Gregoire Taking Wildlife Plate Revenue?

[Woodchuck]

just got off the phone again and the short version of the story i got is this. basically the dept was asked if they had money for these programs in it's accounts, the answer was yes, in my case, it is elk. the lovely governor then said thats wonderful, you will now get that much less money from the general fund, but the money the consumer spends for the plates will still go to those programs. so yes the dept will get less money in all, but keeps the money from the plates, i say buy more plates boys it may be our only hope

[WDFW-SUX]

Thats terrible..

[Shootmoore]

just got off the phone again and the short version of the story i got is this. basically the dept was asked if they had money for these programs in it's accounts, the answer was yes, in my case, it is elk. the lovely governor then said thats wonderful, you will now get that much less money from the general fund, but the money the consumer spends for the plates will still go to those programs. so yes the dept will get less money in all, but keeps the money from the plates, i say buy more plates boys it may be our only hope

Government bait and switch. 
I remember at my old agency we got a federal grant planning to use the funds to upgrade some outdated equipment.  We lost that amount of money from are budget that year for a net 0 gain.  In otherwords we were unable to afford any upgrades.

Shootmoore

[Dmanmastertracker]

Im worried that they are going to jack up fee's on hunting licences to make up for the loses in revenue... This is really horrible.

 They've already done that, the license surcharge I mentioned went into affect this year.

[Axle]

I take my shots at WDFW and there are members that think thats all I do but I thinks its fairly hard for anyone to argue that we have a serious lack of quality big game hunting available and there management practices more closely resemble govt work program than a scientifically based effort to improve the resources for all sportsmen

Thus the reason I say 'government-trained idiots' and 'government-trained nerds'.
They know better but they screw things up anyway.

Our state has the ability to kick out tremendous numbers and high-quality big game animals but due to stupidity in our government here, that isn't happening.

I love this area but I don't like our so-called 'officials' and people in charge.

And people wonder why Ronald Reagan would swear on occasion! These people in Olympia make preachers cuss!

[PolarBear]

I hate her, and this frickin state. 

I've been wanting to move to Alaska for years because of how screwed up this state has become but I could never convince my wife.  She is getting closer to changing her mind every time Gregoire and the legislature pull this kind of *censored*. Our only hope is some changing of the guards in 2010 and Rob McKenna in 2012!

[Dmanmastertracker]

just got off the phone again and the short version of the story i got is this. basically the dept was asked if they had money for these programs in it's accounts, the answer was yes, in my case, it is elk. the lovely governor then said thats wonderful, you will now get that much less money from the general fund, but the money the consumer spends for the plates will still go to those programs. so yes the dept will get less money in all, but keeps the money from the plates, i say buy more plates boys it may be our only hope

 So what about the license money, including the damn surcharge that already goes into the general fund! This is how it should have worked; temporary surcharge implemented accrossed the board for all State licenses and put in a fund for only one year, with a SET time limit on the surcharge, for paying down the budget deficit. ALL regular funding from Department license and sales revenue should not have been touched, AGAIN, they laid off nearly 80 DFW employee's, saving approximately $750,000.0 alone, with the surcharge, the DFW contributes another approximate 35 million, that's an annual total of over 35 million already for the fiscal year 2010! She is squeezing blood out of  turnip, she will kill wildlife management and opportunity in this State along with her other mis-management of other State programs. I've read that on one non-Government web Site that the surcharge is only supposed to be for two years, but I have not seen that Stated anywhere on the GOV Sites. In an "average year", the DFW puts more into the GF then it spends from the GF, what is interesting is they still have data from year 2002 only on the web site. Year 2002 does not reflect recent years.

[bonkellekter]

That Cant Understand Normal Thinking has stolen every dedicated fund and thrown it all in the general fund where she and her idiot legislators can piss it away any way they see fit!  Damn that bitch pisses me off!!!!!

All I can say is we all need to be sure to vote even if you don't think it will help.

[Special T]

I know we all love this sport. My hope is that when the WDFW has to lay people off they are pruning the deadwood of the office bureaucracy... I am sceptical that this is the case... Usually Government cuts police fire and teachers to punish us for not giving them enough $$$  It would be nice if the WDFW focused on its CORE objectives like managing game for those who pay their wages. Does anyone know where the income breakdown is? $$$ from licences, the state and grants?

