CA legislation on auction tags

[2rocky]

Do other states allow Conservation orgs to retain a percentage of auction tag proceeds?

Latest bill in California, and I'm not sure I am 100% on board.

SB 1166 - COHA Sponsored Legislation Would Benefit Big Game Conservation Organizations
COHA-sponsored SB 1166, legislation by Senator Tom Berryhill (R/14-Modesto), would allow for conservation organizations that sell select deer or bighorn sheep tags on behalf of the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) to raise funds for agency programs and projects to retain up to 10 percent of the tag sale amount. Often times these tags sell at auction for tens of thousands of dollars at the fundraising events of conservation groups. Yet 100% of the funds generated go straight to DFG with no benefit to the nonprofit groups that partner with DFG on programs and projects to benefit those big game species and their habitats. SB 1166 would recognize the tremendous importance of these groups and their efforts towards big game conservation by allowing them to keep and utilize a portion of the revenues they played a direct role in generating. The bill would make other changes to further ensure that big game tag funds deposited into the Big Game Management Account (established by COHA-sponsored and passed SB 1058 in 2010), are expended primarily to benefit big game species and hunting opportunity.

SB 1166 passed out of the Senate on a unanimous bi-partisan 32 - 0 vote on May 30th. The bill is now in the Assembly where it will first be heard in Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee later this month.

Your thoughts? Mine is green= good, purple....I dunno. Seems like the good outweighs the potential bad...

Some other states have been down this road, and while we don't have SFW, we don't want to attract them with the smell of $$$$

 

[jryoung]

10% seems to be the going rate. I can understand being compensated for your effort but I don't like these plays at all.

In CA hunting opportunity is already limited. Now, some of the best tags will be available to the highest bidder. I like the idea of raising funds for Fish and Game, but not that the expense of everyday public land hunters.

This is why I like capped raffles, you get extra funds and nearly everyone has a fair shot. Auctions however, especially for Elk and Sheep will easily go for tens of thousands of dollars, and possibly over a hundred thousand dollars for sheep.

I'm glad to see Fish and Game get additional funds, but I don't like the cost.

 

[Ben Lamb]

10% on Governor's tags is standard.

I get less comfortable with these tags each year, but do think that if 90% of the money goes back to the resource, I'm okay with it.

Most of the orgs auctioning or selling these tags don't make much money at all once you figure in the marketing costs, etc that they have to fund in order to make these successful.

The MT Sheep tag went for $330,000 this year. $30,000 to MT WSF is a good chunk of change. Not sure what they spent advertising though.

 

[Dinkshooter]

Probably not much, MT sheep tags pretty much speak for themselves.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Yes, but you still have to let people know where, etc.

I'd much rather have MTWSF get that money than MDF or SFW.

P.S. Go vote in the primaries today!

 

[jlmatthew]

I'd much rather have MTWSF get that money than MDF or SFW.

MDF is pretty much a front company for SFW anymore. Seem like the convention and Utah is the only thing they care about anymore. After this year my support of them is done.