Solution to AZSFWC and Wildlife Improvement

There is really such a simple solution to funding wildlife projects.

The real problem is organizations like ADA, AES, et al have good worthwhile projects but not sufficient ability to raise the necessary funds. Its hard enough to plan the work, do the coordination and actually get the work done. The skills necessary for work project management are not the same skills needed to raise millions of dollars. Through these organizations we know what needs to be done and how to do it, just not how to pay for it.

I've suggested this solution before, but I will bring it forth again. I think sportsmen should pay for a mandatory habitat stamp with each hunting license. G&F would be responsible for collecting the money that goes into a special habitat fund. The organizations can develop their habitat improvement plans and budgets and apply for grants from the fund. Guys like Chris Denham can get the funding for the projects dear to them and the habitat stamp fund has all the oversight and transparency required by a government agency. Some of the projects might not be boots on the ground type projects, but draft legislation type projects or legal representation type projects.

A $25 habitat stamp would generate over $3 million dollars a year. Much more than the net proceeds from an SFW expo. Of course, Don Peay wouldn't get paid and Allen Hamberlin wouldn't be able to cut to the front of the tag line, but some people will just have to make sacrifices for the benefit of wildlife.

The fund raising problem as I see it is a result of hunters refusing to open their wallets. That is not a judgement on hunters, just an observation. I know I tend to be leery of donating to wildlife organizations because I really don't know their true agenda and where my dollars will be spent. The scenario I described above would reduce my fears. I'm sure there are some that buy hunting licenses that just don't want to give of their money to help wildlife. A mandatory habitat stamp will pry the money from their wallets.

I'm sure there are a lot of sportsmen that would do more for wildlife if they knew there were funds available to them. There must be more guys like KRP and the Scott brothers that have the ability to do projects on the ground but don't have ready access to the necessary funds. We might even get Billy the Kid to come to AZ, take off his XXL asshat, and do a little manual labor to help us out.

What do you guys think? We could kill SFW and take care of wildlife in one fell swoop. I think its worth going to the commission to get their support. Please shoot a hole in my suggestion if you can find one.

I posted this in the General Forum as well. Looks like we might have a venue to bring forth this type of idea on March 22.

Good Ideas. You could maybe ask for some more from the people riding ATVs tearing habitat up also.

I say get everyone you can to attend that meeting and get the ball rolling with this idea. It would be a simple deal that would probably only take one G&F employee to oversee if it's done properly!

Several other states have these mandatory habitat stamps, what do you think the process should be for deciding which grants get funding and which don't.

The habitat stamp would be great as long as it doesn't end up in the general fund. I have no problem buying my habitat stamp up in Colorado. Thing that pisses me off about ohv sticker is they start charging you and then become nazis to enforce it. Then for example the Kaibab National Forest goes from allowing cross country travel almost everywhere to making you carry map to make sure you aren't on closed road. If a road is closed it should be grinded up and re-seeded.

LAST EDITED ON Mar-06-12 AT 09:47PM (MST)[p]Putting out some feelers on the habitat stamp ideas with G&F, seems they have thought about it some just haven't put it on the to do list. I was at the meeting in Mesa yesterday and we talked a little about this and is would be favorable to G&F from what we heard. I would like to see it region specific in some manner so that it all doesn't all go above the ditch and for elk. There is HPC money now and we need to get it 'diversed' more.

Kent

Sagebrush , I like your idea !!! If the funding of a "Habitat Stamp" were to go towards strictly to habitat improvement, I'm all for it and I'm sure most would be in favor as well !!!

LAST EDITED ON Mar-07-12 AT 11:59AM (MST)[p]Before you go and tell the Game and Fish that we want to give them more money can anyone site specific examples of where money has been put on the ground from the Arizona Big Game Super Raffle to help habitat?

I'll put my thoughts to it and put it in writing.

Kent - Each group would need to submit their project to G&F for funding approval. I would hope the project would be approved based on the merit. I think a standard format for the request would help each group to get fair consideration. I'd hate to see one get more funds than another just because they did a better presentation or had an in with the decisionmaker.

Please comment on anything you would like to see included or excluded from such a program.

Missed - My idea is to establish a trust fund for third party groups, such as ADA, AES, ABHSS, etc, to gain funding for their projects. The reason wildlife groups support AZSFWC and donate money is to get a better return than they could get on their own individually. G&F would only administer the trust and not use the funds directly. This system should be set up to fully describe the project, the benefits, costs and required resources, then a project report should be issued accounting for results at the conclusion of the work.

