Of course the main event news is the beginning of our spring turkey hunting season on Sunday, and let’s not forget the opening of walleye, pike and pickerel fishing seasons on May7. Whether you hunt, fish, both or just enjoy the outdoors, it’s been a long winter since the holidays and an even worse month of April. People are truly primed for some outdoor recreation accompanied by some decent weather.
But rather than go into great detail on this year’s outlooks for our hunting and fishing, I felt it’s even more important to bring readers up to some recent issues that could have impacts on our outdoor activities.
North Country Assembly members to challenge Governor and Div. of Budget on possible misuse of Conservation Fund monies.
As reportedly preciously in this column, there’s been concern that the current administration and Div. of Budget may be planning to or already have dipped into the Conservation Fund for use in funding non-conservation projects to ease the state’s large budget deficit. Although budget cuts have heavily impacted our area, like the closing of Rogers Center, but it could hit the tourism businesses up north even harder, especially given the soaring cost of gas.
Recently, Assembly members Tony Jordan (R,C,I-Jackson), Teresa Sayward (R,I-Willsboro), and Janet L. Duprey (R,I-Peru) sent a joint letter to Governor Cuomo requesting a meeting with him to discuss the mishandling of dedicated state conservation funds generated by hunting, fishing and trapping licensing fees. With across-the-board cuts to all state agencies, including the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the lawmakers want to ensure that conservation funds are used to support outdoor recreation programs and opportunities. The Assembly members, who represent many sportsmen and whose districts are covered largely by the Adirondack Park, are especially concerned and would like Governor Cuomo to clear up any rumors of a possible Conservation Fund sweep.
Hunting and fishing are especially important to New York residents and our Upstate economy, and that is why we want to talk to the governor to make sure that the state is using the Conservation Fund as intended, to support New York’s outdoors recreation and opportunities,” said Jordan. “When we’re being told by the chairman of the Conservation Fund Advisory Board that the money, raised by outdoor licensing fees, is not being used as required by law, it raises a red flag with me. We need to use this dedicated fund to support this important industry and boost our local economies.”
There are 1.4 million sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts in New York who have a $6 billion annual impact of the state’s economy. Recent hikes in licensing fees have made it more expensive for hunters and anglers to do what they love. The use of conservation funds to maintain programs, trails and other related services has been repeatedly denied by the Division of Budget.
"Our sportsmen and women are concerned that the Conservation Fund may be swept for other uses,” said Sayward. “The Conservation Fund should remain as intended, providing support for outdoor recreation and sporting opportunities. I urge Governor Cuomo to act on this issue to ensure that the Conservation Fund is used for its proper purpose."
