LAST EDITED ON Mar-29-12 AT 07:57PM (MST)[p]Some Facts.
1. I have never talked to this guy, Ben Lamb. How does he know what i think ? How can he even comment on people he has never met ? How does he know what Rob Keck, former CEO of the 500,000 member NWTF and I talked about on the Montana Elk and Pheasant hunt with then Governor Romney?
As some astute sportsmen have noted, isn't it nice a potential president would like to come out and learn about hunting and western issues ? Should not sportsmen celebrate the fact that people who might make lots of rules about land use and wildlfie mangement care enough learn about it, and participate in our sport?
The anti Hunting pro predator guy in Alaska misrepresented what I said. What I said, according to the Alaska article was "we support public ownership of wildlife, but there are some tremendous declines in game populations on our public lands, and solutions might require some different approaches." He insinuated, this was somehow a comment against the North American Model where in fact this was a comment of how we could improve on aspects of the North American Model to create more abundant wildlife (isn't this the very goal of the North American Model?). I would say that is twisting my words to mean just the contrary of what I actually said.
The study just releasesd, Yellowstone elk herd down 10% again this year, 75 percent overall. Many other moose and elk herds on the same downward trend line. The very press guys attacking me seem to think this is ok. Do you? I don't and I told them in no uncertain terms.
2. I did tell the writter in Alaska that socialism is destroying America, and the concept of socialism will destroy our herds as well. Hunters and landowner invest more in wildlife than non-hunters, but some say that the sportsmen shouldn't have any more say than those that don't invest in its well being." How they think that is an attack on Roosevelt is a mystery to me!
3. In 2008, in Reno, at the Whitehouse meeting on the future of Conservation, i got into a discussion with most of those folks, especially Director Frampton of South Carolina. Their main point was the future of conservation is general tax money from the state and federal government. I said the future of conservation is abundant herds, and that "Wall Street is crashing today, state and fedearal budgets crash tomorrow and for many years into the future." Downward trends in the economy would stronly suggest I was on to something.
Yesterday I was told that some of these same agencies who have built their programs on general fund tax money, NOT abundant game herds and flocks and fisheries, have laid off lots of people and cut lots of programs for wildlife since 2008. A lot of states and the Feds are broke, and that general fund wildlife model will get worse - less money - not more in the future.
The future of conservation is abundant herds and flocks. And that means predator control, and habitat restoration.
Sportsmen have always paid the bill, and most non hunters are more worried about education, health care, highways, prisons, not huge wildlfie herds for hunters to hunt.
Yes, TR left us a great legacy of public lands. But TR's underlying goal was abudnant game herds. Read his journals, he came out to Yellowstone and killed several elk, moose, bighorn, and grizzlies and wolves - in one trip. TR was an abundance guy, a manger, not a watch predators kill herds off, and see hunting opportunities decline.
4. Conversly compared to other states where herds are in decline, Utah herds of Bighorn, Elk, Moose, Bison, Mountain Goats, antelope, and some deer units are increasing. Meaning lots more public hunting opportunities. There used to be 1,000 permits on quality units 20 years ago, today there are 5,000 public permits on these same herds, and the quality is better.
How can anyone say there is less opportunity for once in a lifetime and limited draw permtis in Utah? There has been a 500% increase in 20 years.
And, the ultimate measure, the public wants to hunt Utah. Some 336,000 applications for Utah's big game tags in 2012, another 36,000 increase from last year. we have something sportsmen want. Other states like CO and WY, and ID are seeing interest decline. What is the story?
5. Regarding General Season Deer in Utah, Some of the efforts to fix it:
A. About 2002, DWR Director Conway wants a major habitat initiative to rebuild a deer herd. Together Kevin and I, WE go to DC to change some laws and get money and people and resources to fix it. To Launch this historic public land habitat restoration effort, in about 2007, the Utah DWR, just before Kevin Died of Cancer awarded:
SFW is getting the laws changed and policies in place to continue this upward trend in more and more herds. Relentless pursuit to increase the resource for everyone.
and SFH for for getting most of the money so they can do a great job restoring habitat.
By the end of 2012, this little idea and effort is NOW an 850,000 acre habitat restoration project the LARGEST PROJECT in the history of the West. Some $80 Million dollars with ten Millon More for 2012 and lots more acres for years into the future, unless funds are cut, who will make sure that does not happen ?
