Groups Urge Fee Increase

[Lee Borgersen]

   Groups Urge MN Legislators To Support and Fee Increases.

3/17/17

 
The time is now to increase hunting and fishing license fees, says a coalition of Minnesota hunting, fishing and environmental groups, including several from the Northland.

  ..
Forty-eight of those groups — deer hunters, anglers and conservationists — have signed on to a letter dated Tuesday to legislative leaders, urging action this session to make incremental increases in license fees before the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has to begin cutting staff or programs.

  ..
“What’s happening is (the DNR) has been running a structural deficit of $3 million a year,” said John Lenczewski, executive director of Minnesota Trout Unlimited. “Sometime in 2019, (the Game and Fish Fund) is projected to go negative. By law, you cannot run a deficit. Starting next year, they’ll have to cut money spent on staff or fish stocking or other programs.”

Lenczewski also serves as chair of the DNR’s Game and Fish Fund Citizens Budgetary Oversight Committee, which reviews the DNR’s finances. License fees are the main source of funding for the DNR’s Game and Fish Fund.

Under the proposed increases, a deer hunting license would rise from $30 to $34. An annual fishing license would rise $3, from $22 to $25. Several other licenses are affected.

The DNR will need the money not only for its regular activities, but also to develop a new deer management plan now in the works and to combat chronic wasting disease in deer, said Gary Botzek, executive director of the Minnesota Conservation Federation.

“It’s time for the sportsmen to step forward and step up,” Botzek said. “The DNR needs this extra bump in hunting and fishing right now.”

“Even with the $3 bump, Minnesota’s fishing license is an incredible bargain for a year’s worth of quality fishing,” Lenczewski said. “That small increase costs less than a scoop of minnows or a bag of chips at the gas station.”

 

Groups that signed the letter to legislators included the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, Minnesota Trout Unlimited, the Minnesota Conservation Federation and the Minnesota Division of the Izaak Walton League. Northland groups that signed on include Arrowhead Fly Fishers, Gitchee Gumee chapter of Trout Unlimited, Lake Superior Steelhead Association and the Lake Superior chapter of Muskies Inc.

[snow1]

See! More BS just like tax increases proposed by gov goofy! as far as fish stocking goes,I would'nt want one ".01" spent to stock mille lacs as long as the special interest group continues tp pilage the lake with netts during spawn,might as well piss into the wind with shorts on...rather than spend one dime on that fruitless effort.

[Lee Borgersen]

  DNR floats hunting, fishing fee hikes; Republicans aren't biting

 Bemidji, Minn. · Apr 5, 2017


Fishing licenses would cost $3 more under the governor's budget proposal that Republicans are bucking. Derek Montgomery for MPR News 2017

  ...
The fund that pays for fish and wildlife management in Minnesota has fallen from more than $20 million a few years ago to less than $10 million. Next year, it will be half that.

  ...
By 2019, it'll be gone, says Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Tom Landwehr, who's pressing the Legislature now for a series of price increases to close a long-standing funding gap.

Under DFL Gov. Mark Dayton's budget proposal, a deer hunting tag would go from $30, to about $34. A fishing license would be $25, $3 more than it is now. The cost of a state park pass would also go up, by $1 per day. The last time that fee saw an increase was more than a decade ago.

  ....
The money would help pay for everything from state park maintenance to deer population research to walleye stocking in Lake Mille Lacs. "We stock over 1,000 lakes with walleye," said Landwehr. "Without the fee increase we would have to stop stocking on at least 200 lakes."

The increase, if passed, would keep fish and wildlife, and the parks department solvent for five or six more years, he added.


• March 31: Minnesota House backs GOP-driven changes to environmental agencies

The fee hikes, however, are largely absent from the bills up for debate this week in Minnesota's Republican-controlled House and Senate. GOP leaders are skeptical of the increases. House Environment and Natural Resources Committee Chair Dan Fabian, R-Roseau, says people he's talked to want the DNR to do a better job of managing resources.

