CRITICAL WILDLIFE FUNDING IN COLORADO
In May, Colorado Governor Bill Owens signed a bill that will tremendously impact the future of hunting. Broad support of the bill by sportsmen, outdoors enthusiasts, and environmentalists led to its passage.
The bill has three components: license increases, a Habitat Stamp, and a 75-cent surcharge. Beginning in 2006, there will be increases in hunting and fishing license costs. For example, residents fishing licenses went from $15 to $25 and deer licenses from $20 to $30. Most nonresident license fees remain the same, but both residents and nonresidents will have to purchase a $10 Habitat Stamp.
While those needed revenues will help the state wildlife agency, it is the third component of the bill that's so intriguing. The bill created a 75-cent surcharge on all licenses to fund the Colorado Wildlife Management Public Education Advisory Fund, administered by a Council. That Council was created in 1998 with the mandate to implement a media education program on the importance of our system of wildlife management. Needless to say, our urbanized society doesn't know that hunting is a major contributor to all wildlife management. Nor do they understand that license revenues, combined with the federal excise tax on hunting and fishing equipment, pays for much of wildlife and fisheries management, education, and enforcement.
Creating a "Drink Milk" media approach to hunting, whereby public service announcements on wildlife management will be developed and used on television, was tested in Colorado and proved effective in changing public opinion on hunting-related issues. Unfortunately, the program lacked funding, but now that funding problem has been solved.
As this media campaign develops, other states may wish to "copy" the Colorado model to educate all citizens on the value of hunting. In fact, a group of pro-wildlife folks, led by Alan Taylor of Michigan, created The Nimrod Society, which works to generate self-funding state and national education programs aimed at educating the pubic about the important role that hunters and anglers play in society. For more information, go to www.nimrodsociety.org.
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