08-11-2010, 03:23 AM
We had a meeting about the same thing a year ago. Same place, Mike Crapo spoke, County Commissioners spoke, the people spoke. The USFWS people had no answers. They were told to do this report three years ago, and given 5 years to accomplish their report. They have two years left to write a report that you or I could do in a week. It's a lot of bureaucratic gobbly-gook. This is a result of all the interest in our youth being taught they need to save the planet.
I won't be able to attend the meeting because I'll have two retired USFWS fisheries biologists fishing with me that week. They took early retirement when they discovered the organization they had worked for over 25 years had turned away from hunting and fishing and was now devoted to saving endangered species and saving the planet.
The USFWS has taken the position that you need to demonstrate that boating is beneficial to the fish and wildlife on the refuge. Good luck with that. The only hope is that the legislators can put enough pressure on the head of the USFWS to change the attitude of the service.
I just thought to add that about a mile down the road from our house there is a new USFWS sign:
[center]"Welcome to Your Refuge"
[/center]
It's our land, but there is a 5 strand barbed wire fence around the perimeter to keep us off our land. There are 7 access areas on the south side, but many of them have locked gates. I have spent over 50 years watching the refuge land gradually get locked up as the hunters and fishermen in the USFWS got replaced by "conservationists".
Our refuge?
[signature]
I won't be able to attend the meeting because I'll have two retired USFWS fisheries biologists fishing with me that week. They took early retirement when they discovered the organization they had worked for over 25 years had turned away from hunting and fishing and was now devoted to saving endangered species and saving the planet.
The USFWS has taken the position that you need to demonstrate that boating is beneficial to the fish and wildlife on the refuge. Good luck with that. The only hope is that the legislators can put enough pressure on the head of the USFWS to change the attitude of the service.
I just thought to add that about a mile down the road from our house there is a new USFWS sign:
[center]"Welcome to Your Refuge"
[/center]
It's our land, but there is a 5 strand barbed wire fence around the perimeter to keep us off our land. There are 7 access areas on the south side, but many of them have locked gates. I have spent over 50 years watching the refuge land gradually get locked up as the hunters and fishermen in the USFWS got replaced by "conservationists".
Our refuge?
[signature]