Legislation sponsored by CWA was introduced today that would ensure that hunter-generated user fee revenues (about $3 million annually) from Type A and B Wildlife Areas are used solely for the operations and maintenance (O&M) of those lands—including the administration of the hunt programs—and are not diverted for other purposes. Click here to see the Bill Text - AB-1987. 

Authored by Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry (D-Napa) and Assembly Member Heather Hadwick (R-Redding), AB 1987 would also ensure that any agricultural lease revenues (approximately $2.8 million annually) from the Wildlife Areas, such as the growing of rice or other wildlife-friendly cereal grains, are dedicated back for use on those lands.

Currently, State Wildlife Areas are facing major challenges related to reduced staff and often insufficient O&M budgets.  As an example, some Wildlife Areas in Northeast California have only 1 or 2 full time staff to manage thousands of acres of lands.  Because of this, wildlife habitat can be degraded, flooding of wetlands delayed and public use negatively impacted (e.g. reduced hunter quotas during waterfowl season).

The Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (DFW) Service Based Budgeting exercise completed several years ago confirmed insufficient resources to meet its legal mandates, including the operation of its lands and hunting/fishing programs.

Water pumping, mosquito abatement, noxious weed control and other annual wetland maintenance expenses continue to get more costly every year.  Also, traditional funding sources for Wildlife Area O&M like federal Pittman-Robertson excise tax revenues are currently declining, often leaving Wildlife Area managers with insufficient funds to properly manage their wetlands and other lands.

In addition to helping to secure a more stable, reliable source of funding for Type A and B Wildlife Areas, CWA hopes that the legislative debate on AB 1987 will better educate lawmakers on DFW’s budget challenges and the need for additional sources of funding to support its lands and hunt programs.

The first hearing on AB 1987 will likely be in April in the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee.  Look for an email alert from CWA near that time so that you can contact your Assembly Member in support of this important bill.