Tell Governor John
Lynch you care about Fish and Game funding
By BOB HARRIS
Outdoors and Free
Friday, Jan. 19, 2007
If you heard on the radio or watched on
T.V., Governor John Lynch’s inaugural address, you’ll have noted that he laid out his plans for New Hampshire for the next two years. He spoke briefly about clean air, clean water, protecting state parks and recommitting ourselves to the LCHIP -
(Land and Community Heritage Investment Program).
However, he made absolutely no mention of the value of fish, wildlife and habitat resources or even the need to conserve those resources. As I had mentioned in an earlier column, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department had requested that Governor Lynch include $1.6 million
in State General Funds for Fish and Game’s budget in each of the next two years, a stopgap measure, to balance the agency’s budget without it having to make drastic cuts in staff and services. New Hampshire Fish and Game Director, Lee Perry, stated, "Our department is self-funded and it would be the first time we would receive more than a token amount of money from the state." If the Governor’s budget does not include the stopgap money, our Fish and Game Department’s future is in serious jeopardy, with the potential for devastating cuts to services and programs that make a difference in our lives.
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We should all care about this issue. What if Fish and Game biologists were no longer monitoring for an outbreak of Avian Flu? What if we no longer had lands open to hunting, fishing and other forms of outdoors recreation? What if your child wandered into the woods and no one was there to coordinate a search? Who would there be to deal with poachers of fish and wildlife? What if loons or bald eagles vanished from the state forever? What if unregulated deer, bear and moose populations overran our suburbs, causing regularly increased traffic fatalities and increased concerns about Lyme disease? What if Fish and Game were not there to protect habitat? What if no one took responsibility for teaching conservation to a new generation? What if livelihoods were lost for thousands of New Hampshire businessmen and women who count on the hundreds of millions of dollars brought into the state through wildlife-related activities? Seriously, think about it. |
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This is indeed a critical moment for the state’s wildlife and wild places. If you truly care about wildlife, enjoy fishing or hunting, watching moose, deer, birds and other forms of wildlife, if you
understand how essential our wildlife resources are to New Hampshire’s quality of life, then please let Governor Lynch know. He needs to hear that you support the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, and that you want him to provide funding in his budget request to the Legislature now. Your e-mail, fax, phone call or written letter as soon as possible will be a tremendous help.
To contact Governor John Lynch via internet, go to www.nh.gov/governor and click onto "contact the Governor".
Readers may write to: Governor John Lynch, State House, 25 Capitol Street, Concord, N.H. 03301. His fax number is: (603) 271-7680 or, you may call him at:
(603) 271-2121. The Governor was elected to represent all New Hampshire citizens. Let’s not delay in getting this message to our Governor as quickly as we can.
Bob Harris can be reached via e-mail at:
outwriter2@aol.com |
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