I know doing what we do comes with some of things that are not roses and butterflies. But, the last few years with the privacy invasions and burdens of film permit applications, I'm about ready to throw my hands in the air and say screw it; I'll just hunt where I don't need film permits.
A lot of people know that we are one of the few content producers that goes through the public land film permit process. Given how burdensome it is, I can see why compliance rates are so low.
Recently, there has been a big increase in people making requests for our film permit applications under the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA). Those applications required detailed plans of where we will be filming, when, a daily operating plan, maps, you name it.
Depending upon the office or agency, they may also require my SSN or other personal information. Now, via FOIA requests, most of my personal information is known by a handful of folks who have used that to compromise my accounts with game and fish agencies.
Here is the most recent FOIA request for our Wyoming hunts last year. No biggie. Not the first time, probably won't be the last.
In that request are documents that contain personal information. It also provides the name of the person making the request.
I reached out to the person who made the request and told them I'm happy to help answer any questions. They responded with a heated barrage of how I never responded to their email when they asked for help a few years back, how I blew him off, how (insert unhappiness here), and blah, blah, blah.
Roll forward a few weeks and I get a follow up email from this person about my Utah applications. One way they could get into someone's UT account is with the SSN and DOB of that applicant. Being the smart ass this guy is, he sent me the following email with information only known by accessing my Utah application history.
The guy has since sent me emails asking for more film permit information. Good luck with that pal.
This is not the first incident. My MT FWP account was almost public knowledge before they changed to a newer system. That seems to have helped in MT. Not sure what to do about UT.
The reason I posted this today is we are doing our 2019 film applications and even more detailed information has been requested that if obtained under a FOIA request, would be even more revealing of my personal information and some of the folks who are minority owner in our little enterprise. Given all of this, I'm about over the entire process of film permits and applying for such.
It is not so much the cost of $15-20K per year. I should pay for use of public resources.
It is the burdensome applications that will take one full-time person most of the summer to apply for these permits. It is the delays when understaffed agencies get into busy fire seasons and a film permit becomes a very low priority, with good reason. It is the restrictions of where we can be, what we can do, how we can do it, made even harder to swallow when those who do not apply for film permits (and there are many), film in Wilderness Areas, film anytime they want, where they want, etc.
It is the agency consolidations/budget cuts that result in numerous emails and phone calls being unreturned because they have not filled the position of the person responsible for permitting commercial activity, such as film permits. Hard to get a phone or email reply when there is no employee currently hired for that position. In the past we have burned tags because we could not get a film permit in time and the season came and went while we waited for a reply to our film permit request. Recently I started keeping email and phone call logs of my requests and if such were not returned we went on our hunt, and upon our return, I called the agency and asked where I send the money, being they still don't have a permitting employee on staff in that region/district/office.
If you wonder why we hunt/apply where we do, more and more of it is driven by film permit issues. Some of these agencies are great and when I explain to them why I don't want to provide certain information, they find a way to work around it. They are all understaffed and when a film permit comes in and they have a desk full of other higher priority permit requests, it is hard for them to make time for a permit that allows me and a camera guy to wander the hills with the rest of the hunters.
This country needs a FOIA. Not sure we need to treat small film crews like Hollywood film groups that result in film permit applications containing personal information that can be obtained via FOIA requests. What I don't need is the increasing number of jerks who use that as their way to find where we hunt or use it to compromise my personal accounts with game and fish agencies.
And to the anonymous ass that turned in a friend of twenty years for "illegal outfitting," because he tagged along on a hunt, I hope there is justice in this world. What a waste of officer time to investigate; almost embarrassing for the investigator. Nothing was provided other than some good laughs and chuckles about bad shots and failed stalks. Guess it was good that the friend paid for his own gas to/from the hunt. He did eat a few of our Hostess Donettes. And I did bum a cup of coffee from him each morning when he drove from his house to our motel to join up. If ever there was incentive for us to never ask any family or friends to join us on hunts and be exposed to that kind of headache, events like that are surely a good way to get us there.
Welcome to my world.