I was at one of the meetings Kent attended where habitat stamps were brought up. It was indicated the Kaibab already has a a type of habitat stamp. It was something that has been considered and may possibly become a reality someplace down the road.

If it ever comes to pass some guys are gonna cry about the extra bit of money but let 'em cry. Nearly everything with game management or lack of is centered around money. The mess we are in with HB2072 is a money issue.

There is no way of getting around it.

LAST EDITED ON Mar-07-12 AT 01:13PM (MST)[p]Sage

Love the idea, but the toughest thing to accomplish would be to keep the AZ Legislature's hands off the funds. Case and point, recentlly a wealthy woman willed a sizable chunk of her estate into a trust for the benefit of an Arizona State park. She visited the park frequently and wanted to ensure the park would be properly maintained and remain open for future generations to enjoy.

While raising our sales tax and trimming the budget, the legislature decided to absorbed the parks trust fund into AZ's general fund and that was that. Sounded like outright theft to me, but they somehow found a way around the trust restrictions.

If the "Habitat Stamp" funds were put into an escrow account for the sole use of wildlife improvements, outside the reach of our state government and administerd by an independent third party it might work, but the more red tape you add, the worse it gets.

I think Colorado has such a Habitat Stamp project ($10 per hunter per year)and so far seems to be working quite well, but it is not time tested yet.

Unfortunately, it's all about the money and who can get their hands on it. If we could change that mentality......yea.. right.

264

From what I can figure out and it's only been a couple of weeks that I've been involved.. is that the auction money goes into the HPC.

Now, the decisions of the individual gov tag monies are voted on by the selling orgs, with a habitat stamp there would need to be some kind of deciding committee and I hope it would be unaffiliated sportsmen that comprise that committee.

And I would push for equal regional committees, because it seems that the orgs leave many areas short on conservation projects and general concern of habitat.

Background of the Habitat Partnership Committee Program


Established by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission in 1992, the Arizona Elk Habitat Partnership Committee and affiliated Local Habitat Partnership Committees were created to address and reduce elk and livestock conflicts and to promote partnerships through cooperative projects.

In January 1996, the program concept expanded beyond elk and livestock conflicts and was renamed the Arizona Habitat Partnership Committee to better reflect an ecosystem approach to wildlife habitat management and related projects. Active local Habitat Partnership Committees (HPCs) meet in Springerville-Alpine, Winslow, Show Low, Williams-Flagstaff, Fredonia, Kingman, Prescott, Yuma, Safford, Tucson, Sierra Vista and Payson. The Forage Resource Study Group in Coconino County also participates as an affiliate member.

There are currently 12 Local Habitat Partnership Committees (LHPC) and one affiliate member across the state, which comprise the Arizona Habitat Partnership Committee (AHPC). All of these committees focus on putting money on the ground to improve habitat or management for big game species, although many projects benefit other wildlife and livestock as well.

The State HPC Committee meets twice a year. Click here to view HPC Meeting Minutes from recent meetings.

The program?s primary funding source is Special Big Game License-Tag funds, although the HPC strives to incorporate multiple funding sources to bring the maximum benefit to wildlife. The Commission annually awards 3 special big game license-tags per big game species to nonprofit wildlife conservation organizations that auction or raffle these tags to raise funding that is used to benefit the wildlife species for which the license-tag is issued. The sponsoring wildlife conservation organizations must cover all marketing and administrative costs for the license tag sales, and 100% of the money raised is returned to the state of Arizona.

These funds are allocated through the HPC Program by collaboration between the Department and the wildlife conservation organizations that market and sell the tags. Once project proposals are submitted, the Department coordinates with these wildlife conservation organizations and funding is allocated to the projects that provide the most benefit to big game species in Arizona.

I would like to see Some funds raised to go towards paying bounties for coyotes. Like 20 bucks a head . The details on how the bounties are paid out could be worked out. I tried this idea years ago when I sat on the ADA board of directors but was shouted down by a lead biologist who told me he wrote the book on predators and their interaction with deer in Arizona. He was all about drought this and that.
But I would still like to see it happen that way. I like he habitat stamp idea but would want oversight and not at the hands of the sfw.

Meant to write raffle monies are the same as auction as they go into the HPC.

Kent

I absolutely believe predator control is something we can get involved in as sportsmen and it doesn't take all the paperwork and BS truthfully. It aslo in my opinion is the #1 factor in herd/fawn retention, that's just a layman's opinion. If we organize some on shoots we can have an immediate impact.

