Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wildlife department zeros in on new revenue sources
Bill Cochran
Recent columns
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries recently rejected the idea of establishing a special $25 bear license promoted by hound hunters, but that doesn’t mean the agency isn’t pursuing new revenue sources.
A special taskforce, headed by fish division chief Gary Martel, has been sifting through funding options and has come up with about 60 ideas.
Down the line, that’s going to mean additional out-of-pocket money for hunters, anglers and boaters, but let’s hope it also means tapping funds from people who use the agency’s land and services yet pay nothing in support.
DGIF was wise not to jump on the bear license bandwagon at this time because all revenue streams need to be considered.
The estimated income for the DGIF 2010 fiscal budget, which will be launched July 1, is $50,025,000. That’s nearly 5.5 million, or 10 percent, below what was estimated a year ago. It is a case of declining revenues at a time when the agency is challenged by expanding responsibilities and higher costs.
More than 60 percent of the budget shortfall is a response to sluggish motorboat sales. This means nearly $3.5 million less from the Watercraft Sales and Use Tax than would be expected under a strong economy.
Fishing license sales also have been declining, going from 806,559 in 2006 to 577,331 in 2008. With help from the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, DGIF has initiated an aggressive license renewal effort and officials say it has worked to the tune of about 5,000 renewals.
Meanwhile, hunting license sales pretty much have been holding their own as has funding from federal sources.
One high-cost item in the new budget is the $1.5 million that will be allocated to fully fund the first year of the Quail Action Plan, which is an energetic and costly attempt to restore the declining Bobwhite quail population.
The capital funds budget for the 2010 fiscal year is $11,500,000. About half of that -- $5.5 million -- is earmarked for the ongoing Coursey Springs Hatchery renovation project, where a major trout rearing facility in Bath County is going from an old style outside raceway system to indoor holding tanks. One of the results, officials say, will be a larger size trout for stocking. The old hatchery has been losing as many as 30 percent of its fish to predation.
Capital funds money is in short supply, considering the needs, said Bob Duncan, executive director of DGIF. For one thing, the agency has a sizable number of dams that need repair, he said.
The agency would like to capture revenue from a broader constituency, said Duncan. Right now, people who enjoy wildlife, who are interested in protecting and expanding wildlife habitat, who reap the benefits of conservation police efforts pretty much get a free ride if they don’t buy hunting and fishing licenses.
The conservation law enforcement effort, especially, should receive some general fund money so all the burden isn’t on the shoulders of sportsmen. That only can be accomplished through action of the General Assembly, so sportsmen would do well to solicit support from the candidates currently running for office.
