Post by Dutch on May 12, 2013 19:53:55 GMT -5
lancasteronline.com/article/local/848013_Legislation-takes-aim-at-Game-Commission-s-deer-management-program.html
By P.J. REILLY
Staff Writer
preilly@lnpnews.com
Game Commission feels the heat
State lawmakers are putting the heat on the Pennsylvania Game Commission this year.
That's nothing new.
They've been doing that for years.
But this year, there seems to be a fervent effort specifically aimed at deer management.
And the elected officials leading the charge say they're justified.
"What we're doing (with deer management) isn't working," said state Sen. Rich Alloway, who chairs the Senate Game & Fisheries Committee. "I know that we have to be concerned about the forest and the habitat, but I feel the pendulum has swung so far out of balance in reducing the deer herd."
The PGC's staff and leadership say their program is dictated by science.
Their recommendations for deer numbers in different parts of the state are guided primarily by the health of the forest and the deer themselves.
"All we can do is provide the best science for the decision-making process," said agency spokesman Travis Lau.
And PGC Commissioner Jay Delaney says that science, while it might need some tweaking, is on target.
"Can the PGC do better with its deer program?" he said. "The answer is 'yes,' in my opinion, but I also believe the foundation set by the current deer management program is sound."
Indeed, Bob Schlemmer, president of the commissioners' board, said it's tough to please everyone.
"No matter what direction you take with deer management, some will think it's great and others will think it is not," he said.
Here's a rundown of the deer-management-themed legislation that's either already been introduced this year, or is in the pipeline.
• House Bill 870, introduced by state Rep. Deberah Kula, of Westmoreland County, would prevent the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources from enrolling its 2.1 million acres of state forest and state park lands in the PGC's Deer Management Assistance Program.
"We're not talking about taking DMAP away from private landowners, who might have issues with deer," said Rich Ponesti, Kula's executive director. "But we don't think it should be allowed on public land, where the benefits are outweighed by the losses."
Ponesti said the loss of hunters over the past decade, and the dollars they spent, was greater than the increase in timber value derived from keeping deer numbers on state forest lands low.
Hunter numbers in Pennsylvania have been declining for a variety of reasons for more than two decades, but Ponesti said the state's deer management program is responsible for driving away many hunters in recent years.
• Rep. Kula recently issued a notice stating that she plans to introduce a bill that would restrict firearms doe hunting to a three-day season following a two-week firearms buck season.
Ponesti said hunters from Kula's district have been calling for this for several years.
"This has been a constant drum from individuals and from sportsmen's clubs," he said.
• Sen. Alloway is drafting a bill titled "Come Back to the PA Wilds" that's aimed at boosting the deer herd in the state's northcentral region.
Alloway said the bill would require the PGC to cut doe-tag allocations by 5 percent each year for three years in a row in wildlife manegement units across the northern tier.
"We're trying to get a few more deer in the northern tier so that hunters will come back to their hunting camps up there," Alloway said. "Right now, a lot of those camps are empty during deer season because there are so few deer."
And here are two bills not necessarily aimed directly at deer management, but some Harrisburg insiders say frustration with the agency's deer-management program factored into the bills' creation.
• Senate Bill 597 seeks to force the Game Commission to subject its proposals regarding regulations to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission.
"IRRC is an agency responsible for reviewing regulations proposed by state agencies, ensuring statutory authority exists to enact the regulation and a thorough and transparent analysis is conducted of its potential impact on the commonwealth," said state Sen. Donald White, of Armstrong County.
He continued, "I believe PGC regulations should be subject to this review, which provides transparency in the development of regulations and allows valuable input from the public and the General Assembly."
• House Bill 828 seeks to reduce the terms of state Game Commissioners from eight years to four. The agency's board of commissioners sets policy and hunting seasons and bag limits.
"I believe this legislation will allow for added oversight of the agency through greater control of commissioners' terms by the Executive and Legislative branches, via appointment and confirmation," state Rep. Martin Causer, of Bradford, said.
State Rep. Mindy Fee, of Manheim, voted in favor of this bill in the House Game & Fisheries Committee.
She said the bill should "make the commission more accountable to the legislators and to the hunters."
PGC staff sees nothing unusual about the current spate of legislative proposals aimed at its programs and operations.
"Wildlife management always has and always will attract some level of political attention," Lau said. "The introduction of bills pertaining to wildlife occur fairly regularly. To us, it seems par for the course."
But at least one member of the agency's board of commissioners sees a troublesome edge this year.
"I believe that (Sen. Alloway) has been frustrated in some of his dealings with the Game Commission," said Commissioner Dave Putnam. "I believe that some of the things that he has done have been an expression of that frustration and his way of communicating to the Commission that he is serious about seeing some changes."
Commissioner Ralph Martone said he'd prefer wildlife management be left to wildlife managers.
"Currently, we are facing a decision between putting the short-term satisfaction of some of today's hunters ahead of the long-term benefit to many future generations of hunters," he said.
"I am in favor of a deer management program that will provide future generations habitat for all wildlife, including white-tailed deer. This is best accomplished by leaving the decisions up to the professionals."
Staff believes it has done all it can to educate the public and the Legislature about its deer management program.
"We are proud of our efforts to educate others about the plan," Lau said.
He continued, saying, "We have one of the most comprehensive deer websites in the country, which is viewed by thousands of people each month. ... Few states, if any, are as transparent in their management decision-making process."
But Commissioner Putnam doesn't necessarily agree.
"It is obvious that, despite a lot of work, some points have not gotten across," Putnam said. "Since we are the ones doing the communication, I believe that we need to do something different."
In the end, Putnam said, the Legislature does control the PGC's existence, and so the agency has to work with lawmakers.
"I do believe that (Alloway) is a friend of the sportsmen and really wants to see the PGC succeed," he said.
