Syracuse.com - Cuomo's executive budget contains items for outdoors enthusiasts

[HuntingNY-News]

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It calls for authorizes the state Department of Environmental Conservation to establish regulations allowing individuals to hunt big game or small game with a crossbow.

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<p><br /><strong>Jason Kemper, chairman of the state's Conservation Fund Advisory Board, noted the following items pertaining to the outdoors sporting community in Gov. Andrew Cuomo's executive budget that was released this week:</strong></p>

<p>1). Authorizing the state Department of Environmental Conservation to establish regulations allowing individuals to hunt big game or small game with a crossbow. Also, reducing the distance from an occupied structure from 500 feet to 150 feet for discharge of a crossbow or longbow.<br />.<br />2). Authorizing the DEC to offer promotional, reduced cost licenses up to 10 days per year, and to designate up to eight free sport fishing days per year. (The goal here is to promote fishing in the state during times of low license sales, Kemper said). .</p>

<p>3. Creating three- and five-year hunting, fishing and trapping licenses, and reducing the price of a seven-day fishing license. The seven-day fishing license will go from $13 to $12 for residents and $31 to $28 for non- residents. </p>

<p>4 Clarifying the liability of owners, lessees and occupants whose property is used by the public for recreational activities.</p>

<p>5. $6 Million for about 50 public access projects for sportsman on wildlife management areas including boat launches and parking lots.<br /> <br />6. $4 Million for DEC fish hatchery improvements.</p>

<p>7). A provision for a vanity motor vehicle license plate for those who purchase a lifetime fishing or hunting license.</p>

<p>"The $10 million for the public access projects and the hatchery improvements are not out of the state's conservation fund (which consists of money collected from sportsmen's licenses and fees)," Kemper said. "It's straight out of the general fund. This represents a significant investment by the governor in the hunting, fishing and trapping scene in New York State."</p>

<p>Kemper said during the past four or five years, there has not been $4 million combined directed toward improving the state's fish hatcheries.</p>

<p>"This is a big shot in the arm for them," he said.</p>

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

[mike rossi]

Here goes Kemper (chairmen of the conservation fund advisory board) again touting "access". The old guard in NY just doesn't get it - the first objective in managing wildlife is PREVENTING OVERUSE OF THE RESOURCES. Furthermore Kemper thinks its just grand that some of these construction projects will be paid out of the general fund, for what to give the non hunting public majority a greater sense of entitlement?

 

All the happy horse sh*t about access and I see nothing about the impending loss of access on Onadaga lake and the access issues through out the years on Long Island.

 

Conservation does not equal construction, except when it is a moist soil project. Facilitating the over use of conservation lands, particularly during the warm months when most wildlife are rearing young is not sound wildlife conservation. There is not a single WMA I have visited that does not have sufficient parking and where  applicable, some sort of boat launch area or ramp. Maybe some permanent tie out stakes for hunting dogs would be good, in the already existing parking areas. DU and PF chapters can install them for free without dipping into the conservation fund, by the way and LOL...

 

As I have said over the years the park-like atmosphere and the sinage (signs) of the parking areas are problematic and more costly then they need be.