This state constantly uses the fee based system(which used properly is fair) to divide and conquer taxpayers.. The "Rules" for distribution of $$ is hard to follow and leaves them with the advantage to contort the will of the people.

[fishwhackin]

This is a terrible thing that is happening to states all across the country.  The biggest disappointment about the situation is that we allow it to happen.  People tend to think that there is nothing that can be done to combat the government.  However that is all but true.  These same type of actions were going on in Missouri with their department of conservation.  Instead of the state asking for funds from the department of conservation, the department themselves were claiming not enough money so they wanted to increase License prices and change different laws that were going to increase license sales.  When the citizens of Missouri heard that the fees for hunting were going to increase as well as the required acreage for landowner permits was going to be increased from 5 continuous to 80 the citizens came together.  In Texas county alone, their landowners group put their heads together and came up with several ingenious ideas to detour the departments ideas.  Some of the ideas were posting all their private property with "No hunting or tresspassing until the Missouri Department of Conservation changes their regulations"  They would only allow hunters who paid them as the landowners the hunting license fees instead of the state.  That money instead would go to a pool where it would be used to pay for any hunters caught violating the law of hunting without a tag.  These are just a few of the ideas they came up with and wrote into future bylaws if needed and presented to the Missouri Department of Conservation.  Once these ideas/actions were presented to the department, it did not take long for them to realize that not only were they really going to have to start doing their jobs and get out in the woods, but they were going to be losing money while doing it.  Needless to say, the idea of increasing rates and changing laws that the department once spoke and proposed of so confidently was not carried through with.  There is strength in numbers in which we as hunters in the state of Washington have.  I think we could amaze ourselves with what we can accomplish once we make the state realize that we are going to quit paying their way.  The biggest difference in the state of Washington and the Missouri department of conservation is that there is a lot of public land out here that I would hate to risk having sold off as a last resort to fatten the governor's pockets.  If you would like more information on how the Missouri department of conservation's plans were denied by the tax paying citizens of the state and the grassroots organization know at the common sense conservation group you can find more I am sure by looking it up on google along with a search for Larry Dabblemont who also has a website something like Larrydabblemontoutdoors.com  Hopefully there are other individuals out there in this forum that care enough for their freedoms and rights as well as the well being of the future of our sport to have a sack and lay it out there in order to make a positive change.  Once again, Power in numbers!  Impeach and overthrow the B!tch as well as all her criminal supporters!

[sako223]

WDFW needs to cut the budget and fat along with all other gov agencies. They have programs that are not needed. WDFW is not self supporting. The new surcharge is projected to bring in about $11 million over two years which is a small amount compared to the budget.

"The 10 percent surcharge on hunting and fishing licenses and an endorsement stamp for
anglers in the Columbia River Basin will bring in about $10 million" said Phil Anderson, acting
Fish and Wildlife director.

In all, the new fees approved by the Legislature are expected to raise $11 million for fish and wildlife management over the next two years, Stohr said.

After reading the WDFW list of 2009-11 Budget Reductions I see programs that are in question or very costly with little benefit.

WDFW’s ability to protect eagle nests in the north Puget Sound region will be reduced. The agency will no longer have a regional biologist dedicated to working with landowners on management plans for bald eagles and technical assistance to city and county planning agencies

Do we really need a dedicated position for this?

Implementation of recovery plans for endangered species such as pygmy rabbits, sage and sharp tailed grouse, Oregon spotted frogs, leopard frogs and lynx will be severely hampered. Status reviews and recovery plans development will be reduced for species potentially in peril, such as burrowing owls, Washington ground squirrels, badgers and golden eagles.

Some of these have been very costly and we still have trapping for badgers and people wanting to hunt them. So were paying for recovery plans too.

Customer service in WDFW’s Fish Program will be reduced, resulting in slower response to telephone calls, letters and email.  Inland fishing regulations will be updated only once every two years.

Huh, service will be slower.

Cougar research in the Blue Mountains will be curtailed, impeding the department’s efforts to get a comprehensive understanding of cougar and elk interactions, and making it more difficult to set and achieve population objectives for both species. 

WDFW research and seasons have not impressed me.

