ColoradoOak
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The Parks and Wildlife Commission was mailed a CPW issue paper last week which proposes a new private land access program for bighorn sheep, to replace the existing Ranching for Wildlife bighorn sheep access program. The issue paper will be formally introduced at the PWC meeting next Tuesday, and can be read at http://www.bighornsheep.org/11_Bighorn_Sheep_Private_Land_Access_Issue_FINAL.pdf
Some important differences between the existing RFW program and the proposed program include:
?A reduction in deeded acreage required to qualify, from 12,000 to 5,000
?A change in ram license allocation from the current 1:1 public/private split to a 2:1 or 3:1 allocation favoring the landowners, depending on the option chosen by the landowner
?A minimum of 60% of the bighorn sheep in the DAU must reside on private land or State Trust Land not currently accessible by the public for a ranch to be eligible
?No requirement for the participating ranches to conduct habitat management actions
Other notable aspects of the proposed program include:
?The two ranches currently enrolled in the RFW program at the 1:1 allocation will transition to the new program when their existing contracts have been fulfilled
?Public license hunters may be restricted from spike camping on ranches unless that benefit is offered to the private license hunters
?Successful public license hunters will be subject to the 5 year wait before reapplying in the state draw for a bighorn ram license or preference point, while successful private license hunters will not have the same restriction
The Rocky Mountain Bighorn Society Board is concerned with many aspects of the proposed program. Our greatest concern is with loss of the public resource to private interests. The proposed program reduces the public allocation of licenses on participating ranches and does nothing to benefit wild sheep. This proposal continues the trend of privatizing our wildlife in the state, at the cost of lost opportunity for the hunters that cannot afford to pay $35K-$60k for a private land sheep license.
The existing bighorn sheep RFW program likely does need some changes made to accommodate the ranches that do not wish to participate in the deer and elk portion of the program (currently a requirement to participate with bighorn sheep). However, the threefold increase in private ram licenses under the proposed program is a slap in the face to Colorado hunters who fund the vast majority of wildlife management in the state.
The RMBS will be testifying in opposition to the proposed program at the PWC meeting next week in Grand Junction. I encourage those of you who cannot attend the meeting in person to please email the Commission with your thoughts on the proposal. You may email them at: [email protected]
If you wish to send comments directly to the Commissioners so that they receive them prior to the meeting, please use the following addresses:
Robert Bray, Chairman: [email protected]
Chris Castilian: [email protected]
Jeanne Horne: [email protected]
John Howard: [email protected]
Bill Kane: [email protected]
Dale Pizel: [email protected]
James Pribyl: [email protected]
Jim Vigil: [email protected]
Dean Wingfield: [email protected]
Michelle Zimmerman: [email protected]
Alexander Zipp: [email protected]
Mike King, Executive Director DNR, Ex-Officio PWC member: [email protected]
Don Brown, Commissioner of Agriculture, Ex-Officio PWC member: [email protected]
Bob Broscheid, Director CPW, Ex-Officio PWC member: [email protected]
Some important differences between the existing RFW program and the proposed program include:
?A reduction in deeded acreage required to qualify, from 12,000 to 5,000
?A change in ram license allocation from the current 1:1 public/private split to a 2:1 or 3:1 allocation favoring the landowners, depending on the option chosen by the landowner
?A minimum of 60% of the bighorn sheep in the DAU must reside on private land or State Trust Land not currently accessible by the public for a ranch to be eligible
?No requirement for the participating ranches to conduct habitat management actions
Other notable aspects of the proposed program include:
?The two ranches currently enrolled in the RFW program at the 1:1 allocation will transition to the new program when their existing contracts have been fulfilled
?Public license hunters may be restricted from spike camping on ranches unless that benefit is offered to the private license hunters
?Successful public license hunters will be subject to the 5 year wait before reapplying in the state draw for a bighorn ram license or preference point, while successful private license hunters will not have the same restriction
The Rocky Mountain Bighorn Society Board is concerned with many aspects of the proposed program. Our greatest concern is with loss of the public resource to private interests. The proposed program reduces the public allocation of licenses on participating ranches and does nothing to benefit wild sheep. This proposal continues the trend of privatizing our wildlife in the state, at the cost of lost opportunity for the hunters that cannot afford to pay $35K-$60k for a private land sheep license.
The existing bighorn sheep RFW program likely does need some changes made to accommodate the ranches that do not wish to participate in the deer and elk portion of the program (currently a requirement to participate with bighorn sheep). However, the threefold increase in private ram licenses under the proposed program is a slap in the face to Colorado hunters who fund the vast majority of wildlife management in the state.
The RMBS will be testifying in opposition to the proposed program at the PWC meeting next week in Grand Junction. I encourage those of you who cannot attend the meeting in person to please email the Commission with your thoughts on the proposal. You may email them at: [email protected]
If you wish to send comments directly to the Commissioners so that they receive them prior to the meeting, please use the following addresses:
Robert Bray, Chairman: [email protected]
Chris Castilian: [email protected]
Jeanne Horne: [email protected]
John Howard: [email protected]
Bill Kane: [email protected]
Dale Pizel: [email protected]
James Pribyl: [email protected]
Jim Vigil: [email protected]
Dean Wingfield: [email protected]
Michelle Zimmerman: [email protected]
Alexander Zipp: [email protected]
Mike King, Executive Director DNR, Ex-Officio PWC member: [email protected]
Don Brown, Commissioner of Agriculture, Ex-Officio PWC member: [email protected]
Bob Broscheid, Director CPW, Ex-Officio PWC member: [email protected]