Sportsman dollars wasted????

[Mark Albrecht]

I see yesterday the Montana FWP asked the EQC legislative committee for license fee increases. I am not completely against fee increases but as a user tax I want my dollars spent wisely. At the same meeting FWP reported spending $522,000 for a forestry study despite also stating that they make almost nothing on lumber. $2,500 for 1.7 million board feet harvested from Mount Haggin in the past. $17,000 for 1.4 million board feet in Ovando. I was also made aware of hazers being used to haze elk off lands with an FWP easement for wintering over in the Madison Valley. I will not claim I have all the facts but maybe we need to take a closer look at our license(tax) dollars. I don't see why we would pay to lose money on forestry projects but maybe I am missing something. Can't see why we pay for wintering and then haze elk off?

Any one able to help me understand?

 

[katqanna]

I'm having a hell of a time getting the audio or video to load from the EQC site to listen to this subjects review. It was a 6 hour file. Could be high traffic volume bogging the site down. I am trying to download the audio now and it is showing a 2 hour time frame for an MP3, so that may take awhile. If I can get it fully downloaded, I can edit for just that portion and make it more easily available.

At any rate, I did get the 97 page PDF of the study. Just glancing through this, this study involves a time frame of 15 - ten year periods for 150 years. Everything coming out for habitat here in the west involves climate change and they are saying that before they even get models out, the climate is changing faster than their modeling, making it obsolete. Climate change is not a factor in this study. Nor does wildlife habitat, specifically elk have any mention.

A Brief Review of the Scientific Literature on Elk, Roads, & Traffic discusses logging on page 7, citing a 1998 study in Montana of pre-logging, logging and post-logging phases and found that open road avoidance typified elk behavior during all 3 phases and that elk selected for relatively non-road-affected areas. There were other studies that discussed the effects of roads on elk pregnancies and habitat security here.

I have been concerned about the growing private elk herds on ranches, with the declining elk herds on public lands, this logging on FWP WMA's would, in my opinion, impact deer and elk populations, not only in birth rates, but habitat security, contributing to the growing private land herds. Another factor is coverage that will be removed as a result of the logging, which leaves ungulates more susceptible to predation. Look at those before and after pictures in the study. I'm looking at the chart on pdf page 10 and for Region 3, which part of has been in an elk population decline for a decade, there are 10,171 commercial forested acres available for harvest according to this study. What impact is that going to have, especially with required annual timber sales resulting in no positive income. According to MCA 87-1-621 states that all income derived from this program, "must be used by the department to implement forest management projects."

Taking into consideration the amount of money Mark mentioned that FWP Sportsmens dollars paid for this forestry report, as well as the small amount received for the timber harvested, I think there is more than a fiscal accountability for this "forestry management", we also need to factor in the wildlife that will be impacted in these areas and what impact that has economically on hunting opportunities. I am sure outfitting and private landowners will benefit, but what about the public land hunter?

Jim Bailey pointed out that under MCA 87-1-622 (FWP Forest Management Plan) that this study that cost FWP Sportsmens dollars $522,000, has to be redetermined every 5 years. Thats $104,400 per year for the study. As Mark pointed out the income from the timber, it is no where near the $104,400 a year. This requirement appears to be a guaranteed hemorrhage of FWP sportsmens dollars while compromising our Wildlife Management Areas for their intended use - wildlife.