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| Please support the Fish and Game License increase
Here is the link to the Fish and Game License Increase Voter Voice page. Please spread the word and take a few seconds to let your legislators know how important this is.
As I was told the other day by a DNR official, the departments belt has been tightened to the last notch, next we'll have to look at which arms and legs we cut off.
http://www.votervoice.net/core.aspx?Screen=Alert&APP=GAC&AID=1356&IssueID=27772&SiteID=-1&VV_CULTURE=en-us |
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| I foolishly voted FOR the legacy ammendment. Never again will I support or vote to increase taxes or fees in any way shape or form. Instead I will choose to give mopney to groups whose soul purpose is to stock muskies in MN. |
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Posts: 2384
Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | Guest, the problem with that logic is that there won't be any new waters nor the staff to support the muskie program we have today if this doesn't go through. The DNR has cut a large chunk of their field staff which are the boots on the ground when it comes to our program. I know personally may of the programs the DNR has implemented to save money and as a pretty hard core conservative I have to say that I am for this. You have to remember, the license price hasn't gone up in over 10 years.
BTW, the legacy money is doing a lot of good. Yes there are some stupid things it gets spent on, but I am pretty well tuned into it and there is a lot of good work on habitat and water that it's being used for (it's intended purpose). |
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Posts: 1360
Location: Lake "y" cause lake"x" got over fished | Thanks Guys I have been hearing about this more and more, I was going to ask today what the website was to go on and support it. So thank you for cutting a few corners for me. Consider it supported!! Hope more and more people jump on the band wagon! |
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Posts: 1169
Location: New Hope MN | I'm all for raising user fees. You have to pay to play. what i don't like is income tax & sales tax... |
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Posts: 2317
Location: Chisholm, MN | I'm for it! Especially since I have a lifetime license! |
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Posts: 216
Location: Elk River, MN | I voted for the DNR increase on the last election option. Having said that, I am fully supportive of this as long as at the end of the day the money does not go to the general fund. I just paid the additional $30 to have the conservation plates on my truck. I am just tired of feeding more money into the system when it isn't used for what it should be as well as us tax payers paying more taxes when our elected officials cannot control spending with the budget that they have. They should not be asking for more taxes or spending on more programs if the budget is not balanced.
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| These funds go into the Game and Fish fund, thanks for the help guys, keep it coming the time is very short
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Posts: 313
Location: Bemidji, Lake Vermilion | My vote is in supporting the increase. |
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Posts: 203
Location: Minnesota | Done!!! Totally in agreement!!! |
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Posts: 208
| I'm in! |
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Posts: 5
| Regardless of what species you hunt or fish in MN, or how you feel about the DNR, the bottom line is this... if you hunt or fish AT ALL in MN, the license fees are being used to support and benefit your favorite target! Budgets have been tightened and programs have beeen trimmed as far as they can go. Without this increase, YOUR favorite sport and species WILL suffer in the long run.
Fish and wildlife management is a pretty tough gig, complicated by widely varying public opinions as well as politics getting involved way more than they should- you will never be able to make everyone perfectly happy but without the work the DNR does we would have very few quality game or fish poulations left anymore. The cost of a license is pretty miniscule compared to what we all spend on gear, equipment, travle, etc. Support this increase, it is absolutely necessary!! |
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Posts: 3479
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hi Everyone,
Question of curiosity here on where the money is going... Sean, you mentioned there is money not being spent well on some things, but other monies are being spent on the things it should be and is making improvements. With this increase (having not really heard much about it other than in knowing it is on the table), is there any stipulation about where the $$ will go? Is the money going to be open to change and can get used for other things rather than the intended purpose? I am all for an increase in fees IF those dollars raised are for an intended purpose and cannot be somehow "redistributed" due to shortfalls in other areas. No doubt we've seen that one before...
Steve |
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| There are politics involved in where and how the Legacy Amendment money gets spent. Much of it goes to programs that most of us hunters/fishermen support, some of it goes to things that aren't necessarily bad things, they are just things that some sportsmen aren't interested in and therefore don't support... "arts" programs, etc.
The money from a license fee increase, however, would go directly to the DNR's Game and Fish fund which is fund that pays for the majority of the management and field work the DNR performs. Without an increase, there will be a severe shortage of funding for habitat work, population assessments, fish stocking, and pretty much all of the DNR's duties! |
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Posts: 313
Location: Bemidji, Lake Vermilion | Please get behind and support this ladies and gents. It only takes a minute or two from your web surfing and who amongst us wants to see our resources go to heck. The actual increases will amount to a few Mountain Dews or barley pops and the fishing license fee in MN hasn't been raised in approx 10 years. Think of no pay raise for 10 years, being expected to do more but with less all the time for yourself or your family. Invasives didn't take up nearly as much of the budget as they do now. The list of positives goes on and on, the list of negatives is virtually none. Please do what you can. |
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Posts: 2384
Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | VMS, guest has it right. The money we spend on licenses goes straight to the DNR to run their programs. In the past they would get general fund dollars from time to time, but lately with the budget the way it is, they're getting no general fund money.
At the end of the day we're not getting new lakes until this passes. I don't know about any of you, but I think another $5 a year (or whatever they agree to) is a pretty small price to expand the resource. |
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| becareful what you wish for, if the funds are not dedicatated for our fisheries you never know where they go, last thing you want to do is increase the license fee only to fund a copper nickel mine that ruins our fisheries. |
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Posts: 32880
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | 'These funds go into the Game and Fish fund, thanks for the help guys, keep it coming the time is very short'
And there it is.