"They need to show more of a willingness to make some reforms within the agency," said Fabian. "I met with the commissioner before the session started, and said I realize we're going to have to come to some sort of an agreement on the budget eventually, but bring me your ideas for reforms, bring me your ideas for streamlining."

The House bill has no fee increase for hunting and fishing licenses, though it includes the one for state parks, Fabian added.

Landwehr hopes Fabian and other lawmakers put the rest of his fee increases in the budget backed by the Legislature. If not, "we could face potentially losing camping at 34 state parks," he said. "We would throw the doors open, but we would not have camping, because we can't provide the services at those state parks."

Any fee increase has the potential to be controversial, but angler and business owner Duane Peterson says this one is necessary, and pretty small.

"I buy hunting licenses, fishing licenses, licenses for my boat. I use a state park sticker. I think if I added the increases for all of those it would be $50 or $60," said Peterson, who owns Northland Fishing Tackle in Bemidji. "It's a small price to pay for the fishery and the hunting opportunities that we have."

Most of the hunters and anglers who come through his doors wouldn't mind paying a little more for a license and wouldn't even notice the $3 increase, he said.

They would care, a lot, he added, if the DNR quit stocking their favorite lakes with walleye.

[LPS]

I am fine with an increase of a couple of bucks on everything.  It is cheap entertainment.  But don't just waste it.

[glenn57]

I am fine with an increase of a couple of bucks on everything.  It is cheap entertainment.  But don't just waste it.

i agree...............but would like to see a little fat cut where they can also!!!!!!!!!!

[Retired on Osakis]

As long as they are stocking Mille Lacs I am against any increase in fishing license fees.  tut_tut-3315.gif

[Lee Borgersen]

As long as they are stocking Mille Lacs I am against any increase in fishing license fees.  tut_tut-3315.gif

B..B..B...But,......Hey, the man does have a valid point there

[glenn57]

And again I will concur!!!

[snow1]

When did they start stocking mille lacs? news to me...dayton should take the 3million for building the mille lacs fishery to start stocking (if that passed) and give it to the property and business owners that are going belly up or close to it,why piss 3million away for a stocking effort just so a select few can continue to pilage our lakes spawning walleyes.

[dew2]

When did they start stocking mille lacs? news to me...dayton should take the 3million for building the mille lacs fishery to start stocking (if that passed) and give it to the property and business owners that are going belly up or close to it,why piss 3million away for a stocking effort just so a select few can continue to pilage our lakes spawning walleyes.

IF THAT PASSED?? The fishery?? Figured you'd know with all thebones you have invested on the lake living ther?? If business cant keep up with the times and business cant roll with the flow  and satisfy customers they will go down without a doubt.Resorts have gone down from 1000's in the 60s to very few today all around the state.The survivors offer a different experience other than (I'm sorry to say) the fisherpeople.They have expanded for their best interests. $$$$

[Lee Borgersen]

  Al Lindner, DNR make the case for fee increases!

By  Zach Kayser Today at 4:05 a.m.



  ...
An impending budget crunch at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources could threaten state government support for outdoor recreation unless lawmakers approve a list of license fee increases.
 
 
The situation is considered serious enough the agency's commissioner, Tom Landwehr, is travelling around the state and talking to various media outlets to drum up awareness.


  ....
He brought famous angling personality Al Lindner to the Dispatch offices Wednesday.

   
 
Recreational fishing supports a variety of companies and jobs in Minnesota, Lindner said—names like Lund Boats, Rapala, Northland Tackle, and the various resorts that cater to anglers.

Fishing also boosts real estate as people choose to buy homes here on lakes with good fishing, he added.


"They want to go out and be able to catch a limit of crappies or a nice mess of bluegills, and have a fish fry with the family," Lindner said. "That's one of the reasons that they bought the house."

Lindner's profession means he travels throughout the country, and he said Minnesota's resources are unparalleled, compared to every other state.

"We have, without a doubt, the best multi-specie fishing," he said.

 
About a million people out of five million Minnesota residents own a fishing license, Landwehr said. The fee increases for fishing licenses would go up $3, from $22 to $25, raising about $4.5 million, Landwehr said. A deer hunting license would go up about $4, raising roughly $2 million.

