State Fish and Wildlife Officials Face Touch Decisions

Officials with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources face some tough decisions in the near future. Resident hunting and fishing license sales have steadily declined since 1988, and there is concern on behalf the department.
Since 1988, sales of resident hunting license have dropped from just over 310,000, to approximately 265,000. Resident fishing license sales have declined from 524,000 to 446,000. In what could be the most disturbing trend of all, the sales of junior hunting licenses in the state has dropped by nearly 1/3 during this 9-year period.

According to these statistics, KDFWR could be out of money by the year 2002. Commissioner Tom Bennett and his staff have no intention ofd seeing this happen, and a task force has been put together to work out some plans, and present them to the Kentucky General Assembly in early 1988.

This task force includes members of the Senate, the House, the Fish and Wildlife Commission, the State Auditor's Office, the Governor's Office of Policy and Management, AARP, the Tourism Council, members of various conservation organizations and other interested groups.

The task force is studying the long term funding needs and options for wildlife in the twenty-first century. It will present its findings to the Legislative Research Commission. Any proposed legislation can come before the General Assembly in 1998.

One of the issues of concern is the giving away of free licenses to the disabled and those over the age of 65. This year the department gave away 105,000 licenses. That is 17% of the total license number. Currently 1 in 7 Kentuckians get their license for free. As members of the baby boom generation reach retirement age, that number is expected to increase to 1 in 5, sometime after the turn of the century.

The state increased the cost of licenses in 1992. This license increase was expected to carry KDFWR for five years. Already, expenses exceed revenue. The prospect of a license fee increase in 1998 is very real.

KDFWR and the task force are currently reviewing several options. The possibility of charging a small fee for seniors and the disabled is only one matter being discussed. There is also the possibility of hunters or anglers being required to purchase a combination license. This would enable the state to count everyone twice for federal match dollars under the Pittman-Robertson act. Another option would be to charge a fee for boaters, bird watchers and other outdoor recreational users who use public land that are basically paid for by the sportsmen and women of the commonwealth.

All of these are possibilities in the near future. If you are concerned, and would like to offer a suggestion or opinion to KDFWR and the task force, you should call your district wildlife commissioner or KDFWR.