Perhaps reading the entire thread may be beneficial. |
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Posts: 1286
Location: WI | Followed the link and sent the email letter. The graph on the MMPA link says it all. |
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Posts: 1638
Location: Minnesota | sorry i will never want to pay more there is just to much wasted money spent all around mn the more they get the more they waste just not in the dnr but all over mn gov. |
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Posts: 374
Location: Bemidji | Here's a link that hopefully can answer some questions:
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/heritage/index.html
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Posts: 2317
Location: Chisholm, MN | I fully support a license increase but after reviewing this link. I think Non-res is not being charged enough. Their fishing costs don't go up nearly as much as a resident. Sorry if that offends anyone but I think they should charge an arm and a leg for non residents to take fish from MN.
Edited by Kirby Budrow 3/11/2012 5:31 PM
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Posts: 32880
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I see you support the tourism industry over there. |
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| there's been talk for years about a reciprocity for non residents, there is also a proposal where the 3 dollar AIS tag would be over and above the lic cost. I personally like that idea rather than burying it in the lic fee. They did allot of research on how to conduct this increase so they would not loose more people than they gain funds. Bottom line is we need to keep people coming to grow the sport and to do that we need to have the funds to manage the fishery. My hope is that includes adding new lakes. Personally I feel the days of hauling muskies to a taxidermist for skin mounts is almost over, if the ongoing research shows it's more cost effective to have C&R in order to reduce stocking costs of maintaining the population and increasing the quality. I know dP is going to get upset about that last comment but its about reducing cost and providing a better fishery for us with the pen not the stocking truck. Please take a few moments to sign up and voice your need to get this done this year.
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Posts: 2317
Location: Chisholm, MN | I'm sure there is a lot of research involved in developing these prices and they may be right but its still a kick in the shins for residents. |
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Posts: 2384
Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | Muskyhunter, care to elaborate how and where the DNR is "wasting money"?
Kirby, the non-res license when up about 5 years ago (the general did not). We can all say stick it to the out of state guys I guess, but when our state is struggling (especially the resorts) I don't think now is the time to whack them. Just my opinion.
Edited by Muskie Treats 3/11/2012 7:48 PM
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| Heres how they spend the money
Click here to learn the facts
Heres where you support the increase.
Click Here to support
Edited by Muskiefool 3/12/2012 6:20 PM
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Posts: 121
Location: Plymouth IA | I had to move to Iowa for work but still fish a lot in MN. Have called my family in MN to get them to support the increase and would not mind if the non resident went up too. |
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Posts: 2384
Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | I testified at the hearing yesterday in the Senate and it went well. The Senate seems to be on board right now, but it's early in the process. Please continue to email your legislators. One told me how many emails he was getting and seemed pretty surprised. |
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Posts: 183
Location: Grand Forks ND | I'll go for an increase in fees but Minnesota needs to get with it. Last year a big shutdown of the state parks, now this year you can't even make a reservation yet because their new system crashed about 5 minutes after it went online and they have no clue how much longer it's going to be. |
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Posts: 1169
Location: New Hope MN | Muskie Treats - 3/11/2012 7:46 PM
Muskyhunter, care to elaborate how and where the DNR is "wasting money"?
Just to be fair here, everyone, government, company wastes money. I said yes to the increase...
I'd like to know how much these surveys cost. Don't get me wrong, i love them. but I'm guessing they are freaking expensive and the avg MN tax payer would rather not have them conducted.
EX:
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/natural_resources/water/lakes/vegetati... |
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Posts: 3147
| surveys require paper,,paperwork requires trees,,trees harvested mean new growth areas for grouse habitat
I can rationalize anything just like a politician  |
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Posts: 2384
Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot |
Just to be fair here, everyone, government, company wastes money. I said yes to the increase...
I'd like to know how much these surveys cost. Don't get me wrong, i love them. but I'm guessing they are freaking expensive and the avg MN tax payer would rather not have them conducted.
EX:
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/natural_resources/water/lakes/vegetati...
Research is expensive at times. Just remember, without research we would never have the muskie program we have today. Just because one study is stupid in one groups eyes doesn't mean it's a Bible to another group.
BTW, the "taxpayer" doesn't pay for these, license holders do. |
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There was a guy looking at aquatic plants (possibly #*^@ation to some salvation to others) when he noticed Zebra Mussels didn't like one of the plants, now he has a way to kill 80% of the Zebra and Quagga's. So its not always about fish, fur or fowl that provides us with opportunity to maintain the quality of them.
Everything in our water is important, how important we'll never know unless we take time to look, I'll pay so they they can look.
Keep the letters going everyone..
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I don't think I'd leave it up to the avg. MN taxpayer to decide what scientific informantion is valuable and what isn't.
JS |
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| JS, I agree we should probably leave those judgements on what science is worthy up to the politicians. LOL |
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| It seems the system is working for non-residents too. So please show your support of this, the time is very short so we have to do it now.. Over 60 organizations are now signed on but they want to hear from people as well. Even non-residents can help
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Posts: 339
Location: Denmark | Cool to see someone rooting for pikes as well, excellent sport fish if we let it grow.
http://esoxhunt.dk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=59&...
Edited by Killerbug 4/1/2012 2:26 PM
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MN Residents