 
Minnesotans take the quality of their own fishing for granted since they haven't visited other states, Lindner said. A $3 increase for licenses was a small price to pay—if a person goes fishing six times a year, that's only 50 cents more a day, he said.

But if the Legislature does not authorize the increases, Landwehr said, DNR staff will take a hit starting in July, the beginning of the next fiscal year.

  ...
There are about 20 vacant positions in fish and wildlife division and 20 in the enforcement division, made up of conservation officers, he said. As it stands now, the DNR can't fill those positions. If the Legislature shoots down the increase proposal, they'll have to cut an additional 20 positions in enforcement (the total is about 15 percent of all divisional field staff) and an additional 20-40 positions in fish and wildlife, Landwehr said. The agency would likely eliminate the positions through attrition, he said.

  ......
If campground license fees are not approved, the resulting lack of money would force the DNR to cut campground service at 34 state parks, Landwehr said.

The DNR can't use Legacy Amendment money to fill the gap since the rules say it can't be used to substitute for regular agency funding, he said. So it's up to Minnesota lawmakers to decide the fate of things like the DNR's fish stocking program.

The Minnesota House of Representatives and the Senate did not include the fishing and hunting increases in the omnibus bills that passed in each lawmaking body, Landwehr said. The Senate passed its bill April 3 and the House passed its version May 30.

Landwehr said the legislators will meet in a conference committee—where lawmakers from the House and Senate iron out the differences in each version of the bill—in about a week. They can insert the increases then, but so far they've been reluctant, he said.

"They're not going to unless they hear from their voters, that those are important for them," Landwehr said. "What I've been telling people is, we've got a really good thing going on right now with the hunting, fishing, camping, trails; we don't want to see a decline in that."

The chair of the natural resources committee in the House is Dan Fabian, a Republican from Roseau. He was of the mind the DNR has to put more effort toward tightening its own budget.

"They need to show more of a willingness to make some reforms within the agency," Fabian told Minnesota Public Radio News. "I met with the commissioner before the session started, and said I realize we're going to have to come to some sort of an agreement on the budget eventually, but bring me your ideas for reforms, bring me your ideas for streamlining."

  ..
The DNR has previously requested fee increases to keep pace with inflation, but the Legislature hasn't fully approved those increases, Landwehr said.

 confused-3316.gif
Landwehr said regular anglers are surprised the increase is even an issue, and Lindner had a similar line of thinking.

"There's only one thing wrong I see in this whole deal," Lindner said. "It should be $5 and not $3."

[dew2]

Heres one from the local newspaper,Personally stocking all the mudholes with eyes should be stopped and let the lakes go back to natural reproduction.So much $$ wasted for put an take could be used elsewhere!!
 Then why should I pay for state campgrounds over run and the natural faunta an fauna are all trampled down from hoards who should pay for play.same with trails for motorized UTV wheelers an such! OH well heres a read Link here>>https://tomcherveny.areavoices.com/2017/04/05/license-fee-increase-seeking-support-cuts-would-be-felt-by-many/
 
  License Fee Increase Seeking Support; Cuts Would Be Felt By Many

 Posted on April 5, 2017    Tom Cherveny    Outdoors   

Tribune file photo The state maintains roughly 1,500 water access sites. Maintenance and upkeep would be reduced if the fee increases sought by the DNR are not approved. Boaters prepare for an outing on Green Lake in this photo.
State park users would feel the immediate impact.

Campgrounds at 34 state parks could close on July 1, the start of the state’s fiscal year, if the state Legislature rejects bills seeking fee increases for operations by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, according to Tom Landwehr, DNR commissioner.

Hunters, anglers, and those who enjoy boating, off highway vehicle, snowmobile or bicycle riding on trails would experience the effects as time goes on, said the commissioner during a stop in Willmar this week. 

The state would have to stop stocking about 200 of the approximately 1,500 lakes now stocked, he said. Anglers might not notice it immediately, but in a couple of years those lakes would no longer hold the fish they seek.


