resident hunting preservation trust fund

[bridger]

The recent discussioin revolving areoung the fact that resident hunters are losing hunting opportunities to unfair allocations practices by the moe was a topic of discussion at a dinner party I attended Thursday evening. the discussion led to a meeting by several very experienced hunters Friday morning.

The discussion revolved around the fact that the goabc has set up an non resident preservation fund. they charge each non resident hunter coming into the province $125 US. This generates a tremendous amount of money they use to lobby government to promote non resident hunting opportunities The recent threads on thise site have show how effective that has become.

We brainstormed a while and thought why not set up the same type of fund for resident hunters. The BCWF convention is coming up at the end of the month and a plan is going to be presented to the BCWF. The idea would be for the FED to set up a trust fund with a separate bank account and ask every resident hunter in the province to donate to it. the funds would not be used for general revenue but to lobby for the rights of resident hunters.. Imagine if every resident hunter sent the FED only $100 one time the Fed would have enough money to operate even more effectivly that it does now. As a volunteer organization the FED is always strapped for funds. This would make a tremendous difference to the influence the fed could have with government and anti hunting issues.

[killman]

Sound good so long as the money is used for it's intended purpose and not to fund some bull$hit study.

[bridger]

the terms of reference would be very specific to what the money could be used for.. bull shit studies are the governments idea of not getting things done

[Steeleco]

Even better if it were a tax deduction? But even without that, we need to do something and soon.

[yama49]

I would send my 100, as long as it gets used properly...

[houndogger]

So how is the money going to be used? Are you going to hire a spokesman to go at this full time?

[bowhunterbruce]

i be in there as well and the idea of it being tax deductible is also very well received on my end.it would also be cool if we were able to see the final figures and how its being utilized.

[f350ps]

I think it's an excellent start Bridger, I'd be willing to participate. As the saying goes, Nothing will change if all things remain the same. K

[bigwhiteys]

If it were well organized and the spending of funds were all accounted for (and voted upon by the contributors) then I think it would be unreasonable for any resident hunter NOT to put a $100 in...


Imagine if every resident hunter sent the FED only $100 one time

With BC Residents bringing so much to our local economy buying these $50,000 river boats, $70,000 trucks, $10,000 ATV's etc... A $100 one time contribution to help preserve our hunting is sad.... The benefit of a recurring income, yearly, monthly whatever cannot be beat. I'd pay it ever year if it was making a difference.

Carl

[Gunner]

If it were well organized and the spending of funds were all accounted for (and voted upon by the contributors) then I think it would be unreasonable for any resident hunter NOT to put a $100 in...

CarlI agree,the present situation is not acceptable.The MOE is setting up allocation changes by not providing enough LEH opportunities to harvest Resident quotas.This will lead to more reallocation of game away froom us,it's got to stop.I'm in for $100. Gunner

[Chuck]

I would rather see a $100 tax on everyone coming into this province with intentions of taking something away when they soon leave.

[Fisher-Dude]

The BCWF does have a legal defense fund set up already. Most clubs probably haven't even heard of it.

[bridger]

The BCWF does have a legal defense fund set up already. Most clubs probably haven't even heard of it.

that was set up for the gun control issue but we coud use the mechanism for the resident hunting fund as long as the mandate is clear the resident hunting preservation trust fund will have to reach every hunter in the province

[bridger]

I would rather see a $100 tax on everyone coming into this province with intentions of taking something away when they soon leave.
not a bad idea but it is doubtful the government would ever go for it

[Gunner]

Any taxes they raised that way would go straight to the bill for the Olympics,just like the Carbon tax,and whatever money they get from the G/Os! Gunner

[KevinB]

Great idea Bridger.

You could count me in for my annual $100.

[daycort]

That is a great idea bridger. YOu can count me in. Just drop me a line when ya need it or if ya need any help doing anything.

[.284]

You could ask all the vendors of hunting licenses for their help in exlplaining it when licenses are bought. Maybe just ask for 10$ and do it every year. The 10$/year might might even collect more money in the big picture as some people may be getting hunting licences, tags, ammo etc which adds up and the 100$ could just be too much and then they might forget about it.

