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Current Issues
Are you involved?
VERMONT TRADITIONS COALITION
Action
Alert!! 7/14/2008
Please take a minute to
send you public comments to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
The public hearings went well, but more comments in favor of
the proposed sea lamprey expansion project are needed. The
most recent studies have shown that the previous treatments
are working. Lake trout wounding rates are down significantly
and trapping rates are down 40%.
ACTION:
Send your comments stating you favor
Alternative 1 of the Draft
Environmental Assessment, expansion of the Sea Lamprey
Program. Comments should be sent to:
wayne_bouffard@fws.gov The
comment period ends July 26th. The full proposal is
at
http://www.fws.gov/r5lcfwro/lamprey.htm . But feel free
to call me with questions.
Summary
Alternative 1: Expansion of the sea lamprey control
program.
The expansion, would include the
Lamoille
River, Pond Brook (Mallets
Bay),
Otter Creek, and Mill Brook (Port Henry, NY). The
Lamoille
River has
an estimated population of 39,000 lamprey and would be treated
with lampricide. Pond Brook has an estimated population of
1,100 and would be treated by trapping because of an
endangered native brook lamprey population that resides there.
The Otter creek is thought to have a very small population and
treatment will depend on further surveys. Mill Brook located
in Port Henry, NY has an estimated population of 13,468 in the
river and 3,000 in the delta and would be treated with
lampricide.
Alternative 2: Partial
expansion of the sea lamprey control program.
This
alternative would expand the program but not include Otter
Creek.
Alternative 3: No
Expansion.
alternative calls for no expansion and no action.
Frank Stanley
Government Affairs
Vermont
Traditions Coalition
127
Sports Club Dr. #123
Bolton,
VT
05477
802-238-0364
2008 Legislative
Update
Successful Legislative Initiatives
FISH HATCHERIES & WALLEYE RESTORATION
- The
Legislature and Douglas administration weighed in big for
these issues. The increasingly successful Lake Champlain
Walleye Association/ Department of Fish & Wildlife walleye
restoration program received a crucial boost from a $150,000
legislative grant for completion of a filter building at the
Bald Hill Hatchery in Newark. The legislature granted LCWA
another $25,000 to help boost the Walleye Association's
capitol fund raising drive for related Bald Hill Hatchery
upgrades. Together, the Legislature and LCWA are investing
nearly $250,000 in new monies for making the Bald Hill
Hatchery a more effective production facility for walleye
stocking. In addition, $190,000 was appropriated for back up
power sources at the
Salisbury
and Grand Isle hatcheries, without back up power, power
outages can kill thousands of fish being reared for stocking.
HUNTING & AMMUNITION EXEMPTIONS - The
Legislature passed three bills that outlaw assorted uses of
lead in housing and consumer products and use of phthalates, a
plastic component used in many consumer goods. These bans
pose major threats to hunting, sale and use of ammunition,
re-loading, manufacture of sporting equipment, etc.
Vt. Traditions Coalition banded together with the Hunter,
Angler, Trapper Assn. (HAT), Vt. Federation of Sportsmen's
Clubs, Gun Owners of Vermont and the National Rifle Assn. to
win exemption for hunting, ammunition, re-loading, sporting
equipment, etc. from the regulations of the above three
bills. This fight took two years and, over time, won a broad
base of legislative support.
RAILROAD CROSSING LEGISLATION - In
the last few weeks of the legislative session, legislation
emerged in the Transportation Bill that would significantly
restrict the public from accessing farm lands that include
railroad crossings for hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, atving,
and other recreation. It would prevent the owners of these
farms from hosting vegetable stands, maple sugaring open
houses, cut your own operations, weddings, etc. VTC provided
testimony to the House Transportation Committee which
ultimately opposed the legislation, then worked closely with
Douglas Administration Transportation Secretary Neale
Lunderville and the Senate Transportation Committee to delay
any legislation on this issue until ways could be found to
lessen impacts on public access. The Vt. Farm Bureau, Vt.
Federation of Sportsman's Clubs, and National Rifle
Association worked closely with VTC on this issue.
CUTTING MORE TREES ON STATE LAND - In
the March 2008 issue of Outdoor Magazine, this column
described how VTC had worked closely with the Douglas
administration and state legislators since 2002 to greatly
increase the amount of timber management on state lands.