With all of that, it has been quite a winter for us. Sorry for the rant. If I'm not responsive to emails or PMs, it's because I'm gonna veg out for a few days.
A lot of people know that we are one of the few content producers that goes through the public land film permit process. Given how burdensome it is, I can see why compliance rates are so low.
Recently, there has been a big increase in people making requests for our film permit applications under the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA). Those applications required detailed plans of where we will be filming, when, a daily operating plan, maps, you name it.
Depending upon the office or agency, they may also require my SSN or other personal information. Now, via FOIA requests, most of my personal information is known by a handful of folks who have used that to compromise my accounts with game and fish agencies.
Here is the most recent FOIA request for our Wyoming hunts last year. No biggie. Not the first time, probably won't be the last.
In that request are documents that contain personal information. It also provides the name of the person making the request.
I reached out to the person who made the request and told them I'm happy to help answer any questions. They responded with a heated barrage of how I never responded to their email when they asked for help a few years back, how I blew him off, how (insert unhappiness here), and blah, blah, blah.
Roll forward a few weeks and I get a follow up email from this person about my Utah applications. One way they could get into someone's UT account is with the SSN and DOB of that applicant. Being the smart ass this guy is, he sent me the following email with information only known by accessing my Utah application history.
The guy has since sent me emails asking for more film permit information. Good luck with that pal.
This is not the first incident. My MT FWP account was almost public knowledge before they changed to a newer system. That seems to have helped in MT. Not sure what to do about UT.
The reason I posted this today is we are doing our 2019 film applications and even more detailed information has been requested that if obtained under a FOIA request, would be even more revealing of my personal information and some of the folks who are minority owner in our little enterprise. Given all of this, I'm about over the entire process of film permits and applying for such.
It is not so much the cost of $15-20K per year. I should pay for use of public resources.
It is the burdensome applications that will take one full-time person most of the summer to apply for these permits. It is the delays when understaffed agencies get into busy fire seasons and a film permit becomes a very low priority, with good reason. It is the restrictions of where we can be, what we can do, how we can do it, made even harder to swallow when those who do not apply for film permits (and there are many), film in Wilderness Areas, film anytime they want, where they want, etc.
It is the agency consolidations/budget cuts that result in numerous emails and phone calls being unreturned because they have not filled the position of the person responsible for permitting commercial activity, such as film permits. Hard to get a phone or email reply when there is no employee currently hired for that position. In the past we have burned tags because we could not get a film permit in time and the season came and went while we waited for a reply to our film permit request. Recently I started keeping email and phone call logs of my requests and if such were not returned we went on our hunt, and upon our return, I called the agency and asked where I send the money, being they still don't have a permitting employee on staff in that region/district/office.
If you wonder why we hunt/apply where we do, more and more of it is driven by film permit issues. Some of these agencies are great and when I explain to them why I don't want to provide certain information, they find a way to work around it. They are all understaffed and when a film permit comes in and they have a desk full of other higher priority permit requests, it is hard for them to make time for a permit that allows me and a camera guy to wander the hills with the rest of the hunters.
This country needs a FOIA. Not sure we need to treat small film crews like Hollywood film groups that result in film permit applications containing personal information that can be obtained via FOIA requests. What I don't need is the increasing number of jerks who use that as their way to find where we hunt or use it to compromise my personal accounts with game and fish agencies.
And to the anonymous ass that turned in a friend of twenty years for "illegal outfitting," because he tagged along on a hunt, I hope there is justice in this world. What a waste of officer time to investigate; almost embarrassing for the investigator. Nothing was provided other than some good laughs and chuckles about bad shots and failed stalks. Guess it was good that the friend paid for his own gas to/from the hunt. He did eat a few of our Hostess Donettes. And I did bum a cup of coffee from him each morning when he drove from his house to our motel to join up. If ever there was incentive for us to never ask any family or friends to join us on hunts and be exposed to that kind of headache, events like that are surely a good way to get us there.
Welcome to my world.
With all of that, it has been quite a winter for us. Sorry for the rant. If I'm not responsive to emails or PMs, it's because I'm gonna veg out for a few days.
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