Syracuse.com - Gov. Cuomo unveils $6 million in projects giving more access to outdoors enthusiasts

[HuntingNY-News]

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The announcement unveiled 50 proposed new outdoor access projects to connect hunters, anglers, bird watchers and other outdoor enthusiasts to 380,000 acres of untapped State-owned lands across the state.

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<p>Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today unveiled 50 proposed new outdoor access projects to connect hunters, anglers, bird watchers and other outdoor enthusiasts to 380,000 acres of untapped State-owned lands across the state.</p>

<p>The new access points will allow for more than $6 million in projects for access to hunting and fishing, boat launches, and new hiking opportunities. Six projects are scheduled to take place in Central New York.<br /><strong><br />The local work and projected costs, are:</strong></p>

<p><strong>1). Skaneateles Lake fishing access ($190,000): </strong>Created American Disabilities Act accessible fishing piers by rehabilitating city of Syracuse-owned docks at southwest end of lake. Install (universally accessible" canoe/kayak launch and associated parking (two cars). Develop separate six-car angler parking area. Managed by DEC through cooperative agreement.</p>

<p><strong>2). Fishermen parking areas ($120,000):</strong> Develop 12 fishermen parking areas along 11 regional trout streams/rivers with existing public fishing rights.</p>

<p><strong>3). Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area ($35,000)</strong>: Build accessible observation platforms, trails and parking areas for waterfowl hunting and observation blinds.</p>

<p><strong>4). Deer Creek Wildlife Management Area ($90,000):</strong> Construct two ramps and docking area on an existing structure to protect sensitive areas and accessible trail and kayak launch site.</p>

<p><strong>5). Cleveland Dock Fishing Access Site ($350,000):</strong> Install an accessible car-top boat launch and fix existing crib wall at a New York State Canal site.</p>

<p><strong>6). Redfield Island Boat Launch- Upper Salmon River ($40,000):</strong> Develop an accessible platform for boat users.l<br /></p>

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

[HectorBuckBuster]

Yep trying to buy sportsman votes, because he pissed them off over the Safe Act.

[mike rossi]

All access, no habitat. Nothing at all to do with the safe act or Cuomo, but political pressure from non-hunters AND the county federations of sportsmen, the NY State Conservation Council, and CFAB (Conservation Fund Advisory Board).

All this does is invite overuse, it does not increase legal access or increase habitat. It creates physical access that is not needed. Few hunters will be using these quasi infrastructure developments and more non-hunters will be "tapping" WMAs.

Ordinary wildlife management uses conservation funds to increase land ownership and enhance the habitat on those lands and set policy to manage overuse. This does the exact opposite - it is using funds in a manner that does not add habitat, does not increase places to hunt, does not bolster wildlife populations, and invites overuse. Again - the exact opposite of what should be done...

Part of the problem is that the state is using the environmental protection fund and other non-hunter revenues, instead of the conservation fund, for matching dollars to receive Pitman Robertson grants. The projects are lawyered to very narrowly pass for acceptable projects under the wildlife restoration act and/or they are "Omni bussed" into a deceptive package which the FWS reluctantly accepts. Not that CFAB has any objection to infrastructure, to the contrary from what I see they are in favor of it, but hoard the CF as much as possible. Not necessarily a bad thing to use a variety of matching funds, but the intent and the result is a bad thing...

[Doc]

A new Sienna poll states: "Statewide, 54 percent said they would re-elect Cuomo, a Democrat who is expected to run for a second term this fall. In Upstate, 4 out of 10 voters said they were ready to vote for Cuomo; 54 percent said they'd prefer someone else." That is a big slips from just a couple of month's earlier.

 

From a TV news story that I watched last night, a good chunk of the blame for the slip was attributed to the NYS Safe Act. So for those that think we have not gotten Cuomo's attention .... Think again! And anyone who does not see all this sudden interest in hunting and outdoor activity by the Cuomo camp as a blatant attempt to bribe the votes of gun owning outdoors people, simply are demonstrating that the ploy is working. He is simply shoring up a soft spot in his popularity.