During the Dean administration, virtually no timber was cut on
state land. Timber management provides innumerable public
benefits including more abundant wildlife and game
populations, locally grown wood products, stronger rural
economies, increased state revenues from timber sales, and
healthier forests. The state lands timber harvesting program
has won more and more bi-partisan support since 2002. With
all the progress, there is still a long way to go. In April,
Governor Douglas proposed accelerating state lands timber
management as part of his Economic Stimulus package, and the
Legislature included language in the Appropriations Bill that
states: "The department of
Forests, Parks & Recreation shall expand the amount of timber
on state land that is available for harvest and subject to
sale to the public."
VTC has high hopes that this boost
will move the state closer to taking full advantage of
Vermont's abundant state lands timber resources.
ANCIENT ROADS - The
2006 ancient roads legislation allowed towns to give away all
"invisible" ancient town roads by a single motion of the Town
Select Board, and wiped out these roads by law if the towns
did not put these "invisible" roads on the Town Highway Map by
2009. "Invisible roads" are right-of-ways that are owned by
your town, but are grown over and no longer appear to be
roads. VTC testified in both the House and Senate in support
of the 2008 legislative changes that prevent towns from giving
away these rights-of-way in one fell swoop and extend the
deadline for mapping them to 2010. Towns must map "invisible"
roads by 2010 and "visible" roads by 2015. These roads
provide critical access for sportsmen and all other VTC
constituencies, and it is important that you work with
your town leaders to get these roads on the Town Highway Map.
RIPARIAN
BUFFERS - This legislation would have
required 50 foot buffers from the top of the banks of every
lake, pond, and stream in Vermont. No alteration of
vegetation could take place in the buffer areas. The
legislation would have effectively halted construction of
fishing pathways, stairs, and trail building for snowmobiles,
atvs, hiking, etc. VTC worked for five weeks to successfully
get exemptions for these activities. Then, the bill was killed
anyway on the House floor. If this bill comes back next year,
VTC will need to fight for these exemptions again.
FISH &
WILDLIFE FUNDING - In the May VTC
Column, we outlined the effort by a consortium of
environmental groups that comprise the Vermont Wildlife
Partnership to win $4 million dollars in excess funding for
the Fish & Wildlife Department. The VWP would not specify the
need for the money, although all indications were that the
excess funds were for an assortment of programs that had
little or nothing to do with fishing, hunting, and trapping.
VTC took the position that the VWP proposal was irresponsible
in light of the fiscal crisis facing state government and due
to lack of specification and justification. VTC supports
increased funding for department programs directly related to
hunting, fishing, and trapping such as deer yard management,
fish hatcheries, increased timber cuts, etc. However, state
finances must improve before any increased funding can
reasonably be expected. The VWP proposal was defeated.
COYOTE
TOURNAMENT BAN - VTC testified against
legislation pushed by anti-hunters from Addison County. A
tournament in Orwell attracts 600 hunters and is sponsored by
many long-time county businesses. The Senate Natural
Resources Committee tabled the bill following testimony from
the antis and VTC.
GROTON STATE
FOREST, GREEN MT. NATIONAL FOREST, & CONTE REFUGE - Even
during the legislative session, VTC stays involved in
activities outside the Legislature such as state and federal
land plans. VTC, the Barre Snobees, and many other VTC member
groups worked hard to reverse a Draft Groton State Forest Plan
that would have set the terrible precedent of incorporating
the first Douglas administration sponsored restrictive
"wilderness" designation in a Land Plan. Agency of Natural
Resources Sec. George Crombie reversed the Draft Plan, and the
"wilderness" area, with its many restrictions, was abolished. VTC is also working on many fronts to ensure that traditional
Vermont land use groups weigh in with Official Public Comments
on the pending Twenty Year Land Plan for the federal portion
of the Champion Lands known as the Conte Refuge. Finally, VTC
won federal litigation that mandated that the Green Mt.
National Forest Service allow 20% more trees to be cut in the
400,000 acres GMNF that stretches from the Southern border of
Vermont into Chittenden County.
VTC has many
affirmative initiatives already in the planning stages for
2009 relating to such things as improved gun range
protections, and restrictions on the power of individual towns
to ban hunting within their borders without demonstrating that
allowing hunting presents a clear and present danger to town
residents.
***
Conte Refuge: Comprehensive Conservation
Planning
Your Written Public Comments are needed!
The U. S.
Fish and Wildlife Service is starting work on a comprehensive
conservation plan (CCP) for the Silvio O. Conte National Fish
and Wildlife Refuge (Refuge). The plan will establish
management goals and objectives for all refuge programs over
the next 15 years.
The Center for Biological Diversity and other environmental
groups want to shut down the snowmobile trail system, close
the 40 mile road system, ban timber management, and turn this
26,000 acre federal portion of the former Champion Lands into
a federally designated "wilderness" area that shuts down
public access. Target shooting needs to be restored, the road
system and snowmobile trails need to be stay, and the land
needs to be timber managed so as to create more abundant
wildlife.
