LAST EDITED ON Dec-19-04 AT 08:07PM (MST)[p]My last post on this issue. It is detailed, but there are not simple solutions to complex and large problems.
Marty, first, you don't need to bother calling Washington. There was 1.9 million in the Bush Utah BLM budget for elk and deer habitat restoration, it was cut in the final budget by Congress. The country has a $500 billion deficet, and young men are being killed because not enough body armor. Easy decision, more money so hunters can hunt more deer, or body armor for US Marines, I vote with the congress, give those young men everything we can.
Someone else suggested a slight tax increase. SFW spent $25,000 on a PR campaign for Initiative One, a 1/20 of a percent sales tax. TNC spent $1 million, the voters of Utah just last month rejected this at the ballot box 55% against, 45% in favor. This would have been $55 million for habitat. Moot point, voters of Utah said no.
Utah Governor put $4 Million a year into state wildifle budget for the past 8 years. This is sales tax money, not hunting license money. Someone ask the DWR how come this $4 million doesn't go into habitat?
SFW has asked the legislature for $2 Million more for habitat restoration on federal lands in upcoming session Jan. 05.
600,000 acres of sage brush died due to drought. Environmentalists shut down chaining 15 years ago. Another 400,000 acres could be treatted. SFW has worked with Bush Admin. to get back into this business of mule deer habitat restoration for two years now. I believe close to 60,000 acres was treated this year, and the chains came out for the first time in 15 years!! Some believe sportsmen can't win, we are.
One more problem is the BLM is mostly using bullhog which is costing $200 an acre to treat PJ, a chain will do it for $60. ASk the BLM why they are not using the chain more, it is more cost effective and a lot cheaper?
As far as the peoples wildlife, if you ask the anti-hunting groups that are well organized and funded - they don't sit and fight the people trying to get their agenda done and trash the celebrities that raise them money and media - the publics wildilfe is for the wolves and grizzly bears to eat. The elk hunt in N. Yellowstone was just cancelled, not enough elk, only 12 calves per 100 cows, you need 20 to survive. Grizz and wolves just doing their job, hunters no longer needed.
Now, as far as non-resident oppornity loss or gain. When UFNAWS was started, there were 9 total sheep tags in Utah, and those sheep herds had a catastrophric threat - 2 domestic sheep herds right in the middle of the San Rafael. IN 1986 over 600 Desert Bighorns died because the BLM let a domestic sheep grazer put their permited sheep right in the middle of the San Juan herd. Yes, OUR public land, our public wildlife gone and not the BLM or DWR could or did anything about it.
The public land we all pay taxes on. About 80-90% of the grass allocated on public land is to livestock, not wildlife. The only way to grow herds of wildlife is make federal lands more productive or buy grazing permits when ranchers want to sell. Some ranchers don't like Don Peay because I have helped buy around $4 million worth of grazing permits, and converted the use for more elk, more bison, more sheep, more deer. SFW members donate money, we negotiate the deals and then go throught the laborious process of getting forage allocated to wildlfie. Anyone want to come to work and do this?
The Results Marty, for Non-Resident Hunters:
Zero non-resident tags for sheep then. TAking 10% of the available tags and doing auctions and fundraisers, FNAWS has raised $3.5 million for Utah and started 23 new herds. This past year Utah issued about 55 total sheep tags.
Here are the names of all the non-residents who had Utah tags this year: Billy Dunbar, Alaska; Roger Donahue, New Hampshire;
Randy Lilenquist, Arizona, Al Burke, Wisconsin, Chad Farace, Maryland, Hale Krychec Wyoming, Don McComber Wyoming, David Connor Nevada; Toyvil Manson Florida, and one other, name escapes me. That is going from 0 to 10 a year. Residents sheep hunting opportunity up 500%, Non-resdients up 1000%. Thanks FNAWS and a handful of DWR employees.