As far as water projects that take the real money. I think we need to get with the G&F to see how many they can realistically organize a year, not how many are proposed by different venues. It seems that it's not the G&F but the federal and environmental impact studies and for each project there is a two inch book that will be amassed before the go ahead. I'm not sure they can complete the paper work and issues involved to do much more than they are, it's something I hope to discuss in detail with them soon.

But we can definitely kill more yotes and maybe get a couple more jr camps/hunts going, cleanups, youth involvement through boy scouts/FFA ect. There's some things we can do right now without a huge fund.

Kent

I would think organized coyote killing could be put together by just a handful of guys in each area. Doesn't really cost anything more than what the participants would be paying. I don't think it needs to be run as a contest or anything, just a group of like minded individuals focusing on a particular area to maximize the benefit based on input from those with local knowledge.

LAST EDITED ON Mar-08-12 AT 11:25AM (MST)[p]Turns out there is a vehicle in place already to do what I have described. Looks to me like some people have been working on projects and putting auction tag funds to good use. The only thing I see that needs to be done is developing a new source for additional funds (a statewide habitat stamp) and getting more people on board with the existing process to propose more projects and do the work. The system is the Habitat Partnership Committee. Here are some links to describe the committee charter and the most recent minutes from back in Feb 2011. I've already sent an e-mail to the Habitat Partnership Coordinator at G&F and asked him to update the minutes for the last two meetings.

I have two observations. First, there are some regions that have no representation. Those regions need to form their committees and start participating. Second, if this vehicle is already in place, then why does AZSFWC need to propose a new fund raising source and more importantly, why would the wildlife organizations support them? The Arizona Elk Society and the Arizona Desert Big Horn Sheep Society are already on board with the Habitat Partnership Committee. What happened with the others? I think we know why AZSFWC is taking their action. This question begs a response from ADA and the others.

Links:

http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/documents/AHPCRevisedCharter-Final6-3-2011.pdf

http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/documents/AgendaforHPCmeeting2-18-11.pdf

http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/documents/Minutes2-18-11_000.pdf

What regions need help on this.?

Nevermind I read the links. How does one go about getting on the hoc I'm in the white mtn region .

Sagebrush ding, ding, ding.
That kind of work you did to show sportsmen that there are programs in place that are doing a great job with the funds we have is what everyone needs to see. This doesn't mean that we couldn't use more money. All of the issues that AZSFW says they are going to fix have programs in place being worked on by G&F and some of the larger Wildlife Conservation Organizations are involved. As to the issue of Hunter Recruitment and Retention (HAHWG)the G&F has a new division that is over 1.5 years old that has developed the Hunter and Angler Heritage Working Group that has over 40 groups and individual sportsmen involved in youth camps and hunting and fishing opportunities across Arizona.
One important thing to note is that AZSFW is not a working partner in any of the programs that the AES is involved in. But yet now they want to administer their new programs to take care of the issues. AZSFW would like the sportsmen to believe that G&F is not working on these issues and only they can save AZ if you will just allow them to have the money.
The only issue that is not being currently worked on by G&F is the lobbying aspect of the bill. AZSFW would like to use public AZ assets to raise money to fund political agendas with no cap on expenditures.
Steve

Bugler,
Any and all persons, groups, agencies are invited to be involved in the HPC meetings and process. The Srpingerville/Alpine, Pinetop area is one of the most active. On the G&F website is info or call the regional office and ask for the G&F rep for the area and he will put you on the email list for notifications. The projects are listed on the G&F website. There is a strict timeline for projects, funding and admin of the program.
Steve

Many of the groups including the AES have programs to reach out to kids and new hunting adults to teach them about hunting, fishing, conservation and outdoor skills. We have many more kids interested than we can accommodate. With more groups, volunteers and funding we could reach out to thousands of kids.
The Arizona Elk Society has a camp called Wapiti Weekend. We take 100-125 kids in a camp each year. Registration opens at about 6am April 1st and usually closes at 6pm that same day. If we could hold the camps the kids are there. This year camp is already full since we canceled last year due to the Wallow Fire. All the campers opted to stay on the list for this year.
One of the items on the AES strategic plan for our future is to find and develop our own camp on private land so we don't have to cancel because of FS restrictions. We will also make is easier on volunteers so we can have more camps. Also the camp will be made available to other organizations for the use of Hunter and Angler Recruitment.
Steve