I actually think a watchers license that parallels the hunting/fishing license and whose cost contributes to the maintenance of SWA's is a great idea. It simultaneously broadens the base of people who are financially contributing AND provides a way to measure the number of people who are using SWA's for non-hunting/fishing purposes. Have any conservation organizations (Audubon?) proposed this change to state lawmakers?
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/b0f399d8-917a-411e-b117-a2bd0df5c63do%40googlegroups.com.