Elk in Utah. There used to be 600 trophy tags - 60 for non-residents. Now there are 1350 trophy tags - 135 for non residents. With investmetn in habitat, some biologists think Utah could grow another 20,000 elk, that is 1,000 additional trophy tags from today, nearly a 80% increase from today. that is more, not less.
Several deer units were closed, and after a lot of investment and predator control, a lot of that sponosored by conservation groups there were close to 1,000 awesome deer tags, 100 non residents this year from units that were closed, rebuilt and reopened. Another case of take action, invest, make more.
Turkeys, used to be around 300 permits total, NWTF invested tons of money - SFW got $50,000 a year from legislature, this year over $135,000 spent to bring in 1,400 more birds to Utah. This year, about 1800 turkey permits.
The lists goes on and on and on. MOre opportunity, percentage wise 200 to 500 percent more hunting, and the quality (bigger bucks, bulls and rams) is getting better as well. These groups have made the huge difference.
Let me give you two quotes:
"Utah is going out of the deer business, and there is nothing we can do about it." Mike Welch, Utah DWR Big Game Manager, norhern RAC meeting about 1995.
"The BLM is not interesting in fixing mule deer winter range, we have other priorities." about 1999 when DWR biologists asked to fix deer range south of beaver unit.
So here we are today. With Bush, who has made it very clear, it is a priority to restore rangelands and in fact changed a law via Congress, "the healthy forest initiative" there is a window and a need to fix at least one million acres.
If this is done, Utah can build deer and elk numbers, which means more tags, perhaps thousands more each year.
the US Congress cut funds for 2005, cut the $1.9 Bush had in his budget for Utah projects. The DWR already has $4 million in sales tax money each year, apparantely their priorities for other things are higher, because they have about $45 Million available, and only spend $1 Million on habitat.
Needs each year for the next ten years: 100,000 acres, $100 per acre, $10 Million a year.
Sources: $1 Million DWR. $1 Million from Conservation Permit funds Utah currently has. SFW Request $2 Million from Gov. Huntsman, outgoing Gov. Walker put $200,000 in her proposed budget. BLM, Looking to find somewhere to make up for $1.9 million congress cut. Sen. Bennet got $3.5 Million but that is for entire west, not just Utah, maybee $500,000 gets to Utah.
Shortfall, $6 to $7 Million a year for ten years.
Wolf advocate groups contribution - zero, they got to keep all their money for Public relations and lobbyists to get wolves in to kill everything sportsmen have paid to restore.
NWTF, SFW, FNAWS, RMEF, MDF proposal, allow everyone who wants to come on down the convention, donate what they want, apply for what they want, 1 application for each person, no advantage to rich guys. Hold a concert, maybee raise $1 Million more.
Create huge awarness, get sportsmen excited, maybee get the attention of Congress so they don't cut the funds next time.
Utah has a decision, invest now, or see opportunity lost.
The Conseration Groups have a very strong track record that could be spelled out in very gorry detail about every project funded, all the deals negotiated, etc. go to SFW website and see $6.6 million in projects.
Invest now. Reverse downward trends of habitat and herd sizes. More opportunity for everyone.
Anyone else read this in detail and notice voters already said no, congress cut Bush's proposed budget, legislature has already given $4 million a year. DWR has their priorities for their $45 million a year budget.
Utah needs $6 to $7 million more a year for ten years.
RACS agreed with Conservation Groups proposal, a good start towards a big project.
Out, and done with MM, there is a lot of work to be done. I hope I have outlined some issues facing Utah wildlife and Utah Wildlife habitat. As I said originally, I will answer questions about issues from people who ask reasonably. Name calling and ignorance will not get a response from me, call someone else.
Several emails have come saying in essence "thanks for answering questions, now that i fully understand it, pretty good idea."
There are a whole bunch of great sporstmsen involved making a difference. About 10-15% of those who hunt belong to groups. Since all the results of these groups benefit everyone who hunts, we think it is high time everyone who wants to see trends go up, not down, to get involved.
don
