By   George Howard

A-1125 Ogden  -  An act creating the "Wildlife Commission"

This bill would have the result of adding another layer of bureaucracy to New Jersey's Wildlife Management program by placing a politically motivated "Wildlife Commission" over the Fish and Game Council and the Division of Fish, Game and  Wildlife.

The passage of A-1125 would politicize the management of New Jersey's fish and Wildlife resources which have been managed on a non-political basis for almost 50 years, ever since the reorganization of the Fish and Game Commission in 1945.

 Today's successful New Jersey Wildlife management program, with its tremendous economic , recreational and quality of life benefits to New Jersey citizens, has been largely accomplished because it is scientifically based and non-political.  Attempts by special interest groups in the past, to politicize wildlife management on New Jersey, have fortunately been unsuccessful.  This includes Humane Society of U.S. v. N.J. Fish and Game Council [1976] which went all the way to the New Jersey Supreme Court before it was defeated.

A-1125 would open up the strictly controlled, sportsmen funded, dedicated Hunter's and Angler's Fund to politically motivated, special interest abuses.  Provisions of A-1125 would allow the "Wildlife Commission" to hire it's own "staff of experts" and conduct studies on practically any wildlife issue vaguely related to fish and wildlife "overpopulation" which it determines effects "property or ecosystem damage", "damage to an ecologically important habitat within an ecosystem", "poses a threat to biodiversity", "etc.".  One can readily predict a need for hunting and fishing license increases under this kind of intense special interest generated bureaucratic financial pressure, on a fund which is today barely holding its own.

A provision of A-1125 which mandates action by the Division of Fish, Game And wildlife and the Fish and Game Council for any recommendation or management direction decided upon by the "Wildlife Commission", could have disastrous effects on present use of the wildlife resource by our citizens.  This provision, which makes "Wildlife Commission" actions "binding" on the Council and Division, would substitute political decisions for scientific based management decisions, with little or no recourse by the public or the Division.  It is interesting to note that the bill calls for little public involvement, has no sportsmen representatives on its 13 member voting commission and requires merely "one public hearing in the course of conducting any study".  This contrasted with present Fish and Game Council operations which conduct monthly meetings and public hearings regarding any regulatory action.

A-1125 is a blatant attempt by certain special interest groups to politicize the management of New Jersey's Fish and Wildlife resources, and to subvert the dedicated Hunter's and Angler's Fund [ Moines primarily derived from taxes on sportsmen for hunting and fishing  licenses] to their own narrow purposes.  This raid on New Jersey Fish and Wildlife finances would not only divert much needed funding from legitimate wildlife management programs, but could jeopardize Federal excise tax appropriations to the Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife.  [Pitman-Robertson and Wallop-Breaux funding]

A-1125 is unnecessary, duplicative, political in its intent, the product of a special interest minority.  It is a real danger to the continuance of the economic, recreational and quality of life benefits to our citizens from today's scientifically based, non-political, sportsmen funded, wildlife program which has served us well for over a half  century.  It behooves all of us who have a real interest in our wildlife, and in particular New Jersey sportsmen who have the most to lose, and who have been paying the bill for our wildlife programs for the last 100 years, to contact our legislators at once and request their support in defeating this unnecessary and destructive bill.  A-1125 will do nothing except hasten the destruction of the public's wildlife resources and the benefits they provide to all of us.

A-1125 is presently in the Environment and Energy Committee of the Assembly chaired by Assemblywoman Ogden [21].  Other members of this committee are Lee Solomon [6],  Steve Corodemus [11],  John Rooney [39],  Barbara Wright [14],  Anthony Impreveduto [32],  Harry McEnroe [28].  The Committee phone number  is 609-292-7676.         

 Note: [0] denotes district

George Howard is the Legislative Chairman of the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs.  You may write to him at 219 Sidney Rd.; Pittstown, NJ 08867 or phone at 908-735-5046; FAX at 908-735-8743.

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