[mike rossi]

Doc,

I am not going to (again) go back and trace these initiatives to the original sources and then back track all the way back to the Governor. I really don't care if he is grandstanding. A lot of better things can be done with 6 million dollars. The lack of awareness among sportsman is more egregious than some politician who made some unpopular decisions trying to recoup some votes. The sporting community should be sounding off about taking that 6 million and any federal PR grants it can leverage and using it for better things. First step is the sportsmen learning what those "better things" are. The wheels of social change grind slowly, especially with cultures that are not progressive. That is why it is so important to focus on the meat, not the potatoes. In this case Cuomo is the potatoes.

If I am still not making sense, look at it this way. If the DEC took that 6 million dollars and possibly even leveraged an additional 18 million in federal PR funds, and used that 24 million dollars to enhance habitat and/or buy $24 million dollars worth of land, wouldn't that be better?

Edited March 8, 2014 by mike rossi

[Four Season Whitetail's]

Yes spend that kind of money on public land and then put it under the same old piss poor management like most of the rest of the state.

 He will get through to enough to keep the votes needed.

Edited March 8, 2014 by Four Season Whitetails

[Doc]

I really don't care if he is grandstanding. A lot of better things can be done with 6 million dollars. The lack of awareness among sportsman is more egregious than some politician who made some unpopular decisions trying to recoup some votes. The sporting community should be sounding off about taking that 6 million and any federal PR grants it can leverage and using it for better things. First step is the sportsmen learning what those "better things" are. The wheels of social change grind slowly, especially with cultures that are not progressive. That is why it is so important to focus on the meat, not the potatoes. In this case Cuomo is the potatoes.

If I am still not making sense, look at it this way. If the DEC took that 6 million dollars and possibly even leveraged an additional 18 million in federal PR funds, and used that 24 million dollars to enhance habitat and/or buy $24 million dollars worth of land, wouldn't that be better?

First of all, you should care if he is "grandstanding", especially when he is using tax-payer money to finance what amounts to free campaign expenditures on his behalf.

 

Secondly, to use your analogy, Cuomo is both the meat and the potatoes. He is the guy who is buying votes with our money and is displaying a mentality that you can indeed screw gunners (or any voters), as long as you can successfully divert public money to buy back their votes. The assumption is that they are too stupid to even understand it or even care about it.

 

This is only the most recent display of that kind of mentality in most of our elected officials, and hopefully, voters will get a little smarts and understand that it is that mindset that is the problem and the reason that this sort of thing is going on in the first place.

 

I understand what you are trying to say about priorities, but at some point you have to recognize the more fundamental part of what is going on here, and begin to "care" about who and what is really screwing us over and why. Also , hopefully you and others will decide to finally do something about it while the opportunity is here.

[mike rossi]

Doc,

I wrote Cuomo's office and called there in opposition to the safe act. I also contacted a number of lawmakers about it. Did you?

If we got $6 million dollars to play with and its truly is all about sportsmen, I don't know about you, but I could manage that money a lot better than by funding the projects listed. I think when something like this emerges, and the first and only thing sportsmen do is worry about grand standing, its clearly showing something is seriously wrong.

Apparently some feel it is necessary to call attention to the grandstanding every time it occurs, I guess that is OK. However, why is it important the next generation of hunters continues on the same path? I don't think anyone needs to be told not to vote for Cuomo, what is the point of ignoring the wasting of 6 million dollars? They know Cuomo is bad news but they do not pay attention to the money and do not understand they are getting screwed, and will continue to get screwed, no matter who is in office, until they lobby for sound wildlife management, stop second guessing the DEC, and stand up to CFAB, the County Federations, and the Council.

Edited March 9, 2014 by mike rossi

[Doc]

Doc,

I wrote Cuomo's office and called there in opposition to the safe act. I also contacted a number of lawmakers about it. Did you?

