[env-trinity] Fishing and Hunting License Fees

[Byron Leydecker]

Proposed plan irks anglers, hunters


Governor to borrow from wildlife programs.


Sacramento Bee - 1/16/09


By Matt Weiser


 

Fishermen and hunters are outraged about a plan tucked in the governor's
proposed California budget to shift $30 million out of wildlife programs. 

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to borrow money from the Fish and Game
Preservation Fund, which comes from hunting and fishing license fees, and
use it to prop up other state programs. The funds would be repaid to
wildlife programs by 2013 with interest. 

 

Critics, however, want the money to stay where it is and pay for wildlife
programs. 

 
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"They've made some big blunders and caused problems for themselves, and it
shouldn't be fishing licenses that hook them out," said Frank Hashorva, a
member of the Rancho Murrietta Fishing Club. 

 

"It's totally absurd."

 

The money represents about one-third of the fund's annual receipts from
hunting and fishing license sales. It is a key operating fund for the
department, supporting law enforcement, habitat and research projects. 

 

Fish and Game spokeswoman Jordan Traverso said the loan will not affect
department operations. The fund will still have a balance of about $3.1
million at the end of this fiscal year, in June. 

 

She said budget language requires the money to be paid back sooner if the
department is negatively affected. 

 

H.D. Palmer, Department of Finance spokesman, said the loan must be approved
as part of a legislative package to adopt the 2009-10 budget. 

 

Brett Matzke, wild and native trout manager at the advocacy group California
Trout, said fishing groups recently urged the department to spend $1 million
from the fund to restore habitat for the Paiute cutthroat trout. He said the
request was denied. 

Some anglers, he said, are considering a "license burning" rally outside the
Capitol.

 

Byron Leydecker, JcT

Chair, Friends of Trinity River

PO Box 2327

Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327

415 383 4810 land

415 519 4810 cell

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 <mailto:bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org> bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org
(secondary)

 <http://fotr.org/> http://www.fotr.org 

 

 

 

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