N. Cook
04-15-2010, 11:10 AM
Not a lot on "ducks" but a couple of items that needed support and comments were on the agenda....Then, as is common, a suprise item that really had the potential to be a problem for hunting on SFWMD lands....
Spoke in support of the expanded alligator hunting on STA 3/4 next season that was on the agenda. The Gov. Board voted in approval.
Spoke in support of the USFWS and USACE presentation at the WRAC meeting on changing the protocols for releasing water out of WCA 3 south under the Tamiami Trail,or via the S 12 s, during the months when such flows have been prevented by rules protecting the endangered Cape Sable Sea Side Sparrow. Keeping the S 12 s closed during the rainy season has drowned and destroyed the tree islands in WCA 3, often drove the deer up on the levees, run away all wading birds and the endangered Snail Kite and forced the closing of the entire area to public access...including duck hunting potentially. Hopefully, the new plan that has to be done by Nov. this year will allow flexibility and some "shared adversity".
The Gov. Board and Staff commented that a full blown public outreach was in the works leading to the Nov. deadline and there was general support to relieve the problem at WCA 3.
Then the "suprise".
During Ms. Meeker's presentation of the WRAC report she mentioned the "hunting incident near Lake Kissimmee where a hunter shot an adjacent landowners dog". She did note that the hunting groups were concerned and had even offered a reward for the arrest of those who shot the dog while in was being walked by the landowner and his wife in a pasture near their home. The shots came from SFWMD land open for hunting.
This brought several comments from the Gov. Board....including Mr. Montgomery stating that he had attended the WRAC REC meeting prior to the WRAC just to hear about the incident "as he was getting complaints from land owners about hunters' conduct on District property". Several more comments from various Gov. Board members expressed their concern....and fortunately, Joe Collins and Kevin Powers said some nice things about public access and hunting in general on District lands, despite this incident.
Then the statement that really has potential to hurt future access....by Mr. Montgomery...He said there was one person at the WRAC REC meeting who seemed to be trying to make excuses for the "hunter" and call it an accident because the dog could have been a hog......This was added to his statement about landowner complaints....
Fortunately, my Public Comments immediately followed this exchange among the Gov. Board.
I was able to point out: That there have been many hundreds of hunters hunting on hundreds of thousands of acres of District land, often near private land owners and that this was a very rare incident. Also, that a black dog in a pasture looks nothing like a hog and that to shoot the dog the person had to shoot over a fence onto private property...a felony by itself...Thus this seemed to have all the appearances of a criminal act and not something involving "hunting" per se.
I was also able to explain that, despite the one person at the WRAC REC meeting who seemed to be making "excuses", all the organizations, including the one he belonged to, were united in offering a reward and any assistance possible to arrest the crooks.
This is a touchy situation.....The current SFWMD Gov. Board is full of Gov. Crist appointees who are very much in the enviro camp....and if not pure anti hunting, not supportive. We only have two who are favorably inclined to hunting. We depend on YEA votes from a majority for many public access and hunting programs each year and we(hunters/airboaters) simply have to be almost as pure as snow to get those future votes.
That is not fair, but, as they say, "thats politics". I urge everyone to consider the impact of actions and statements and not give any ammunition to our adversaries...
Spoke in support of the expanded alligator hunting on STA 3/4 next season that was on the agenda. The Gov. Board voted in approval.
Spoke in support of the USFWS and USACE presentation at the WRAC meeting on changing the protocols for releasing water out of WCA 3 south under the Tamiami Trail,or via the S 12 s, during the months when such flows have been prevented by rules protecting the endangered Cape Sable Sea Side Sparrow. Keeping the S 12 s closed during the rainy season has drowned and destroyed the tree islands in WCA 3, often drove the deer up on the levees, run away all wading birds and the endangered Snail Kite and forced the closing of the entire area to public access...including duck hunting potentially. Hopefully, the new plan that has to be done by Nov. this year will allow flexibility and some "shared adversity".
The Gov. Board and Staff commented that a full blown public outreach was in the works leading to the Nov. deadline and there was general support to relieve the problem at WCA 3.
Then the "suprise".
During Ms. Meeker's presentation of the WRAC report she mentioned the "hunting incident near Lake Kissimmee where a hunter shot an adjacent landowners dog". She did note that the hunting groups were concerned and had even offered a reward for the arrest of those who shot the dog while in was being walked by the landowner and his wife in a pasture near their home. The shots came from SFWMD land open for hunting.
This brought several comments from the Gov. Board....including Mr. Montgomery stating that he had attended the WRAC REC meeting prior to the WRAC just to hear about the incident "as he was getting complaints from land owners about hunters' conduct on District property". Several more comments from various Gov. Board members expressed their concern....and fortunately, Joe Collins and Kevin Powers said some nice things about public access and hunting in general on District lands, despite this incident.
Then the statement that really has potential to hurt future access....by Mr. Montgomery...He said there was one person at the WRAC REC meeting who seemed to be trying to make excuses for the "hunter" and call it an accident because the dog could have been a hog......This was added to his statement about landowner complaints....
Fortunately, my Public Comments immediately followed this exchange among the Gov. Board.
I was able to point out: That there have been many hundreds of hunters hunting on hundreds of thousands of acres of District land, often near private land owners and that this was a very rare incident. Also, that a black dog in a pasture looks nothing like a hog and that to shoot the dog the person had to shoot over a fence onto private property...a felony by itself...Thus this seemed to have all the appearances of a criminal act and not something involving "hunting" per se.
I was also able to explain that, despite the one person at the WRAC REC meeting who seemed to be making "excuses", all the organizations, including the one he belonged to, were united in offering a reward and any assistance possible to arrest the crooks.
This is a touchy situation.....The current SFWMD Gov. Board is full of Gov. Crist appointees who are very much in the enviro camp....and if not pure anti hunting, not supportive. We only have two who are favorably inclined to hunting. We depend on YEA votes from a majority for many public access and hunting programs each year and we(hunters/airboaters) simply have to be almost as pure as snow to get those future votes.
That is not fair, but, as they say, "thats politics". I urge everyone to consider the impact of actions and statements and not give any ammunition to our adversaries...