 

Of course I did. But the more important question is, "Do you intend to back up your actions at he polls this November"? The way you are trying to deflect attention away from the real problem and the real solutions here makes me wonder. I am not going to sit back and say, "Gee I did all I could do". We have a much bigger achievement to accomplish. We don't need apologists for political grandstanding, and attempts to buy back the lost favor of voting gun owners with public money. The fact is that unlike you, I can not brush aside the callous and insulting treatment that legislators routinely force on us, and the attitudes of contempt that they hold their constituents in. I am arguing for fanning the flames of disgust into an organized attempt to send a clear message to those that displayed their true colors on that Safe Act vote including their leader, Cuomo. We have an opportunity to use the anger  in the gun owners to send that message, and if we don't get too many people trying to deflect that effort by brushing aside  such things as grandstanding for political benefit and other abuses by politicians, perhaps we might just have a chance at pulling off the upset. What we don't need are statements like "I really don't care if he is grandstanding". That is not the way to encourage the unified front that we need to unseat this guy and his like-minded friends.

[mike rossi]

Your answer: I will not vote for Cuomo or Trump. Depending on what I learn about Astorino, I might vote for him, or I may not vote at all if he turns out to be a dink, which he probably is.

Fred Theile, is a lawmaker who has sponsored numerous anti hunting bills and is endorsed by several anti-hunting organizations. Thiele recently sponsored a bill which restores the age for senior hunting licenses to 65 instead of the new age of 70. I forget if Thiele is an assemblyman or a senator but the respective bills are A-7299 and S-5133. How do you feel about that grand standing?

[Doc]

Your answer: I will not vote for Cuomo or Trump. Depending on what I learn about Astorino, I might vote for him, or I may not vote at all if he turns out to be a dink, which he probably is.

Fred Theile, is a lawmaker who has sponsored numerous anti hunting bills and is endorsed by several anti-hunting organizations. Thiele recently sponsored a bill which restores the age for senior hunting licenses to 65 instead of the new age of 70. I forget if Thiele is an assemblyman or a senator but the respective bills are A-7299 and S-5133. How do you feel about that grand standing?

Well, I'm trying desperately not to twist this thread too far off topic, but in my world, not voting at all is not an option. There is an opportunity to send a pro-2nd Amendment message this fall, and I will not pass up that once in a lifetime opportunity that gun owners have been given.

 

Mr. Theil is a downstate Assemblyman that also needs special attention by the gun owning voters of his district in that he also voted for the Safe Act. And yes, he very well may be a "grandstander" for exactly the same reasons as Andy. Hopefully he too is feeling the heat. Each one of us has our own district election candidates to take care of depending on how they voted on the Safe Act. But staying on point, this thread is about deceitful activity by Cuomo as pointed out in the original post, and I am trying to stay focused on that in spite of your attempts to divert.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Mike, you would really choose not to vote against Cuomo? Really? I think it would suck to have to choose the lesser of two evils, i would like to see a truly good candidate, but I will be voting for the strongest candidate with a chance to oust Cuomo. We cannot afford for him to stay in office. You can kiss more of your money and rights goodbye if he does.

[mike rossi]

Well, I'm trying desperately not to twist this thread too far off topic, but in my world, not voting at all is not an option. There is an opportunity to send a pro-2nd Amendment message this fall, and I will not pass up that once in a lifetime opportunity that gun owners have been given.

 

Mr. Theil is a downstate Assemblyman that also needs special attention by the gun owning voters of his district in that he also voted for the Safe Act. And yes, he very well may be a "grandstander" for exactly the same reasons as Andy. Hopefully he too is feeling the heat. Each one of us has our own district election candidates to take care of depending on how they voted on the Safe Act. But staying on point, this thread is about deceitful activity by Cuomo as pointed out in the original post, and I am trying to stay focused on that in spite of your attempts to divert.

Post number 2 put it off topic, that was my point in post # 3. It is about the use of $6 million dollars that (reportedly) is being used to increase sporting opportunities.

Edited March 10, 2014 by mike rossi