NY DEC fish & wildlife slashed again

[Doc]

NY Governor Paterson's budget calls for a nearly 10% cut in positions within DEC's Bureau of Fish and Wildlife, "and the Bureau would fall below 400 (total employees) for the first time in many, many, many years", Assistant Director Stang said.

How many of you knew that the entire number of employees in the NY Fish, Wildlife, and Marine Resources Bureau was only a little over 400 employees (soon to be fewer than that)? I assume that is for the entire state, and includes secretaries, janitors, equipment maintenance people, grounds maintenance workers at all the regional headquarters and a few biologists here and there. That's not 400 biologists watching over your deer herd, or your favorite chunk of state land. That's not 400 game cops. That's the whole kit and kabootle. By the way, since that number of employees covers marine resources, I would expect that there are some of thuse 400 that are very far away from our deer herd and busy on the ocean-waters, and Lake Ontario. There are others that are busy worrying about game birds. You get the idea. The deer only get a small portion of attention from those 400 people (Soon to be 42 less).

So, is there anybody who still wonders why all your favorite pet projects for deer management aren't being worked on? Does this help you understand why you never see a game cop around? Can you now see why there seems to be no habitat improvement projects? It might even explain why the deer numbers and antlerless permits sometimes don't seem to based on anything other than guesses and magic.

So while we are busy cussing out the DEC for a crummy job of deer management, let's try to figure out how we would run a whole state's worth of deer with one small percentage of those 400 people. No, that won't keep me from whining and complaining either when I feel like it, but it sure does put their job in perspective and leaves me very grateful that I don't have to do it. It also makes it crystal clear as to just who is really behind any shortfalls of the DEC....that would be those wonderful people that we voted into office.

By the way, this article that I'm quoting from in the New York Outdoor News doesn't mention anything from our hunter-loving buddy, Commissioner Grannis. I suppose he probably doesn't really care as long as his pollution policing isn't touched. He probably offered up the fish and wildlife people so that his pollution cops would be spared. Yeah, I know.......that's an unfair baseless accusation....... but I don't care. I don't trust the guy! Being a political guy who serves at the pleasure of the governor, I'm sure he knows exactly when to keep his mouth shut and remain silent in the background.

Doc

[Adjam5]

I agree Doc. DEC has taken soo much money from license sales and spread it everywhere except in the woods,streams and lakes. I am not a Grannis fan either, I wrote many letters against his appointment by Spitzer. He is a political appointee who wishes to hold on to his job also. A robot with Manahttan roots who has NO clue about the woods and outdoors.

But...all things being fair...Under Grannis' tutelage, We have a youth turkey season, opening day was switched to Saturday to allow involvement by youth and others. Antler restrictions were underway before Grannis. Many more WMU's have opened up to rifle hunting.

Maybe these items were rolling before Grannis, I'm not sure. But it is suprising to learn, that DEC is comprised of only less than 400 employees.

Just watch how expensive licenses will become.

[Flintlock1776]

All these states expanded their expenditures (a/k/a/ 'budgets') by providing entitlements (a/k/a 'welfare' & 'waste' etc.) so we are all in or heading to what NY faces.

"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money" (Margaret Thatcher).

[Doc]

We all have our favorite list of management improvements that we would like to see our state fish and game people undertake. The DEC is not always as progressive as we would like, and occasionally these people seem to be stuck in a rut. Consequently, it has become one of the sportsmen's favorite activities to rag on these people for not doing their job. I like to do that too. But now, it occurs to me that if year after year, budgets and resources are cut to the point that it causes reversals in the effectiveness of DEC programs, then perhaps we are beating up on the wrong people. How about putting the blame where it belongs ........ with the people responsible for starving any chances of game management improvement. As long as our state politicians continue to treat wildlife management as another place to steal budget money from, the DEC will simply continue to deteriorate. Forget whatever pet management schemes that we may champion. As things stand right now, you most likely will never see any meaningful effective improvement.

Instead of wasting our time ranting about the DEC, perhaps its time we started beating on these politicians and letting them know that we understand that they have become the enemy of fish and wildlife management in the state. They have been getting away with these 'gutting' tactics for years without anyone speaking up. If we are going to have any wildlife management at all, that has to change.

Doc

[fly]

IL. has their issues as well. I've sent out several letters to legislators, I comment on web articles, I spread the word locally, what other recommendations do you have doc?

[Doc]

It sounds like you are doing almost all that you can do. The only additional thing that I can think of (and it is a potentially very powerful move) is to join and support as many sportsmen's clubs and groups that may have the same concerns about a failing game management agency as you do, as you feel you can . Also, if there is any way that you can become active in any of those organizations and try to suggest or steer them toward applying pressure to legislators that are involved in ransacking your game management agencies, that would be the best way of making your own personal efforts extend to many. Suddenly, your own concerns may become the concerns of a very vocal crowd of people. There is something very scary to a politician to see his sneaky pilfering activities becoming highlighted by a very vocal crowd of angry sportsmen/women.

Doc