The Vermont Traditions Coalition needs you to say
exactly that to the Conte Refuge Service. For more talking
points, contact us at:
sbmcvt@aol.com
Please send your written comments to
Andrew_French@fws.gov.
If you want to visit the Conte Refuge, go to
http://www.fws.gov/northeast/planning/Conte/ccphome.html.
Your comments will make a difference! Don't let the
extremists take away your heritage!
***
Lead Bill: A bill in the
House of Representatives will require eradication of lead
paint associated materials on houses and a bill in the Senate
outlaws consumer products with unsafe lead components. These
bills, if left in their current form, could prevent use of
lead ammunition, and negatively impact hunting, shooting
ranges, and home re-loading. Last year, VTC negotiated an
exemption to this bill with the Attorney General's office and
worked in association with the Hunter, Angler, Trapper Assn.,
Vt. Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, Gun Owners of Vt., and
NRA to win approval of the exemption by the House General &
Military Committee. This bill has since moved to the House
Human Services Committee. Long-time traditional use advocate,
Rep. Mary Morrissey (R-Bennington), who is a member of the
Human Services Committee, spoke at the January 9 meeting about
the need to vigilantly defend the exemption in the bill as it
now stands and to ward off any attempts to water down this
exemption or end run it with the Senate Bill. VTC will work
closely with Rep. Morrissey and others along these lines.
http://www.leg.state.vt.us/database/status/summary.cfm?Bill=
H%2E0352&Session=2008
http://www.leg.state.vt.us/database/status/summary.cfm?Bill=
S%2E0152&Session=2008
***
Riparian Buffer Bill:
Testimony and drafting of this bill has taken place every day
from the beginning of the Legislature through Friday, January
25. VTC has been at all committee proceedings, and we are
working on a number of exemptions for traditional use
activities from the restrictions the bill imposes. As it is
written now, this bill would place a 50 foot buffer zone from
the "top of the slope" on both sides of every lake, pond, and
stream (even intermittent streams) in Vermont. Alteration of
vegetation within the buffer zone will be prohibited unless
allowed by Agency of Natural Resources rules. These
restrictions are the reason VTC has become so involved in
seeking exemptions from the requirements of the bill.
Update:
As of May 1st the Riparian Buffer Bill was
ordered to Lie. It is expected to come back in the 2009
Legislative Session.
http://www.leg.state.vt.us/database/status/summary.cfm?Bill=
H%2E0549&Session=2008
***
Fish & Wildlife Funding
Bill: This bill that would provide new sources of funding
for the Dept. of Fish & Wildlife is not moving at all right
now. VTC is involved in this bill to make sure that the
department is adequately funded, but also to make sure that
the Department's focus doesn't shift away from fishing,
hunting & trapping.
Update:
Nothing has happened with the bill this year, but the Vermont
Wildlife Partnership is expected to continue pressing for the
1/8 of 1 Percent Sales Tax. This shift in tax revenues
is not in the best interest of Vermonters. VTC will work
to find alternatives to increase funding for the Dept. keeping
the interests of sportsmen in mind rather than the
environmental groups.
http://www.leg.state.vt.us/database/status/summary.cfm?Bill=
H%2E0543&Session=2008
***
Green Mountain National
Forest: The Vermont Traditions Coalition, Vermont Forest
Products Association and Associated Industries of Vermont
Forest Policy Council filed separate appeals of the Final
Green Mt. Forest Plan.
The VTC appeal opposes the Plan's wilderness designation and
raises five related grounds of appeal. The AIV appeal
reiterates most of the VTC grounds of appeal and charges the
Green Mt. Forest Service with failing to fulfill its
obligations pursuant to a litigation settlement of appeals
involving the 1987 GMNF Plan.
The VTC Appeal Team believes these appeals make a provocative
statement that stand a reasonable chance of success on the
merits.
More to come!!
***
Committee on the Future of
Vermont State Parks: VTC delegates Stevens and McLeod were
appointed to this Commission by Governor Douglas. We have put
forward several proposals including a recommendation that the
Commission call for accelerated timber cutting on all Agency
of Natural Resources Lands. Our recommendation is consistent
with Governor Douglas's recent directive to the Agency to make
more land available for timber cutting and to accelerate the
cuts. Game populations and the rural economy will come out the
winner as well as other wildlife species.
http://www.anr.state.vt.us/site/cfm/TVWF/taskforceinfo.cfm?
taskforce=SP
If you want to help with
any of these issues, please contact us.
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