Group proposes wildlife funding

By Lauren Ober, Free Press Staff Writer • September 26, 2008

The Fish and Wildlife Department has seen its allotment of the state’s General Fund slashed by 22 percent, from $2.1 million to $1.6. million.

The Vermont Wildlife Partnership, in a news conference Thursday, announced a plan to increase the Fish and Wildlife Department’s budget by taking the onus off hunters and anglers and spreading the responsibility around the state. The partnership is a coalition comprising 50 members representing hunting, fishing and conservation organizations, as well as businesses and individuals.

George Gay, a member of the Vermont Wildlife Partnership’s steering committee, proposed that the state dedicate an eighth of a cent from the sales tax to the Fish and Wildlife Department. That plan, which was recommended by a 2007 Fish and Wildlife Department Funding Task Force, would generate an estimated $6 million to $7 million for the department. With those funds, the department would be able to leverage federal matching funds that go unused due to lack of state revenue.

Gay admitted that the chances of this proposal passing legislative muster in 2009 are “very slim” because of the overall fiscal situation in the state, but he said the partnership would like to see the plan carried out in the future.

For years, conservation efforts were largely funded by hunting and fishing licenses, as well as federal excise taxes on hunting and fishing equipment. As a result of the decline of the number of hunters and anglers in the state, wildlife funding has decreased.

The Fish and Wildlife Department is in need of a long-term, sustainable funding stream. Gay said the conservation burden should not rest with just the state’s sportsman.

“Vermonters recognize and embrace the efforts of the traditional users of the land,” Gay said. “Everyone should pitch in to ensure the future of the fish and wildlife legacy.”

In the short term, Gay encouraged people to buy a hunting or fishing license, regardless of whether they hunt or fish, to support the department. He also advocated for residents to buy a state duck stamp and a conservation license plate, which help fund the department.

In an effort to raise awareness about the need for wildlife conservation funding, Gay unveiled a project of the partnership that will serve as a “living testimonial” of the state’s wildlife heritage. The project involves a traveling display on which Vermonters can attach mementos of their wilderness experiences, such as pictures, poems, fishing lures or even a squirrel’s tail. The display will then go to the Statehouse, where Gay said he hopes it will tell the story of Vermont’s wildlife experience.

While the partnership members who spoke stressed moving ahead with innovative conservation funding sources, they couldn’t help but touch on what they had already lost due to financial issues. Several full-time positions in the department, including three game wardens, will be eliminated, and programs such as hunter education, wildlife outreach and law enforcement lack required minimum funding.

Jamey Fidel of the Vermont Natural Resources Council noted that the department lacks such essentials as a state ornithologist and management plans for a number of the state’s wildlife management areas.

“There are 195 species in Vermont that are threatened or endangered, and we only have recovery plans for five of them,” Fidel said. “We need staff in each taxonomic group.”

Contact Lauren Ober at 660-1868 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .

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