"If we do not listen to him, we do so at our own peril."
By P.J. REILLY
Staff Writer
preilly@lnpnews.com
Game Commission feels the heat
State lawmakers are putting the heat on the Pennsylvania Game Commission this year.
That's nothing new.
They've been doing that for years.
But this year, there seems to be a fervent effort specifically aimed at deer management.
And the elected officials leading the charge say they're justified.
"What we're doing (with deer management) isn't working," said state Sen. Rich Alloway, who chairs the Senate Game & Fisheries Committee. "I know that we have to be concerned about the forest and the habitat, but I feel the pendulum has swung so far out of balance in reducing the deer herd."
The PGC's staff and leadership say their program is dictated by science.
Their recommendations for deer numbers in different parts of the state are guided primarily by the health of the forest and the deer themselves.
"All we can do is provide the best science for the decision-making process," said agency spokesman Travis Lau.
And PGC Commissioner Jay Delaney says that science, while it might need some tweaking, is on target.
"Can the PGC do better with its deer program?" he said. "The answer is 'yes,' in my opinion, but I also believe the foundation set by the current deer management program is sound."
Indeed, Bob Schlemmer, president of the commissioners' board, said it's tough to please everyone.
"No matter what direction you take with deer management, some will think it's great and others will think it is not," he said.
Here's a rundown of the deer-management-themed legislation that's either already been introduced this year, or is in the pipeline.
• House Bill 870, introduced by state Rep. Deberah Kula, of Westmoreland County, would prevent the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources from enrolling its 2.1 million acres of state forest and state park lands in the PGC's Deer Management Assistance Program.
"We're not talking about taking DMAP away from private landowners, who might have issues with deer," said Rich Ponesti, Kula's executive director. "But we don't think it should be allowed on public land, where the benefits are outweighed by the losses."
Ponesti said the loss of hunters over the past decade, and the dollars they spent, was greater than the increase in timber value derived from keeping deer numbers on state forest lands low.
Hunter numbers in Pennsylvania have been declining for a variety of reasons for more than two decades, but Ponesti said the state's deer management program is responsible for driving away many hunters in recent years.
• Rep. Kula recently issued a notice stating that she plans to introduce a bill that would restrict firearms doe hunting to a three-day season following a two-week firearms buck season.
Ponesti said hunters from Kula's district have been calling for this for several years.
"This has been a constant drum from individuals and from sportsmen's clubs," he said.
• Sen. Alloway is drafting a bill titled "Come Back to the PA Wilds" that's aimed at boosting the deer herd in the state's northcentral region.
Alloway said the bill would require the PGC to cut doe-tag allocations by 5 percent each year for three years in a row in wildlife manegement units across the northern tier.
"We're trying to get a few more deer in the northern tier so that hunters will come back to their hunting camps up there," Alloway said. "Right now, a lot of those camps are empty during deer season because there are so few deer."
And here are two bills not necessarily aimed directly at deer management, but some Harrisburg insiders say frustration with the agency's deer-management program factored into the bills' creation.
• Senate Bill 597 seeks to force the Game Commission to subject its proposals regarding regulations to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission.
"IRRC is an agency responsible for reviewing regulations proposed by state agencies, ensuring statutory authority exists to enact the regulation and a thorough and transparent analysis is conducted of its potential impact on the commonwealth," said state Sen. Donald White, of Armstrong County.
He continued, "I believe PGC regulations should be subject to this review, which provides transparency in the development of regulations and allows valuable input from the public and the General Assembly."
• House Bill 828 seeks to reduce the terms of state Game Commissioners from eight years to four. The agency's board of commissioners sets policy and hunting seasons and bag limits.
"I believe this legislation will allow for added oversight of the agency through greater control of commissioners' terms by the Executive and Legislative branches, via appointment and confirmation," state Rep. Martin Causer, of Bradford, said.
State Rep. Mindy Fee, of Manheim, voted in favor of this bill in the House Game & Fisheries Committee.
She said the bill should "make the commission more accountable to the legislators and to the hunters."
PGC staff sees nothing unusual about the current spate of legislative proposals aimed at its programs and operations.
"Wildlife management always has and always will attract some level of political attention," Lau said. "The introduction of bills pertaining to wildlife occur fairly regularly. To us, it seems par for the course."
But at least one member of the agency's board of commissioners sees a troublesome edge this year.
"I believe that (Sen. Alloway) has been frustrated in some of his dealings with the Game Commission," said Commissioner Dave Putnam. "I believe that some of the things that he has done have been an expression of that frustration and his way of communicating to the Commission that he is serious about seeing some changes."
Commissioner Ralph Martone said he'd prefer wildlife management be left to wildlife managers.
"Currently, we are facing a decision between putting the short-term satisfaction of some of today's hunters ahead of the long-term benefit to many future generations of hunters," he said.
"I am in favor of a deer management program that will provide future generations habitat for all wildlife, including white-tailed deer. This is best accomplished by leaving the decisions up to the professionals."
Staff believes it has done all it can to educate the public and the Legislature about its deer management program.
"We are proud of our efforts to educate others about the plan," Lau said.
He continued, saying, "We have one of the most comprehensive deer websites in the country, which is viewed by thousands of people each month. ... Few states, if any, are as transparent in their management decision-making process."
But Commissioner Putnam doesn't necessarily agree.
"It is obvious that, despite a lot of work, some points have not gotten across," Putnam said. "Since we are the ones doing the communication, I believe that we need to do something different."
In the end, Putnam said, the Legislature does control the PGC's existence, and so the agency has to work with lawmakers.
"I do believe that (Alloway) is a friend of the sportsmen and really wants to see the PGC succeed," he said.
"If we do not listen to him, we do so at our own peril."