Tribune file photo / DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr, is traveling the state to seek support for a DNR proposal to increase fees to maintain the current level of services. He is shown at last fall’s Pheasant Opener hosted by Montevideo.
Maintenance would be reduced at Wildlife Management Areas, meaning red cedar and other unwanted vegetation could crowd out the habitat supporting pheasants and other game species. Current vacancies in the fish and wildlife division would remain unfilled and as employees retire, those positions too would remain unfilled, he explained.

Fish creel and wildlife survey work would also be reduced, which would adversely affect how decisions are made to manage fishing and hunting. 

Staff cuts to the Trails and Parks division would make it impossible to keep up with upkeep and dock maintenance at all of the state’s 1,500 water access sites.

There are currently 20 vacant Conservation Officer positions, and they would remain unfilled if the fee increases are not approved, according to Landwehr. Each of the state’s conservation officers are responsible for patrolling an area of roughly 600 square miles. The vacant positions represent an area equivalent to the size of Rhode Island and Massachusetts combined.

When other officers retire, those new vacancies would also remain unfilled. Officers would get spread “thinner and thinner,’’ said Landwehr.

Cost increases sought for snowmobile and OHV registrations are needed to support the grant-in-aid and trail maintenance work. The funds wouldn’t be there to support the local groups and DNR personnel involved with maintaining all of the state’s 2,200 miles of snowmobile trails, the commissioner pointed out.

The state is seeking to raise a variety of fees to maintain the current level of operations, said Landwehr. The cost of a fishing license would rise from $22 to $25. A deer hunting license would increase from $30 to $35. A daily state park pass would increase by $1 to $6 and an annual permit from $25 to $30.

 The commissioner said the DNR cannot allow its budget to go into the red, so it would have to start taking action immediately if the legislature does not approved the increases. The fish and wildlife funds, which are funded largely by license fees and revenues from a federal excise tax on recreational goods, is projected to go into the red in 2019.

State parks have already been reducing staff and services due to fiscal constraints. Landwehr said the stress the cutbacks have inflicted on park staff is evident in the loss of some employees. 

Currently, bills that would fund DNR operations are advancing in the House and Senate, but they do not include the funding the DNR has identified as needed to maintain the current level of service.

It’s not just those who enjoy Minnesota’s outdoors who have a stake in all of this, according to Landwehr.

Hunting in the state is calculated to be a $700 million economic driver in the economy, said Landwehr.

The economic impact of fishing is in the neighborhood of $2.4 billion, he said.

The DNR proposal seeks a $9.3 million increase in general fund monies for parks and trails, but otherwise relies on fee increases to meet the needs, said Landwehr. Fees support 85 percent of the DNR’s budget.

Landwehr said Governor Mark Dayton told him he supported the proposed increases “as long as you get the constituents behind it.’’

One week ago, 48 sports groups in the state, Pheasants Forever and Ducks Unlimited among them, sent a letter to legislators supporting the proposal.

Now it’s up to individual residents to make known their support, according to Landwehr. “For us the most important thing is that the residents contact their own legislators because now is when the real rubber hits the road.’’

Legislators are likely to decide the fate of the budget proposal right once conference committees begin working on the differences between the House and Senate, which could happen right after the Easter break, he said.


Tribune file State park users would be the first to feel the impact if the DNR’s requested fee increases are not approved. Campsites at 34 state parks could be closed July 1. Horse riders enjoy a trail at Glacial Lakes State Park in this photo.

[glenn57]

throw in the fishing with 2 lines WITHOUT  the extra fee......i might bite?

[dew2]

throw in the fishing with 2 lines WITHOUT  the extra fee......i might bite?

I could go for that 2 lines shore fishin!!
 Personally I believe the DNR is using the FEAR FACTOR,They can cut so much and funds be in the blue rather than the red they speak of!!

[LPS]

Again I am all for paying an extra $10 if I can use 2 lines in the summer.  That would also create more revenue and we will actually get something extra for paying more money.  Who do I contact to get this going???  My area Representative I guess.