B. SFW has been a major partner to get more than $45 Million to fence Highways and build underpass structures, more being done every year.
C. Three years ago, SFW asked DWR to do a deer mortality study - to prove what we knew. Deer are being killed at to high of rate to rebuild a deer herd
D. DWR is going study now to find out answers for mortality, beleving it is coyotes,
E. Rather than just waiting for the outcome of the studies, SFW worked to get $1.25 Million additional dollars to kill enough coyotes to dramatically increase deer survival and fill up all this new forage - enough new feed for more than 250,000 more animals all year round.
F. If you cheat Buzz and bring your out-of-state coyotes to utah for bounty, and don't care enough to fix Utah's deer herd, you go to jail!!
G. SFW members are excited statewide, record turnouts this year to see the final piece in the puzzle to rebuild deer herds on tens of millions of acres of public land, for all 85,000 or so general season hunters.
It took 30 years to get into a bad deer habitat and herd situation, we are ten years into getting out, but hopefully, it will be accomplished in the next three to five years.
Now a few other statements to clarify.
Senator Hatch visited some of the first habitat restoration efforts, near Beaver, utah. He helped change the law to prevent tree huggers from blocking treatments. The Foundation for habitat restoration, was the Conservaiton Permits, and $2.2 Million a year in Utah general funds, SFW helped secure for habitat in the Utah Legislature. Additional federal funds were added to the mix.
Hatch knows WHO lead the effort to help get things done, raise the money, helped DWR and Federal land agencies get the programs going, get the money for the $2.5 Million seed storage shed built, the $70 Million total funding package. That is why Hatch mentioned Don Peay or SFW, to answer a question in a previous post.
Senator Hatch, who most believe will win re-election by a large majority in 2012, also knows who worked very, very closely with he, Senator Barrasso of Wyoming and other key leaders to get wolves delisted. Hatch called ONE sportsmen into the Meeting with Senator Leader Harry Reid, Senator Bachus and Tester, and Senators Barrasso, Enzie, Crapo and Risch. That was me, Don Peay.
Senator Hatch and Risch told us on Feb. 16, 2011, they had a four state delisting bill - worked out with some of the Democratic Senators. That Bill had ALL OF UTAH, WYOMING, IDAHO AND MONTANA TO BE DELISTED. This meeting was organized and set up by Ryan Benson of Big Game Forever. Lots of leaders of sportsmen and livestock groups in attendance.
Big Game Forever, at some point in late Feb. suggested the other sportsmen groups support Wyoming's delisting, and not leave them out by supporting a two state-only bill. Remember, leading US Senators - I have a draft of the bill - believe there is an opportunity for four state deal to be had. Why these other group decided to attack SFW and BGF, instead of staying focued on getting the best wolf delisting bill, they will have to answer that question.
SFW and BGF stayed focused on winning the wolf war, not fighting other sportsmen groups in the press.
On about April 12, Senator Hatch called me and said Don, "I am going up to meet with Leader Reid right now to finalize this Federal Budget Bill. Only a Handful of US Senators are in the room when the final deals are done.
Hatch said, WE can get the Idaho and Montana, and parts of UT, WA and OR. We didn't get Wyoming. Do you want me to take this out of the Continuing Resoultion Bill, or accept what we have ?
I did not even have time to call and consult with Ryan Benson.
I said, Senator, Take the Deal. For Three reasons.
1. We can start killing wolves now in ID and MT. Once wolves are killed, it helps the public to see that wolf hunting isn't a threat as some anti-hunting groups suggest. More importantly, Idaho and Montana can start working on elk, moose and deer recovery efforts.
2. Second, if we don't take the deal, the Animal Rigthts folks will say, we stopped this effort on the goal line again. Perhaps further discouraging sportsmen who were really working hard for Congressional solutions.
3. We were concerned that the DC hunting groups who had only recently endorsed the legislation, might not continue working the issue seriously. For example, a lobbyist for one DC hunting groups said the wolf was a "niche issue" as if destruction of Western hunting was not worthy of serious efforts. Remember a lot of these groups keep their powder dry for eastern issues, gun issues, or other issues that are closer to home.
WE went to DC and told the folks this issue is destroying the West, and we cannot wait another 3-10 years. We cam't wait for courts to decide. We told Congress, we are not going away, until this issue is fixed and Western big game herds are on their way to recovery, and prevent further destruction in other states.
