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Edited on Wed Feb-16-11 03:48 AM by white cloud
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I am copying you on a very important set of "talking points" that I will be utilizing on Tuesday of next week with Texas Legislators. The reason for this letter is to get you to write to your legislators--both Texas Senator and Representative from you district. For sure "complain " about the lack of "appropriation"
of our Fund 9 dollars which are our stamp funds which can only be used by TPWD./ they have been keeping his money and not giving it to the TPWD. By 2013 it will have grown to $65 million dollars that is our money---that they will not let us have.. THEY CAN'T SPEND IT--but they will not let us have it.
Besides Stamp money, the "Pittman Robertson money" from the sale of guns and equipment for fishing and hunting is included. SO you can see the political stalemate here. They are holdling these dollars to tell the people that the budget is balanced --which is a "smoke and mirrors" ploy not based in truth. We can n o longer allow this to continue. We need those dollars in this bad economy and in this time of huge cuts for the TPWD.
The key person on the House Appropriations Committee is the Chair -- Rep. Jim Pitts. For sure write to him..
Tell him that as a citizen and tax payer that you are appalled at the holding of the Fund 9 money and the lack of appropriation of these Funds to their rightful owner--TPWD. Ask them to RELEASE THSE FUNDS this session.
His address is Honorable Jim Pitts
Chairman -House Appropriations Committee
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, Texas 78768
Read below in this download what all is going on in this rough crisis for TPWD.
Talking Points for Fish and Wildlife ount 009) Constituents
Overview
The House version of the 2012-2013 base bill calls for a reduction to TPWD totaling $162.2 million over the biennium, representing a 25% decrease in funding. FTE reductions total 304.6 FTEs (9.6 %) in 2012 and 233.7 FTEs (7.4%) in 2013.
The Senate version calls for a reduction to TPWD totaling $145.4 million over the biennium, representing a 22.4% decrease in funding. FTE reductions in this version total 276.4 FTEs in 2012 and 211.0 FTEs in 2013. The primary difference between the two versions is in the area of law enforcement and payments to the General Land Office for coastal erosion contracts.
Specific Funding Recommendations
• Coastal Fisheries- Reduction of $2.9 m (9.7%) over the biennium and 12.9 FTEs, including:
o Elimination of shrimp, crab, and finfish license buyback programs ($2.1 m)
• Inland Fisheries- Reduction of $3.8 m (11.6%) over the biennium and 2.7 FTEs, including:
o 50% reduction to golden algae programs ($1.4 m)
o Elimination of general revenue for aquatic vegetation management ($1.5 m)
• Wildlife - Reduction of $7.1 m (14.5%) over the biennium and 39.5 FTE in 2012, including:
o Reduction to Wildlife Diversity and Research Programs ($3.0 m)
o Deferral of wildlife and hunting recreation programs for 6 months in 2012 ($1.8m)
• Law Enforcement: Reduction of $9.8 m (7.1%) over the biennium and 28.2 FTEs (2012), including:
o 8.6% general reduction to law enforcement ($5.1 m)
o Deferral of training academy for 6 months in 2012 ($0.7 m)
(Reductions in House version only)
• Hunter and Boater Education, Communications and Outreach: Reduction of $2.4 m tied to deferral of associated programs for 6 months in 2012
Other general recommendations impacting wildlife, fisheries and law enforcement functions:
• 15% reduction to agency administration impacting nearly all strategies and divisions.
• Suspension of capital authority for transportation items, capital equipment, and information technology.
• Suspension of new Fund 9 related capital construction
• 50% reduction to conservation plate funding, including horned toad, white tailed deer and large mouth bass plates.
Impact of Funding Reductions
• Significant reduction in ability to control invasive aquatic plants in reservoirs throughout the state and compromised federal funding for aquatic vegetation management by elimination of the state cost share required for the federal program.
• Eliminates scheduled equipment and vehicle replacement, thereby reducing the ability to maintain safe and functioning equipment for staff. This will result in inefficiencies as more funds will need to be spent keeping older equipment functional.
• Reduced ability to conduct instream flow studies mandated by SB 2.
• Reduced ability to respond to and assess damages to fish, wildlife and habitats from oil spills and other pollution events.
• Reduction in Inland Fisheries analytical services, impacting ability to prosecute environmental crimes and conduct important environmental research.
• Reduction in Inland Fisheries management operations such as population and habitat surveys, fisheries management plans, and fish stocking in 5 district areas.
• Elimination of local aquatic vegetation control operations in Houston and Corpus Christi areas.
• Elimination of buyback programs will adversely impact efforts to stabilize finfish, crab and shrimp fisheries, stall progress in reducing the overall level of inshore shrimp by-catch, and removal of fishing mortality on shrimp, crab and finfish.
• Reduction to outreach, education and communication efforts, with impacts to services at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, outreach events for schools, science fairs, and civic groups, Master Naturalist Program, Urban Outreach and Community Partnerships Program, Children in Nature Initiative, etc.
• Elimination of Oyster Reef Dermo study, which examines general health of oyster populations and relative health of bay ecosystems.
• Significant impacts to the public hunting program, including:
o Reductions to the number of acres of public hunting land currently under lease or long term agreement, and to the number of hunter opportunity days.
o Reductions in revenue tied to the sale of annual public hunting permits, special permit sales for drawn hunts, Big Time Texas Hunts, and hunting licenses.
o Reductions in revenue to the state, rural communities, and rural landowners tied to the reduction in public hunting.
o Reductions of long-term lease-agreements with TPWD partners including the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Army Corps, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others.
o Loss of staff support for the Texas Youth Hunting Program.
• Elimination of approximately 70 wildlife interpretive projects each year.
• Elimination of operating funds for Nannie M. Stringfellow and Justin Hurst WMAs and severely reduced operations at J.D. Murphree and Lower Neches WMAs.
• Elimination of 11 research projects investigating upland and migratory bird management.
• Elimination of technical assistance to Interagency Task Force on Economic Growth and Endangered Species.
• Approximate 30% reduction in annual environmental reviews of development projects including CREZ transmission lines and TXDOT projects.
• Reductions to recovery recommendations for 93 federally threatened or endangered animal and plant species.
• Inability to adequately/effectively represent and protect state interests and the interests of landowners regarding endangered species, resulting in federal oversight of state trust species
• Reduced leadership for Regional Habitat Conservation Plans that allow for economic growth under the Endangered Species Act
• 50% reduction in staff working on the Texas Natural Diversity database, which is relied on internally for project review and externally to evaluate project impacts and minimize mitigation costs.
• Significant impacts in enforcement operations impacting patrols (land, air and water), calls for service, resource protection, public safety, emergency management and homeland security.
• Negative impacts to ability to plan, train, and hire future Game Warden Academy classes, as well as ability to provide mandated peace officer in-service training.
• Elimination of all in-person boater education classes and support for volunteer management.
• Potential impacts to Law Enforcement Water Safety Funding, due to loss of boater education volunteer hours that are used as match.
• Reduction to Nobody’s Waterproof water safety campaign.
Other Issues
If reductions as proposed in the House version of the bill are approved by the Legislature, the Game, Fish and Water Safety Account is estimated to carry a balance of $65.7 million at the end of fiscal year 2013.
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