Just an excellent response! I usually do a tax check-off for the
wildlife, but it isn't much. Usually, just enough to round-off my refund,
should I be fortunate enough to receive one.
Perhaps our clubs should consider some kind of donation to DWR. But,
as you point out, it would no way compare to the amounts paid by anglers and
hunters.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2003 9:27
PM
Subject: Re: [birdnet] Birders in
Utah
The report Alton is referring to is the US Fish & Wildlife Service
2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.
It covers the nation and is conducted periodically. The section dealing with
the nation does indeed show birding as the fastest growing hobby and number
two hobby in the nation behind gardening. The Utah trend is similar.
Some of the specific numbers for Utah residents involved in outdoor
related nature activities outside of Utah that you will find interesting are
424,000 Anglers, 178,000 Hunters and 572,000 Wildlife Watching. Outdoor
activity numbers inside Utah are 517,000 Anglers, 198,000 Hunters and 806,000
Wildlife Watching. As you can see, Anglers and Hunters combined are 715,000
while Wildlife Watchers are 806,000. Keep in mind though that many anglers and
hunters enjoy wildlife watching too and those are counted in the Wildlife
Watching number too.
Wildlife Watching is growing in popularity though and as Alton pointed
out Hunters and Anglers are declining. This is an important statistic, which
has ramifications for us all here in Utah. The money for conservation and
funding for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (charged with the
responsibility for nurturing Wildlife) historically and currently comes from
revenue generated from license fees and excise taxes levied on hunters and
anglers. Farmington Bay, Ogden Bay, Fish Springs NWR, Bear River MBR, etc.,
are all created, developed and maintained from these license fees and excise
tax revenues on specific sporting goods, and some matching federal funds, etc.
Wildlife Watchers, who enjoy the use of these facilities, do not
contribute to DWR, unless they buy a fishing license, hunting license or
migratory waterfowl stamp. If the decline of anglers and hunters continues, as
the trend indicates, money for the infrastructure will diminish too. We
(Wildlife Watchers) need to find a way to help support the DWR and the
infrastructure these facilities require.
It is a very real challenge, as you look at the population growth and the
resulting development here in Utah. It took 122 years (1848-1970) for Utah to
reach its first million in population. It only took Utah 30 years (1970-2000)
to reach its second million in population. Demographers project Utah's
population in 2025 will be nearly 3 million (just 22 years from now). There
are 5 million people projected to live in Utah by 2050.
Where will Utah's wildlife find suitable habitat to make a living, as
houses, schools, malls, roads, etc., are built for these increasing
populations? Where will Wildlife Watchers, outdoor lovers and enthusiasts find
quality recreational opportunities in the future? I for one want my
grandchildren to have an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors that I love and
have the ability to pass that tradition onto their children. It can only
happen if we get involved and become proactive in the process and begin to
find ways to contribute to DWR's support.
I encourage everyone to consider the quality and amount of Wildlife
Watching that Utah will offer in the future and how it will be maintained.
With the population growth and development that we are currently experiencing,
we will continue to see losses of wildlife habitat. I would postulate that
angler and hunter numbers will continue to decline, as the wildlife pursuit
opportunities are reduced through wildlife population declines with the loss
of habitat.
Let me illustrate for you a current disaster that we are experiencing in
Utah, as a result of population growth. Witness the current catastrophic
sage die off in the Uintah Basin and Price region. It is in the magnitude of
600,000 acres. Utah has experienced many droughts in its history but
none like today. How so, you might ask? Today, with the
development needed to support our growing population, we have diverted ground
water for irrigation and domestic use. The current drought, now in its
5th year has used up much of the ground water, resulting in the sage die off,
exasperated by five years of drought.
DWR is not equipped financially to fight these man made disruptions but
seemingly natural phenomena. Without finding replacement dollars and
mechanisms to enable funding of DWR, I have great concern for Utah's Watchable
Wildlife future.
Let's look at the dollars spent by the Anglers, Hunters and Wildlife
Watchers we cited earlier. Anglers expended $393 million dollars in Utah
and Hunters spent $292 million. Approximately $52 million of that finds
its way into DWR through the methods I explained earlier. The balance
goes into motels, restaurants, gasoline stations, etc., in the local
communities. Wildlife Watchers expenditures in Utah were $556
million. None of that money goes into DWR. It benefits the Utah
communities but does not support the facilities or necessary
infrastructure.
Think about that, the last time you went birding
somewhere in Utah did you spend money that went to DWR? Did you go
somewhere to bird, enjoying Farmington Bay perhaps that is maintained by
DWR? We should talk about this situation in our club meetings and learn
more about the issues facing DWR, and Wildlife in Utah. Who wants to
have a future for quality Watchable Wildlife and a future for Angling and
Hunting for the anglers and hunters who have gotten us this far? They
need our help now.
Sportingly yours,
Bill Fenimore
Wild Bird Center
1860 North 1000 West
Layton,
UT 84041-1858
(801) 525-8400 Store
(801) 699-9330
Cellular
wildbirdcenterutah.com