I see a lot of misconceptions about the new requirement that all users of State Wildlife Areas and State Trust Lands needing a hunting and fishing license. First let me say that I am an avid birder, but I am also a hunter and a fisherman. I am also full time fly fishing guide on the Arkansas River, and a senior, so I do get a discount now on some of the licenses that I buy each year.
State Wildlife Areas (SWA’s) are primarily set up for hunting and fishing. They are all different. Where State Parks are pretty much all created equal, SWA’s and certainly State Trust Lands are not. While some SWA’s are on publicly owned lands, many are on private land that CPW pays the landowner for allowing access via easements. Some of those easements are permanent, going with the land upon sale, others are not, and need to be renewed. Both landowners and the state can put restrictions on the allowed uses of the SWA, such as fishing only, or youth hunting only, or no big game hunting, or no hunting. Before visiting one, you should always check the current year edition of the State Recreational Lands Atlas, free where you buy licenses or at a CPW Office, and make sure that your intended use is allowed. The money for paying for easements, or maintaining these lands comes from license sales and the Habitat Stamp, not from the state budget. In the case of State Trust lands (School lands), CPW pays the State Lands Board for access. Many State Trust Lands are leased by private companies, such as oil and gas, and are not open to the public. The money paid to the State Lands Board goes back to schools. There is one other aspect of the license purchase is often misinterpreted by the public. The Search and Rescue fee is NOT an insurance policy for you in case you need to be rescued by a SAR team. It is simply a donation to SAR to help them buy new equipment and train volunteers. As a volunteer group SAR has no other funds except for donations. If you need a rescue, especially if you need to be extracted by helicopter, you will pay a very hefty fee. I carry a separate private company policy for my wife and I in case we need a rescue for ourselves or our vehicle from the backcountry. Finally, I also purchase a Federal Duck Stamp on my license. This is from the US Fish and Wildlife service and goes to maintaining and establishing National Wildlife Refuges. A few years ago, the USF&WS asked birders to buy a Duck Stamp to support refuges and migratory waterfowl. Few birders did this, although every waterfowl hunter in the country is required to purchase one each year. In Colorado, waterfowl hunters must also purchase a state duck stamp. A waterfowl hunter in Colorado must carry a state small game hunting license, a Habitat Stamp, a Colorado Duck Stamp, and a Federal Duck Stamp. This shows how much hunters contribute to the protection of wildlife. With National Refuges, SWA’s, State Trust Lands, and private landowner easements, Hunters and fishermen have carried the financial burden for these areas for years, even though many non-hunters and non-fisherpeople use them extensively. I really feel it is time for all users of these areas to contribute a fair share. On Saturday, July 11, 2020 at 11:39:16 AM UTC-6, Polly Reetz wrote: > > Lots of discussion going on about the change in policy by Colorado Parks > and Wildlife (CPW) about accessing State Wildlife Areas. While buying a > fishing license, especially a senior license, is not a big financial burden > for many birders, there is a general feeling, at least among the Audubon > folks I've talked to, that we want to be counted as wildlife watchers, not > fishermen or hunters, so that CPW is more aware of this audience and > listens to us on other policy issues. > > No one has yet come up with a method to do this that doesn't result > in a reduction in Colorado's federal Wildlife Aid in Restoration grants > which come from the excise tax on hunting and fishing equipment (although > we could argue that a lot of that money in fact does NOT come from hunters > - you pay it if you buy a handgun too). The Parks and Wildlife > Commission is still discussing this question - it is on their agenda for > Thursday morning, July 17 at 9:25 am. You can listen in from the CPW > website (About Us - Commission - Meetings). And offer comments by email > before the meeting. > > Suggestions have been: a wildlife watchers license, a maintenance fee > dedicated to SWAs, a checkoff on the fishing or hunting license application > for wildlife watchers/photographers so CPW can take count of us.... your > ideas?? Send them to the Commission. Some of this would take legislative > action. > > Polly Reetz > Denver Audubon COnservation Committee chairperson > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/c3fbfb83-d3d9-4aa8-8af5-f67fe2c85eddo%40googlegroups.com.