So back to the BIG decision day. 45 minutes after the call asking about whether or not to take the deal, Hatch called and said, it is done.
We did not try to stop delisting, we were willing to work hard to get the best deal possible, even take a few bullets from those in the industry that didn't seem as committed to helping our friends in Wyoming.
A key point about Wyoming. Ryan Benson had been working closely with Senator Barrasso, Rep. Lumis to insert ONE MORE line into the Bill that made sure the Wyoming court ruling by Judge Johnson that said in laymens terms, Wyoming can have predator status and that does NOT violate the ESA, stood. Just as importantly, this bill was a huge victory for the right of state's to manage wildlife without federal overreach. Loosing this court victory would have been a major loss for Western wildilfe.
This was a key additional line, in the Continuing Resolution signed by President Obama on April 15, 2011. It paved the way for the USFWS to accept Wyoming's plan, which they did on October 1, 2011. Wyoming Governor Mead had a lot to do with that Oct. 1 plan acceptance, and has since worked to get the wyoming Legislature to make a few tweaks in the law, and On Sept. 1. Wyoming will have a wolf season, with predator status in most of Wyoming. I can't wait for that day.
ON April 16, the BBC news callled to get quotes from Don Peay and Byron Bateman about the historic Congressional Action. I asked the reporter with his British Accent why he called us, he said becasue your opponents said you were the SOBS that got it done.
In his state of the State address, Wyoming Governor Mead on page nine, talked about the importance of the wolf delisting, and he thanked the Wyoming Ag. community, the wyoming Guides and Outfitters, and SFW Wyoming for supporting the effort. No other sportsmen groups mentioned, go read the State of the State.
Even a critic of SFW and BGF, a self described Liberal commented on the BS article that spurred this post, basically said that BGF helped Stop a suggested wolf proposal involving Southern Colorado recently, and that BGF had a much more sophisticated process than [unmamed hunting group] or any other hunting group. That is what you get when you get aggressive and hire a Harvard trained lawyer like Benson, you get results for hunters.
There has been a tremendous amount of effort by SFW and BIG Game Forever members to restore habitats, control predators, fence highways, and have abundant game herds to hunt on our great public lands of the West.
Democratic Congressman Matheson, Leader Reid, and Senator Tester of Montana stepped up and made the wolf deal work.
I give Matheson, Edwards, Ross and several other democratic Congreesman an A, they supported delisting all the states.
I give Leader Reid and Sen. Tester a B. They got wolves delisted for part of the West, but we hoped they would have done more. I personally had meetings with our hired lobbyist and other Democratic Senators, including Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, and friends talked direclty to Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Amy Klobatchur of MN.
After the landmark victory in the west, MN, WI, and MI have had wolves delisted.
We aren't only focused on the past, we continue our extensive efforts to expand delisting for more states. Ryan Benson has been meeting with the Governor and legislators of Colorado, LT. Gov. Of Washington, and leading members of the Obama Administration, and many others to solve with wolf issue for the entire country. By Law, the USFWS needs to have a nationwide delisting proposal by this September.
Thanks to all of you for your efforts. There is tremendous support for BGF and SFW, we will keep working to deliver results for all sportsmen. We don't back away from the tough or controversial issues. If it is important to hunting and wildlife, it is important to us.
We do our best to seek input. We travel the state of Utah, and across the West, talking to sportsmen, seeking their input and helping find solutions.
Just last night, 40 Utah sportsmen from all over Utah spent 5 hours talking about how to get lots of issues right,they then left Spanish Fork at midnight, some driving for more than 5 hours, catch an hour of sleep, then off to work.
Lots of other people, groups have done a lot to help as well.
This is my one and only post on MM this year.
WE are working lots of hours to get things done for increased quantities and quality hunts on our great public lands.
with the results coming out of Yellowstone this week, it might seem that more sportsmen want to join the effort to stop major declines in deer, moose and elk populations in the west.
I love to hunt our great public lands. These are our greatest treasures and this is why tens of thousands of SFW members accross the nation support us.
If Ben Lamb or anyone wants a debate on conservation accomplishments for public land game herds and sporsmen, I welcome the debate. But, it won't be done behind code names on Internet sites.
don
