One question popped up in my mind after reading Bill's post on the article was the other options besides hunting revenue being used. Unfortunately, not all those options will come with a guarantee of some quiet woods with natural occurring habitats. Everyone who donates and pays their taxes will demand their right to use these areas as they wish ,i.e., mountain bikers, kayakers,quadrunners, joggers,dogwalkers,campers,handicap access,boaters, etc. Most assuredly as these people learn that they cannot use these spots as wished, the funding will whither much as the decline of hunting (according to the article) has happened. I, also being a birder/hunter think that somehow an alliance needs to be formed. Maybe percentages of the land obtained for hunting also be managed for non game species. Hunting has limited seasons, most of the pasttimes listed above know no bounds of time. Remember this next time you have to jump off a path for a bike and watch the birds scatter . I've seen the frustration coming from actions by the ODNR on this listserve. Whatever your reasons: cruelty, conservation, god given rights,need for solitude, comraderie, you cant buy Eden on somebody else's dime and expect them not to eat some apples, but maybe you can ID the snake! Here's hoping for cooperation... It's no big news to readers of this list, but today's New York Times (pg. D7) runs an article from the AP, "As Hunting Declines, Conservation Efforts Suffer." It makes the point that fading interest in hunting is resulting in fewer dollars going to conservation efforts. It also laments the loss of income for the sporting industry. The article is about Wisconsin's situation, but applies just as much here. Regrettably, the article assumes only one thing can reverse this loss of conservation dollars: reviving hunting, thus selling more hunting licenses, duck stamps, ammunition, traps, etc. This is nonsense, of course. There are plenty of other ways to direct more dollars to conservation---donations to private organizations, levies for state and local park systems, etc., and taxes. Red states like Missouri and Arkansas for years have levied state sales taxes dedicated to the acquisition and care of wild lands for wildlife, including but not limited to species legal to hunt. The Missouri sales tax, first of all its kind, and regularly renewed by a good majority of voters, is the envy of other states, as are their conservation programs and publications. Minnesota voters passed a similar law in 2008, and in the last election Iowa voters easily passed a law to make 3/8 of 1% of the next tax increase to go to conservation projects. Thus, Iowa residents who spend $50,000 a year for taxable goods and services will pay about $180 for conservation. Multiply that by millions of people and there's some serious money for the outdoors. This is the modern efficient way to accomplish these aims, not burdening (or serving) only hunters and trappers, or asking birders to pretend to be hunters by buying a duck stamp. If you want significant public money to go to birds other than game species or raptors, this is the way to go. Wear the orange, Bill Whan Columbus ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask] ________________________________ From: Bill Whan <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Mon, December 13, 2010 12:19:56 PM Subject: [Ohio-birds] Whither conservation dollars for birds? ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]