(Host) The commissioner of the Department Fish and Wildlife says a recent increase in hunting bodes well for the finances of the department.
Wayne LaRouche says hunting and fishing licenses increased slightly last year. The fees paid for those licenses make up about 37 percent of the department’s budget.
A coalition of recreation and conservation groups is recommending that a portion of the state sales tax should go to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. LaRouche says his department doesn’t need the money as much as other areas of state government do:
(LaRouche) "In the perspective of, you know how we’ve been doing in the last five years -we’ve been doing better than we had been for that duration of time. So it’s hard to be arguing for a big change in the face of all the other challenges of state government."
(Host) Last year’s slight increase in license sales comes during a decades-long downward trend. Fishing and hunting licenses in Vermont have decreased 20 percent in 20 years.
The idea of using a portion of the sales tax to fun Fish and Wildlife has been advanced by the Vermont Wildlife Partnership, which includes 50 hunting, fishing, environmental and conservation groups. Steve Wright is with the Wildlife Partnership. He says a one-year uptick in income doesn’t solve the department’s overall financial outlook.
(Wright) "The fundamental notion here with regard to the specific issue of funding is, you better not wait till you’re hungry to plant the garden. If you like sweet corn, you better not be planting in September."
(Host) For the last four years, the department’s budget has been supplemented with a $2 million allocation from the state’s General Fund. The 2009 budget also includes that request.