Loss of capital funds for building or repairing deer, elk and boundary fences will result in increased wildlife conflicts with the agricultural community and more pressure to reduce elk numbers in a number of areas around the state.

Good place for master hunters to get in shape and learn the area.

Wildlife area stewardship activities will be reduced, including noxious weed control efforts important to nearby private landowners and to maintaining ecosystems.  Rangeland management activities and efforts to develop partnerships with local ranchers will be cut in half

Maybe the WDFW will stop creating the biggest weed patches in the state.

The number of WDFW employees who respond to protect fish and wildlife after oil spills will be reduced, delaying preparation of rescue plans for oiled wildlife and marine mammals, and reducing WDFW participation in oil spill response drills.

WDFW’s aviation facility, including three planes and two pilot/mechanics are scheduled to be eliminated. Fish and wildlife biologists rely on aircraft to conduct population surveys and other specialized work in order to manage fish and wildlife. WDFW enforcement officers use the aircraft to discover violations and to curb poaching.

Eliminate Aviation Facility - The Department of Fish and Wildlife's aviation facility has been consolidated with the State Patrol and the Department of Natural Resources. Funding is therefore eliminated for the Department's individual aviation activities.

The cost of a vehicle use permit issued by the the Department is increased in steps from $10 to $30. Individuals who purchase a wildlife-themed or personalized license plate are permitted to park at land access sites managed by the WDFW without having to display a vehicle use permit. (State Wildlife Account-State

I was not aware the wildlife plates acted as a vehicle permit.

WDFW business operations will be cut under the reduced budget, including key functions such as human resources, information technology services, fiscal operations and administrative support.
Engineering and facilities management will be reduced.

So what does this mean.

Grizzly Bear Outreach Project - One-time funding is provided to a community-based organization to disseminate information about grizzly bears in the North Cascades

I was sure WDFW confirmed tracks.

And the list goes on, these are the ones of most interest to me.
One hidden cost that never comes up is of the approximate 1 million acres under WDFW, How much of it is off the property tax roles?

[bearpaw]

I know we all love this sport. My hope is that when the WDFW has to lay people off they are pruning the deadwood of the office bureaucracy... I am sceptical that this is the case... Usually Government cuts police fire and teachers to punish us for not giving them enough $$$  It would be nice if the WDFW focused on its CORE objectives like managing game for those who pay their wages. Does anyone know where the income breakdown is? $$$ from licences, the state and grants?

This state constantly uses the fee based system(which used properly is fair) to divide and conquer taxpayers.. The "Rules" for distribution of $$ is hard to follow and leaves them with the advantage to contort the will of the people.

I am sure they will cut enforcement and fish hatcheries, that is there way of dealing with it. 

[Wacenturion]

Quote
'Wildlife area stewardship activities will be reduced, including noxious weed control efforts important to nearby private landowners and to maintaining ecosystems.  Rangeland management activities and efforts to develop partnerships with local ranchers will be cut in half:


Just how much more can WDFW cut this back.....the Wildlife Area Program has been in a permanent custodial operation since the 70's.  All they do now is have the managers in a continual planning mode...every 10 years....a new plan....why.......because they don't know how to manage real property for wildlife.....it's all about meetings, reports, lack of money, excuses..........whatever serves their purpose to avoid actually doing anything.

That's got to be the most uninformed comment by a Director I have ever seen.......PERIOD..........he doesn't have a clue, or apparently chooses to not educate himself to have one............same old....same old!

[Special T]

Has anyone ever been contacted by the noxious weed controll? I have... On Private4e land they said i needed to take care of the problem ore they would and then bill me for it! Nevermid the fact that the property was next to gov land with Canadian thistle and other weeds of the same kind... Their responce was I'm sorry but there is nothing i can do about it but clean YOUR property up! Good thing We have a brush hog for the tractor so it wasn't to bad... Kind makes me think this is another $$making opportunity for the state! My Pop always told me making money was easy.... Keeping it is much harder!

[spikehunter]

 Like they said earlier mine WILL come off ! and it will give me more $ to buy ammo! which i believe our ex. gov. gary locke took the sales tax away from wildlife, and gave to no good,non-english speaking,benefit grabbing, baby making gang-bangers!!! thanx alot GARY.