[mou] RE: (mou) Pay to Play
Larson Kelly
northernflights@charter.net
Fri, 24 Mar 2006 18:42:25 -0600
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As I understand it, the Nongame Wildlife division of the MN DNR gets
only 20% of its funding from the State. The other 80% of this
department is funded by the Loon Checkoff, voluntary donations made
on our MN tax forms. Birds and other nongame wildlife need to buy a
voice and a place at the table.
What has Value?
One has only to look at the logging in Sax-Zim in St. Louis county
that has recently upset birders. Or the secretive exploitation of
Beltrami county's Big Bog in Pine Island State Forest were 840 acres
of peat land are set to be strip-mined right in the middle of three
SNA's. (rights sold to a Canadian company) The bog is the largest and
most pristine bog in the lower 48 states, but its just a bog. You
can't easily fish it, walk though it or hunt it.
The state spends money to acquire and manage land to use for parks,
forest, trails, and waterways for many different users.
Users are greatly varied and include day trippers, hikers, bikers and
campers and also groups like hunters and the timber industry. The DNR
is managing our natural resources and spending capital with these
users in mind.
I don't think Nongame wildlife has much of a place at the table,
politically. When Lands are managed, they benefit limited types of
habitat, with harvestable trees, and target species (game).
Management practices that benefit these traditional, economically
valuable, resources are not always in the best interest of nongame
species or diversity.
Many birds, animals and plants do thrive under current forestry and
game management plans. But are the full spectrum of our natural
resources being equally represented and protected? Are our current
management goals focused on the economics of natural resources to the
detriment of diversity. Should all potential users have equal access
regardless of how their use impacts the resource? Who pays to clean
up and restore when Lands are damaged? What if they pay to play? Is
it O.K. to let some public land be destroyed if someone pays for the
right to do so?
If we only manage lands for economic impact (private industry or
public recreation) we will lose the legacy.
Sometimes I smell the Golden Goose being cooked.
If the state is unwilling or unable to sufficiently fund a fully
functioning division of nongame resources, then yes, we need a user
fee for non-consumptive users, or a tax on birding/wildlife watching
goods & equipment, or both!
Kelly Larson
Bemidji Minnesota
Northern Flights Wild Bird Store
Just 96 miles from the Canadian border!
Or visit us on the Web at... www.northern-flights.com
Eschew Obfuscation!
The middle of Nowhere is Somewhere!
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<HTML><BODY style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; =
-khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">As I =
understand it, the Nongame Wildlife division of the MN DNR gets only 20% =
of its funding from the State. The other 80% of this department is =
funded by the Loon Checkoff,=A0 voluntary donations made on our MN tax =
forms. Birds and other nongame wildlife need to buy a voice and a place =
at the table.=A0</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal =
14px/normal Tahoma; min-height: 17px; "><BR></DIV><DIV =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">What has Value?</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">One has only =
to look at the logging in Sax-Zim in St. Louis county that has recently =
upset birders. Or the secretive=A0exploitation of Beltrami county's Big =
Bog in Pine Island State Forest were 840 acres of peat land are set to =
be strip-mined right in the middle of three SNA's. (rights sold to a =
Canadian company) The bog is the largest and most pristine bog in the =
lower 48 states, but its just a bog. You can't=A0easily fish it, walk =
though it or hunt it.=A0</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal =
normal normal 14px/normal Tahoma; min-height: 17px; "><BR></DIV><DIV =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">The state spends money to=A0acquire and manage land =
to use for parks, forest, trails, and waterways for many different =
users.</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Users are greatly varied and =
include day trippers, hikers, bikers and campers and also groups like =
hunters and the timber industry.=A0The DNR is managing our natural =
resources and spending=A0capital with these users in mind.</DIV><DIV =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Tahoma; =
min-height: 17px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I don't think =
Nongame wildlife has much of a place at the table, politically. When =
Lands are managed, they benefit limited types of habitat, with =
harvestable trees, and target species (game). Management=A0practices =
that benefit these traditional, economically valuable, resources are not =
always in the best interest of nongame species or diversity.</DIV><DIV =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Tahoma; =
min-height: 17px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Many birds, =
animals and plants do thrive under current forestry and game=A0management =
plans. But are the full spectrum of our natural resources being equally =
represented and protected? Are our current=A0management goals focused on =
the economics of natural resources to the detriment of diversity. Should =
all potential users have equal access regardless of how their use =
impacts the resource? Who pays to clean up and restore when Lands are =
damaged?=A0What if they pay to play? Is it O.K. to let some public land =
be destroyed if someone pays for the right to do so?</DIV><DIV =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">If we only manage lands for economic impact (private =
industry or public recreation) we will lose the legacy.</DIV><DIV =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Tahoma; =
min-height: 17px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Sometimes I =
smell the Golden Goose being cooked.</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal =
normal normal 14px/normal Tahoma; min-height: 17px; "><BR></DIV><DIV =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">If the state is unwilling or unable to sufficiently =
fund a fully functioning division of nongame resources, then yes, we =
need a user fee for non-consumptive users, or a tax on birding/wildlife =
watching goods & equipment, or both!</DIV><BR><DIV> <SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; =
border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma; =
font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: =
normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; =
-khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; =
-apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; =
white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; =
border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma; =
font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: =
normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; =
-khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; =
-apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; =
white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV>Kelly =
Larson</DIV><DIV>Bemidji Minnesota</DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Northern Flights Wild Bird =
Store</DIV><DIV>Just 96 miles from the Canadian border!</DIV><DIV>Or =
visit us on the Web at...=A0<A =
href=3D"http://www.northern-flights.com">www.northern-flights.com</A></DIV=
><DIV><BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><FONT =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" color=3D"#4A2FFF"><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"color: rgb(74, 47, 255); "><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"color: rgb(74, 47, 255); ">Eschew =
Obfuscation!</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" color=3D"#FF4934"><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"color: rgb(255, 73, 52); "><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"color: rgb(255, 73, 52); ">The =
middle of Nowhere </SPAN></SPAN></FONT><FONT class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
color=3D"#FF4934"><SPAN class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
style=3D"text-decoration: underline;; color: rgb(255, 73, 52); =
-khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"color: rgb(255, 73, 52); =
-khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"color: rgb(255, 73, 52); =
-khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; =
">is</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></FONT><FONT class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
color=3D"#FF4934"><SPAN class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"color: =
rgb(255, 73, 52); "><SPAN class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"color: =
rgb(255, 73, 52); "> Somewhere!</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR =
class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN></SPAN> =
</DIV><BR></BODY></HTML>=
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