DNR Cuts??

[J - Rod]

News said that were cutting 80 DNR personel. Anyone know if that is it? Are they going to end up closing those 2 hatcheries and cutting salmon stocks?

[thousandcasts]

Yep. 79 of those positions will be CO's and yes, hatcheries will be closing.

This is what happens when license fee increases don't go through due to so called "sportsmen" b***hing about them.

[stinger63]

Yep. 79 of those positions will be CO's and yes, hatcheries will be closing.

This is what happens when license fee increases don't go through due to so called "sportsmen" b***hing about them.

This is what happenes when the govenor and her state legislators start siphoning money out of the dnrs budget and then the sports say we have had enough because we know that license fee increases are only going to be used for increases in their pay salaries.

[zx10r2004]

This is what happenes when the govenor and her state legislators start siphoning money out of the dnrs budget and then the sports say we have had enough because we know that license fee increases are only going to be used for increases in their pay salaries.:yeahthat::banghead3

[thousandcasts]

This is what happenes when the govenor and her state legislators start siphoning money out of the dnrs budget and then the sports say we have had enough because we know that license fee increases are only going to be used for increases in their pay salaries.

Uh...no. The DNR tried to address their funding concerns well over ten years ago and put in place a series of license fee increases to be implemented over a period of several years. However, after the first increase of $1 there was the usual public outcry from so called sportsmen so the ENGLER administration and his appointed director KL Kool put a freeze on the increases--knowing full well that they'd get to the point where we are now.

[fishlkmich]

I didn't know that hunting and fishing license fees were used to pay for the legislator's and governor's salaries. Now it makes sense that they should close hatcheries, layoff conservation officers and stop many other programs. Everyone knows that the salaries for our elected government officials comprises less than .01% of the total government expenditures. Having all of that money coming out of license fees certainly justifies not increasing license fees. After all, nobody here catches more than $30.00 - $40.00 worth of fish each year and nobody shoots enough game to justify an increase in hunting license fees.

[chriswaterford2]

I didn't know that hunting and fishing license fees were used to pay for the legislator's and governor's salaries. Now it makes sense that they should close hatcheries, layoff conservation officers and stop many other programs. Everyone knows that the salaries for our elected government officials comprises less than .01% of the total government expenditures. Having all of that money coming out of license fees certainly justifies not increasing license fees. After all, nobody here catches more than $30.00 - $40.00 worth of fish each year and nobody shoots enough game to justify an increase in hunting license fees.

Quite spilling hogwash...revenue from hunting and fishing sales are not siphoned to support legislators' salaries.
Legislators are paid out of the general budget. What happens is that the more money spent on legislators from general funds means less general funds for the DNR and a greater need to rely on license revenue.

[wally-eye]

A few years ago I brought home 60 walleyes over the course of the summer...then brought home 2 deer............you trying to tell me that this isn't worth more than $30 or $40...........hell fricken yes I'd support a license increase....

You went to the fish market lately and tried to buy a pound of walleye???? Kind of high priced huh........

[Reel_Screamer86]

Yep. 79 of those positions will be CO's and yes, hatcheries will be closing.

This is what happens when license fee increases don't go through due to so called "sportsmen" b***hing about them.

That is so wrong... Since when does the state listen to someone b***hing .......!!!!!!!!!!!! They do what they want anyway's.....

[fishlkmich]

OK, let’s say we take $20,000 from each of the 38 Senator’s salaries, 110 Representative’s salaries, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor’s salaries. That amounts to $3,000,000.

“Over 90 percent of the DNR’s programs and services are paid for with restricted funds (user fees, license and permit sales) and federal pass-through monies (Pittman-Robertson). The state General Fund provides just 8.7 percent (about $25 million) of the DNR’s total budget, down from 23.3 percent just a few years ago. Of that 8.7 percent, half is appropriated specifically for payments in lieu of taxes, a fee paid to local units of government as compensation for lost tax revenue on state land.”

The $3,000,000 would just be a drop in the bucket. Three million added to a quarter billion dollar budet (give or take) might help them a little bit. Since 90% of their revenue comes from fees I’m guessing that the cuts are because we aren’t paying them enough. But, go ahead and place blame elsewhere.

[wally-eye]

Gonna be kind of tough when they stop planting salmon.......a few years and it'll be back to trying to catch browns and greasers again.....hell, it was good enough back then............

[salmon_slayer06]

Its a loseing battle. Our great Lake State is being over run by a bunch of idiots.

[thousandcasts]

Its a loseing battle. Our great Lake State is being over run by a bunch of idiots.

Yeah, and most of them are whining about a license fee increase. :rolleyes:

[thousandcasts]

Legislature slow to act on DNR funding crisis

http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/grpres...430.xml&coll=6

11/02/07 By Howard Meyerson The Grand Rapids Press hmeyerson@grpress.com

For 1.2 million anglers in the state, 800,000 hunters and millions of state park and state forest users, these are truly troubling times. On matters of natural resource management, the Michigan legislature seems to have lost its bearings.

Rather than an august body that articulates its understanding and support for natural resource stewardship and its value to citizens and the economy, it is mired in partisan muscle flexing with no clear vision.

