28,300 acres of waterfowl areas will be closed off to hunters.
Roughly 6,000 nuisance Canadian geese cannot be removed from southeast Michigan as has been the practice. Conservation officer numbers will be reduced, opening the door to more poaching, increased accident and injuries due to hunter safety violations or reckless use of boats, snowmobiles and off-road vehicles, Humphries said.
Cuts in the timber-marking program will impact tourism and the state's $13 billion timber industry, she said.
An unknown number of field offices also will be closed. The emergency dispatch for poaching will be cut off from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Conservation officers also will no longer be available for law enforcement backup, said DNR Spokeswoman Mary DETTLOFF.
Humphries described the cuts as the most "severe budgetary" measures put in place and they only will get worse, she said. The DNR already has swallowed $20 million in program cuts since Fiscal Year (FY) 2005, meaning 50 conservation officer positions have been left vacant.
It's meant scaled back programs fighting bovine TB and other wildlife disease. Fewer personnel are available to fight forest fires, fix trails and mark timber for sale.
A review of the FY 2005 budget passed by the Legislature calls for 2,070 full-time employees. That number moved to 2,082 in FY 2008.
If changes don't improve by April 2008, Humphries said the DNR will stop taking reservations for any state park into Fiscal Year (FY) 2009. It simply may not be open. Humphries said this cut will be a $580 million blow to the economy.
If you feel that these programs are of value and can support the license increase you can contact the following people.
Regarding House Bill 4624 which is currently waiting on the appropriations committee.
Matthew Gillard introduced the bill and is on the committee that it is currently stalled in.
Matthew Gillard
S1485 House Office Building
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514
matthewgillard@house.mi.gov
Phone: 517-373-0833
Fax: 517-373-8446
In addition Contact:
George Cushingberry Jr.
georgecushingberry@house.mi.gov
Phone: 517-373-2276
Fax: 517-373-7186
Senate Bill 0406 is the match to the House Bill and is also sitting in the there appropriations committee.
Contact the following Senators.
Liz Brater
Office Phone: (517) 373-2406
SenLBrater@senate.michigan.gov
Ron Jelinek
Office Phone: (517) 373-6960
SenRJelinek@senate.michigan.gov
Michelle McManus
Office Phone: (517) 373-1725
SenMMcManus@senate.michigan.gov
You can also contact your representative by looking them up here.
http://house.michigan.gov/find_a_rep.asp
You can contact your senator by looking them up here.
http://senate.michigan.gov/FindYourSenator/michiganfys.asp
In addition it’s important you contact the DNR and let them know how upset you are with the proposed closures. That contact can be made here.
Sharon Schafer is the budget chief for the DNR.
Here phone number is 517-335-3276
Her email is schafesm@michigan.gov
If you took the time to make these contacts please post up and let us know. A lot of pressure will be needed to make changes in such a short time but it has been done in the past and can be done again now.
Your letter does not need to be long but it does need to be to the point. Something as simple as the following would work.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing today to express my concern over the proposed cuts the DNR will begin making on November 1st and specifically the closure of the Waterfowl Management Area's. These areas’s provide public access for many waterfowl hunters each year and are a valuable resource for the residents of this great state. These area's not only provide hunting opportunities for the hunters but they provide year round food, resting places and nesting cover for migrating waterfowl, song birds and many other animals. They are an important part of Michigan’s wild places and need to continue to be maintained. Please take this letter to heart and work to keep the waterfowl management area's open to the public as well as the other key programs the DNR has targeted for closure.
Sincerely,