Iowan
Active Member
- Messages
- 541
The Iowa House has a bill that will require the Iowa DNR to sell $20 million in public lands and they may not use the funds to acqurie more public lands. For those that do not know Iowa has very little public land - I think we rank 48th of 50 states. I thought this BS was promoted only out west. Do not take for granted the vast amounts of public land we all enjoy (in some areas) - there are many that would like to see it farmed, mined, drilled, cut, paved, etc. I have not hunted public land in Iowa for over a decade but I relied heavily on it when I was younger or when I had to move to a new area.
Representative ______________:
I am writing to request the removal of Section 16 of HF 2434. This is an attack on wildlife areas that cannot be tolerated. There are several points of concern:
1.In 1996, 88% of Iowans voted to constitutionally protect the Iowa Fish and Game Trust Fund, and make sure that the fund was used only for promoting, managing, researching and regulating hunting and fishing in Iowa. In hunting and fishing stakeholder public meetings across the state a year ago, one of the top concerns of stakeholders was the small number of public acres available for hunting and fishing. In REAP assemblies across the state this year; one of the top recommendations was more acquisition of public lands. Iowa has less than 1% of all its acres under state management, and Iowa ranks 49th in the nation in the number of acres of all public lands.
2.The only public lands managed by the DNR that could be sold off without repaying or losing federal funding or breaking federal and state law are those lands bought solely with REAP funds, i.e. mainly state park lands and state forest lands. Even if there were some wildlife lands bought solely with REAP, this would result in lands bought with REAP funds being sold to fund REAP. One of the major purposes of REAP is to aid cities, counties and the state in acquiring natural recreational areas. (FYI--The DNR pays local property taxes on lands funded by REAP and Wildlife Habitat fees?the only government agency that pays property taxes. This year over $750,000 went back to local communities in property taxes.)
3.State Parks and State Forests are exempted, so that leaves Wildlife Management Areas. Most Wildlife Management Areas have been purchased with federal funds that can only be used for that purpose. If lands purchased with those funds are taken out of the public domain, then all the funds used to buy those lands must be repaid. It also puts future federal funding for Iowa from those federal agencies in jeopardy.
4.Every year the state of Iowa signs an agreement with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, agreeing that all moneys collected for fishing, hunting and fur harvesting licenses will only be used for fish and wildlife protection, wildlife habitat improvement and wildlife and fishing recreational purposes. This agreement then allows the state of Iowa to receive the federal excise tax funds derived from hunting and fishing equipment. If public lands were sold off and the money then deposited outside the Fish and Game Trust Fund, that would be considered a diversion of federal funds, and those funds (over $9M per year) would be discontinued.
I ask that you stand up for Iowa?s Natural Resources and wildlife areas and vote no against this proposed bill. I would appreciate a response on your position.
Sincerely,
Sec. 16. DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES ==== SALE OF REAL
8 19 PROPERTY. During the fiscal period beginning on the effective
8 20 date of this division of this Act, and ending June 30, 2013,
8 21 the department of natural resources shall identify and sell
8 22 real property under the control of the department, the sale of
8 23 which is not otherwise prohibited by federal law, that is not
8 24 utilized for state parks and forests in sufficient acreage that
8 25 shall generate at least twenty million dollars. However, real
8 26 property received by the department in the form of a devise or
8 27 that is not farmable shall not be sold. Notwithstanding any
8 28 provision of law to the contrary, the department of natural
8 29 resources shall be authorized to sell real property and
8 30 moneys received for the sale of real property pursuant to this
8 31 section shall be deposited in the Iowa resources enhancement
8 32 and protection fund established in section 455A.18. Moneys
8 33 deposited in the Iowa resources enhancement and protection fund
8 34 from the sale of real property pursuant to this section shall
8 35 not be allocated to the open spaces account in the
Representative ______________:
I am writing to request the removal of Section 16 of HF 2434. This is an attack on wildlife areas that cannot be tolerated. There are several points of concern:
1.In 1996, 88% of Iowans voted to constitutionally protect the Iowa Fish and Game Trust Fund, and make sure that the fund was used only for promoting, managing, researching and regulating hunting and fishing in Iowa. In hunting and fishing stakeholder public meetings across the state a year ago, one of the top concerns of stakeholders was the small number of public acres available for hunting and fishing. In REAP assemblies across the state this year; one of the top recommendations was more acquisition of public lands. Iowa has less than 1% of all its acres under state management, and Iowa ranks 49th in the nation in the number of acres of all public lands.
2.The only public lands managed by the DNR that could be sold off without repaying or losing federal funding or breaking federal and state law are those lands bought solely with REAP funds, i.e. mainly state park lands and state forest lands. Even if there were some wildlife lands bought solely with REAP, this would result in lands bought with REAP funds being sold to fund REAP. One of the major purposes of REAP is to aid cities, counties and the state in acquiring natural recreational areas. (FYI--The DNR pays local property taxes on lands funded by REAP and Wildlife Habitat fees?the only government agency that pays property taxes. This year over $750,000 went back to local communities in property taxes.)
3.State Parks and State Forests are exempted, so that leaves Wildlife Management Areas. Most Wildlife Management Areas have been purchased with federal funds that can only be used for that purpose. If lands purchased with those funds are taken out of the public domain, then all the funds used to buy those lands must be repaid. It also puts future federal funding for Iowa from those federal agencies in jeopardy.
4.Every year the state of Iowa signs an agreement with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, agreeing that all moneys collected for fishing, hunting and fur harvesting licenses will only be used for fish and wildlife protection, wildlife habitat improvement and wildlife and fishing recreational purposes. This agreement then allows the state of Iowa to receive the federal excise tax funds derived from hunting and fishing equipment. If public lands were sold off and the money then deposited outside the Fish and Game Trust Fund, that would be considered a diversion of federal funds, and those funds (over $9M per year) would be discontinued.
I ask that you stand up for Iowa?s Natural Resources and wildlife areas and vote no against this proposed bill. I would appreciate a response on your position.
Sincerely,
Sec. 16. DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES ==== SALE OF REAL
8 19 PROPERTY. During the fiscal period beginning on the effective
8 20 date of this division of this Act, and ending June 30, 2013,
8 21 the department of natural resources shall identify and sell
8 22 real property under the control of the department, the sale of
8 23 which is not otherwise prohibited by federal law, that is not
8 24 utilized for state parks and forests in sufficient acreage that
8 25 shall generate at least twenty million dollars. However, real
8 26 property received by the department in the form of a devise or
8 27 that is not farmable shall not be sold. Notwithstanding any
8 28 provision of law to the contrary, the department of natural
8 29 resources shall be authorized to sell real property and
8 30 moneys received for the sale of real property pursuant to this
8 31 section shall be deposited in the Iowa resources enhancement
8 32 and protection fund established in section 455A.18. Moneys
8 33 deposited in the Iowa resources enhancement and protection fund
8 34 from the sale of real property pursuant to this section shall
8 35 not be allocated to the open spaces account in the