In part, the problem lies with hiring a bunch of rookies. Their objectives are short term. They have no sense of Michigan's conservation history. They barely grasp that Michigan's landscape and waterscape make the state unique and special.

But what's worse is that senior leadership appears willing to sacrifice Michigan's conservation heritage. Nothing illustrates that more clearly than the legislature's foot-dragging on the DNR license fee package.

The bills have been sitting since March. But legislators seem unable to muster the courage to do what is right.

As a result, the DNR is moving ahead with deep cuts to its programs. Its conservation officers, managed waterfowl areas, creel surveys, hiking trails, campgrounds, wildlife research programs and more are all on the chopping block.

"They (legislative leadership) said they have no interest in passing fee increases after passing tax increases," said Mary Detloff the spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. "And the NRA is lobbying hard not to pass the fee increase."

That's great. So the Michigan legislature is now kow-towing to the National Rifle Association.

Makes you wonder who those legislators work for when Michigan's own hunting and angling community, represented through Michigan United Conservation Clubs, supports the fees.

It is pathetic that the Michigan legislature would listen to the NRA malarkey at all. The decision to raise fees wasn't made in a snap. The legislature has known about the problem for quite awhile.

License fees were last increased in 1996. Meanwhile the cost to do business has steadily increased. The DNR was forced increasingly to rely on user fees under the Engler administration as general fund money steadily declined. Those decisions have the legislature's signature all over them.

The recommendation for an increase came from a special DNR task force in 2006, convened to study the problem after the DNR began talking about the staggering cuts that would be needed.

The legislature, in its infinite wisdom, announced this week that it will study the problem of long-term funding for the DNR until Jan. 15. That translates to 12 actual working days between now and then, according to Detloff.

Meanwhile, the DNR, having warned of this for over a year, now must cut its programs deeply. It is not allowed to operate with a budget deficit.

The state budget approved this week leaves the DNR with a number of holes to fill by cutting. That includes a $2.5 million in game and fish fund programs and a million dollar cut in general fund appropriations.

The legislature tied its hands by prohibiting the DNR from closing the two fish hatcheries, proposed by DNR director Becky Humphries.

"We now have to find 900,000 other dollars to cut since they said no to hatcheries," Detloff said. "When we sent our list of cuts to them Monday they didn't like any of the cuts. But they don't want to vote on the fee increase. It's like a dog chasing its tail.

"The director is moving forward with her list of cuts other than the hatcheries. But we have cut more than $20 million since 2005 and there is nothing left but bleeders," Detloff said.

The $2.5 million fish and game fund deficit will bloom to $13 million in 2009 if nothing is done, according to DNR projections. Meanwhile, 14 conservation officers are expected to go first, as early as January

The $1 million dollar general fund cut will impact state forest recreation programs and wildlife disease monitoring.

"We won't be maintaining any state forest trails this winter and will be forced to close more state forest campgrounds," Detloff said.

The DNR also faces another funding crises. As many as 37 state parks could be closed next year if nothing is done solve the agency's funding issues. The state park fund, which is stable this fiscal year, will face a $5.4 million deficit next year.

The state park problem will not be solved by raising license fees. All of its money comes from state park users who pay entry and camping fees. But it is a problem that directly impacts this state's natural land legacy.

It further illustrates the need for a more comprehensive approach to conservation funding in Michigan beyond user fees. That problem needs to be addressed by an attentive legislature working in cooperation with the DNR rather than against it. It requires a legislature that is concerned about Michigan's conservation legacy and heritage.

A legislature that isn't concerned is one that is not doing its job.

[Spanky]

I would say that Howard is dead on! This is truly a bunch of BS. I'd like to personally set every one of our legislators down and slap em with a cold king:rant: skien, right in the mouth. SPLAT!:evil:

My biggest gripe is.................we have known this was gonna happen almost 2 yrs ago. I guarantee if there was a bill on the docket to raise the benifits of legislators, it would go through before thanksgiving. Its pretty messed up where these idiots put their priorities. Can't come up with less than a billion to keep an 80 billion dollar paycheck comming. Thats quite a return on an investment.:rant:

The NRA belongs in the same looney bin as these idiots!

No
Resource
A..holes

[CL-Lewiston]

Does anyone have any hard info about the NRA opposing license fee increases. The NRA is opposed to most of the restrictions on CPLs but they (the restrictions) remain. The legislature dont just jump for any group. The NRA dont even vote here-some members but they cant even be counted on for 'voting the line' ie agreeing on much of anything. Best most set on the fence and wonder what to do.

We have a number of bills (gun related) that could be passed if we could agree-including license increases.

We might think about tying license fees to legislators pay-when one goes up-they both go up afterall MOST of the DNR budget is SALARYS (ie paychecks).

The legislator must recgonize that a portion of the DNRs budget must come from the gen fund and lately that is DECREASING and is now just about NOTHING. How many times do COs get called to assist in drug busts?? The local cops love to have a CO along as the whole bust changes.

[steelhead007]

i get so sick of hearing about this crap and all the cuts and us sportsman are the ones that pay the price:mad:

[reelbusy2]

I'd say the biggest hurt on their budget is the $ gas bill $.Heck a few years ago you could get chicken arms for .30 per pound now your talkin $2.00 per pound. We're going to have to pay more for EVERYTHING!