WEYCO Permits for St. Helens & Longview Going Up To $300 This Year

[pianoman9701]

Just say the notice on Facebook. They'll probably be looking for more tax breaks, too! 

[jbeaumont21]

No thank you, will not be giving them a dime ever.  Plenty of places to hunt that are still free.

[Magnum_Willys]

Love it ! Private 406,000 acre hunt club with nearly year-round access and camping for only $300.  Thats a steal.  Only thing better would be if less "members" signed up.  hehe   

[PolarBear]

Vail also

[pianoman9701]

Love it ! Private 406,000 acre hunt club with nearly year-round access and camping for only $300.  Thats a steal.  Only thing better would be if less "members" signed up.  hehe   

And subsidized with your real estate tax dollars. Sounds like a great deal for them.

[fireweed]

And the biggest change that hurts an already unhealthy Southwest Washington rural communities: generations of  taking your kids for walks through the woods and streams now costs big bucks year round.

The previous commenter was right, our county is now a huge "private hunting club" subsidized by MY property taxes. Exactly what public benefits are we getting for those huge tax breaks now???

[fireweed]

Love it ! Private 406,000 acre hunt club with nearly year-round access and camping for only $300.  Thats a steal.  Only thing better would be if less "members" signed up.  hehe   

Obviously you don't live in the middle of this kingdom.  I do and my family has lived here for six generations.  Creeks a few feet from my property, where my GREATGRANDPARENTS took their kids, are now going to cost my family $600 to wade in, and if we bring grandma that's another $300. 
My community is surrounded and entrapped by your "private hunt club". 

[Harbor_hunter]

Makes me wonder what will happen with the other Weyerhauser permits this year...especially PeEll South.  I am sure the price of that one is going up too.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Love it ! Private 406,000 acre hunt club with nearly year-round access and camping for only $300.  Thats a steal.  Only thing better would be if less "members" signed up.  hehe   

Obviously you don't live in the middle of this kingdom.  I do and my family has lived here for six generations.  Creeks a few feet from my property, where my GREATGRANDPARENTS took their kids, are now going to cost my family $600 to wade in, and if we bring grandma that's another $300. 
My community is surrounded and entrapped by your "private hunt club".

Only problem is, what happens if the permits sell out and you only get one?

[pianoman9701]

They should be paying full real estate taxes on that property, just like we do. They use the public roads going in and out of there. If someone gets hurt or they need police, they get emergency services just like we do. If they don't want to share their land, that's fine. It's their land - you know, except for the whole poisoning our wildlife thing. They should have to pay the full tax rate if they're giving nothing back to the residents of this state.

[Magnum_Willys]

The primary basis of the tax breaks are to discourage subdivision and development of rural lands and encourage continuation of timber production on those lands.  Keeping land in undeveloped forest production is better for the animals and environment.  Get rid of the tax breaks and you will see a lot more sales like the chunks weyco has already sold that are now posted against any use.

"Get rid of the tax breaks, who cares what they do with it if I can't use it for free" is not a strong vote for conservation.   

[BOWHUNTER45]

We need to send a copy of this over to Trump !!!  hahahaha     what a freakin joke !

[fireweed]

Weyerhaeuser has already sold, or is in the process of selling every acre that can possibly be developed (ie. road access and power).  Right now they are selling every slice of land along the rivers they possibly can.  Most of their land simply cannot be developed because it is too far off the grid.  The "tax breaks are good for conservation" simply isn't true of a profit-driven company like Weyco.  And, according to the law, the tax breaks were to compensate for the many public benefits of open space/ timberland. Then timberland tax breaks is very specific, and law lists those public benefits, including recreational spaces. 

We can all agree that the public benefits of timberland have now been reduced, so it logically follows that the tax break should be reduced accordingly.

Other states (Wisconsin is a good example) value public access at 20% of the tax break.  So, a company that charges or limits non-motorized access should pay on a taxable value that is 20% more than the base current use value.  Simple logic.   Not adjusting the tax break is  corporate welfare at its worst. 

[pianoman9701]

The primary basis of the tax breaks are to discourage subdivision and development of rural lands and encourage continuation of timber production on those lands.  Keeping land in undeveloped forest production is better for the animals and environment.  Get rid of the tax breaks and you will see a lot more sales like the chunks weyco has already sold that are now posted against any use.

"Get rid of the tax breaks, who cares what they do with it if I can't use it for free" is not a strong vote for conservation.   

Because WEYCO cares so much about conservation and the environment, right? Sorry, I have to call BS on that. The tax breaks written in the 70s were written with public use of the land in mind. WEYCO had been allowing full public use of its land and wanted some consideration. The decision to defer taxation to harvesting was based on that public use remaining. Since this private landowner has decided to go pay to play, which is absolutely within their rights as a private landowner, their tax valuations should be increased to fair market value. You and I have to pay taxes based on fair market value. WEYCO should, as well. For those who can ill-afford to pay the $300 fee for recreating on that land, it makes little difference who owns it - small individual land owners or one big one. They still can't access those forests.

[Mudman]

Many of us saw this coming.  Its just started.  Too those who argued how great and what a steal of a deal these permits are, well, "Heres your sign!"