GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL TO CHANGE WILDLIFE FUNDING
Governor Bill Owens yesterday signed House Bill 1266 which provides new funding to protect and enhance Colorado's tremendous wildlife resource.
The bill was supported by the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW), hunting and fishing organizations, environmentalists, and thousands of individual sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts statewide. House Bill 1266, sponsored by Reps. Joe Stengel, R-Littleton, and Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, and Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, raises resident hunting and fishing license fees for the first time since 1992. It also creates a fund to protect vital wildlife habitat and establishes a small surcharge to help fund public education efforts regarding wildlife management in the state.
"The three elements of this bill – the license fee increase, the habitat stamp, and the public education surcharge – were developed jointly by sportsmen and environmentalists," said DOW Director Bruce McCloskey. "It is the most cooperative, broad-based measure I've seen in years and it will make a positive difference for wildlife sooner rather than later."
The bill was drafted over two years through a series of public meetings attended by sportsmen's organizations, conservationists, and interested members of the public. Concepts for the bill were developed and debated at local and regional meetings and ideas were then refined during state Sportsmen's Advisory Group (SAG) meetings.
The license fee increase will allow the DOW to continue current operations while achieving the goals laid out in the agency's 2002-2007 Strategic Plan; a document that was also developed with the help of hundreds of Colorado residents.
The license fee increase will take effect January 1, 2006 and will raise the cost of a resident fishing license from $20 to $25. A resident deer license will cost $30 instead of the current $20. Also starting in 2006, resident senior (65 and over) fishing licenses will be free. Currently seniors pay $10 for an annual fishing license. A complete list of license fees is available on the DOW Web site:
http://wildlife.state.co.us/LicenseFeeProposal/fee_increase.asp
In addition to providing the first residential hunting and fishing license fee increase in 13 years, the bill creates the Colorado Wildlife Habitat Stamp. The stamp will fund projects to protect important wildlife habitat and improve hunting and fishing access in the state.
The habitat stamp will be required for anyone between the ages of 19 and 64 who fishes or hunts in Colorado. A $5 stamp will be required on the first two licenses a person purchases during a calendar year. A stamp is also required for entry into any designated state wildlife area and a $10 stamp is available for that purpose for anyone who does not hold a valid, Colorado hunting or fishing license.
A third provision of HB 05-1266 is a 75-cent surcharge on licenses that would fund the Colorado Wildlife Management Public Education Advisory Council. The council was created by the Colorado legislature in 1998 to design and implement a comprehensive media program to educate the public about the values of wildlife, wildlife management, and wildlife recreation. The council has had limited funding and the legislation provides the necessary funds to carry out the organization's legislative mission.
"The bottom line is that this legislation would not have been possible without the hard work of a whole bunch of people," said McCloskey. "DOW Regional Manager Ron Velarde and avid outdoorsman Denny Behrens co-chaired the SAG process and carried the water on this bill for more than two years. The bill sponsors were tireless advocates for this effort. Numerous sportsmen and sportswomen came out to testify passionately on behalf of Colorado's wildlife. And the support from environmental organizations ultimately carried the bill through the legislature."
Now that the bill has been signed into law, regional and statewide SAG meetings will focus on its implementation and on other wildlife management issues.
"I'll be leaning on the Sportsmen's Advisory Group heavily as we look for new and innovative solutions to the challenges facing Colorado wildlife in the next few years," added McCloskey.
Governor Bill Owens yesterday signed House Bill 1266 which provides new funding to protect and enhance Colorado's tremendous wildlife resource.
The bill was supported by the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW), hunting and fishing organizations, environmentalists, and thousands of individual sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts statewide. House Bill 1266, sponsored by Reps. Joe Stengel, R-Littleton, and Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, and Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, raises resident hunting and fishing license fees for the first time since 1992. It also creates a fund to protect vital wildlife habitat and establishes a small surcharge to help fund public education efforts regarding wildlife management in the state.
"The three elements of this bill – the license fee increase, the habitat stamp, and the public education surcharge – were developed jointly by sportsmen and environmentalists," said DOW Director Bruce McCloskey. "It is the most cooperative, broad-based measure I've seen in years and it will make a positive difference for wildlife sooner rather than later."
The bill was drafted over two years through a series of public meetings attended by sportsmen's organizations, conservationists, and interested members of the public. Concepts for the bill were developed and debated at local and regional meetings and ideas were then refined during state Sportsmen's Advisory Group (SAG) meetings.
The license fee increase will allow the DOW to continue current operations while achieving the goals laid out in the agency's 2002-2007 Strategic Plan; a document that was also developed with the help of hundreds of Colorado residents.
The license fee increase will take effect January 1, 2006 and will raise the cost of a resident fishing license from $20 to $25. A resident deer license will cost $30 instead of the current $20. Also starting in 2006, resident senior (65 and over) fishing licenses will be free. Currently seniors pay $10 for an annual fishing license. A complete list of license fees is available on the DOW Web site:
http://wildlife.state.co.us/LicenseFeeProposal/fee_increase.asp
In addition to providing the first residential hunting and fishing license fee increase in 13 years, the bill creates the Colorado Wildlife Habitat Stamp. The stamp will fund projects to protect important wildlife habitat and improve hunting and fishing access in the state.
The habitat stamp will be required for anyone between the ages of 19 and 64 who fishes or hunts in Colorado. A $5 stamp will be required on the first two licenses a person purchases during a calendar year. A stamp is also required for entry into any designated state wildlife area and a $10 stamp is available for that purpose for anyone who does not hold a valid, Colorado hunting or fishing license.
A third provision of HB 05-1266 is a 75-cent surcharge on licenses that would fund the Colorado Wildlife Management Public Education Advisory Council. The council was created by the Colorado legislature in 1998 to design and implement a comprehensive media program to educate the public about the values of wildlife, wildlife management, and wildlife recreation. The council has had limited funding and the legislation provides the necessary funds to carry out the organization's legislative mission.
"The bottom line is that this legislation would not have been possible without the hard work of a whole bunch of people," said McCloskey. "DOW Regional Manager Ron Velarde and avid outdoorsman Denny Behrens co-chaired the SAG process and carried the water on this bill for more than two years. The bill sponsors were tireless advocates for this effort. Numerous sportsmen and sportswomen came out to testify passionately on behalf of Colorado's wildlife. And the support from environmental organizations ultimately carried the bill through the legislature."
Now that the bill has been signed into law, regional and statewide SAG meetings will focus on its implementation and on other wildlife management issues.
"I'll be leaning on the Sportsmen's Advisory Group heavily as we look for new and innovative solutions to the challenges facing Colorado wildlife in the next few years," added McCloskey.
Just wait...there's gonna be a whole lot of bitching and whining going on.
