On Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 2:13 PM, Joe Roller <[email protected]> wrote:
> > "Beginning April 1, adults (yes they will card you and you can't pass for > 17 years old > any more) who does not possess a valid annual hunting for fishing license > must > purchase a $36 permit (like the old Habitat Stamp, I guess) to enter Jumbo > Reservoir > or Prewitt Reservoir State Wildlife Areas in northeastern Colorado. > Joe and all--this was a decision made at the March State Wildlife Commission and here is the reason for this large fee: " Basis and Purpose: Non-wildlife recreation makes up the majority of the activities at Jumbo Reservoir and Prewitt Reservoir State Wildlife Areas (SWAs) from mid-May through the end of August each summer. Use at these reservoirs has increased dramatically since the requirement to possess a habitat stamp when entering or using a SWA was eliminated. Many of the law enforcement issues occur at night with large groups of people that are camping at the SWAs. During the late 1980s an experimental use fee permit system was incorporated on Jumbo and Prewitt State Wildlife Areas. These wildlife areas were and are currently still allowing many uses similar to the state parks, which are charging user fees in the form of daily use passes, annual use passes, and camping fees. The Division of Wildlife and its employees have been mandated with managing, protecting and preserving the state’s wildlife. To do this, budgets and priority work packages have been set to fulfill the mandate. The majority of the activities associated with these SWAs are now non-wildlife related activities. Most parks have designated staff with sole responsibility of patrolling that area along with a budget and equipment to support those activities. Nearby North Sterling State Park operates on an annual budget of roughly $250,000 and has a full time staff of three as well as an increased seasonal staff, whose sole responsibility is North Sterling State Park. In an effort to help mitigate the issues on these SWAs while still allowing for non-wildlife related recreation, these regulations establish an annual user permit. This measure is intended to help bring the non-wildlife related usage of these SWAs closer to compliance with the intent of the State Wildlife Area program." http://wildlife.state.co.us/NR/rdonlyres/B02FC982-4F65-4910-B280-2B22EDA64FDB/0/Ch9JumboAsApproved.pdf With the state budget in bad shape and continuing cuts to DOW, plus the lack of income stream from those of us who do not pay the hunting and fishing fees that provide the majority of DOW funds, I suspect we may be facing more of these site based fees in the future. Those who buy fishing and hunting licenses have been supporting other users at State Wildlife Areas including us birders and I don't blame them for objecting to paying for us. Even if some don't use the toilet facilities, campgrounds, etc, everyone drives on the roads that must be maintained and law enforcement protects us. It is too bad DOW couldn't continue with the Habitat Stamp program (conflicted with federal rules that provided funds to purchase some SWA's out of federal fishing and hunting equipment fees) even though few wildlife watchers purchased them--they might have saved us from site based fees. SeEtta Moss Canon City http://BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