[bridger]

good idea but it would take an order in council from the government to make it happen which I don't think we could swing. I would ask guys to send whatever the can. $100 is only $8 a month. (two beers) the point is if everyone sent in money we could raise enough money to have our reps in victoria and the regional offices talking to moe officials, mla's ministers etc on an on going basis.

[David Heitsman]

Good luck on the tax deductability if it is in any way seen as lobbying funds.

[bridger]

Good luck on the tax deductability if it is in any way seen as lobbying funds.

i haven't suggested it will be tax deductible. it can't be; any funds used for lobbying the government do not qualify for tax relief.

[Fisher-Dude]

Good luck on the tax deductability if it is in any way seen as lobbying funds.

Yet the Wilderness Committee (formerly WCWC) has charitable status. Hardly seems equitable, as they are one of the largest lobbying groups in BC.

[BCRiverBoater]

good idea but it would take an order in council from the government to make it happen which I don't think we could swing. I would ask guys to send whatever the can. $100 is only $8 a month. (two beers) the point is if everyone sent in money we could raise enough money to have our reps in victoria and the regional offices talking to moe officials, mla's ministers etc on an on going basis.

I am all for it no matter how the payments are set up. My only concern is if it is not mandatory for all resident hunters then we would be in similar boat as we are now. The true die hard hunters/conservationists that are active and participate will pay an arm an a leg and continue to volunteer.

The other hunters who whine and complain about losing opportunities and blame the organizations we do have for doing nothing to protect them will do the same as they do now... NOTHING!!! They will not pay a dime but expect this fund to save them...then when it does not suit their one personal or particular issue then they will be on here whining and complaining some more.

The thing is we will still have more money to lobby then we do now and that is a huge plus no matter how much it is. It would be a very good start and a great step in the right direction to pool our resources and use a large some of people to collect a large sum of money. We out number the non-residents by a huge margin so we should be able to donate way less and have 5 times the money.

But I would love to see it a mandatory one time or yearly payment. Then we can actually get help from all the dead weight we pack around whether they want to help or not.

Let me know if you need some help on this or other issues you fight so hard on our behalf.

[boxhitch]

If the figures are correct, something like 6% of the population, 86,000 hunters in BC , and only 30,000 are members of the BCWF.
Maybe some lobbying has to be done just to get more hunters on-side.

[bridger]

If the figures are correct, something like 6% of the population, 86,000 hunters in BC , and only 30,000 are members of the BCWF.
Maybe some lobbying has to be done just to get more hunters on-side.

there is no doubt about that. I think with proper advertising and direction for this fund that will happen.

[eric]

I am all for it no matter how the payments are set up. My only concern is if it is not mandatory for all resident hunters then we would be in similar boat as we are now. The true die hard hunters/conservationists that are active and participate will pay an arm an a leg and continue to volunteer.

The other hunters who whine and complain about losing opportunities and blame the organizations we do have for doing nothing to protect them will do the same as they do now... NOTHING!!! They will not pay a dime but expect this fund to save them...then when it does not suit their one personal or particular issue then they will be on here whining and complaining some more.

The thing is we will still have more money to lobby then we do now and that is a huge plus no matter how much it is. It would be a very good start and a great step in the right direction to pool our resources and use a large some of people to collect a large sum of money. We out number the non-residents by a huge margin so we should be able to donate way less and have 5 times the money.

But I would love to see it a mandatory one time or yearly payment. Then we can actually get help from all the dead weight we pack around whether they want to help or not.

Let me know if you need some help on this or other issues you fight so hard on our behalf.

X100........ It is time for every hunter in this province to GET OF THEIR ASSES AND HELP OUT

I'm with ya on this one Bridger
Thanks for all that you do

Eric

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Great idea!
Clubs need to pick it up as well. I know our club is always looking to where our funds are most needed. I think this idea would definitely fit the criteria.

SSS

[mcrae]

I would pay it yearly personally. Hunting is a very important part of who I am and its a small price to pay in my eyes to help preserve our hunting rights and traditions...

[Marc]

good idea but it would take an order in council from the government to make it happen which I don't think we could swing. I would ask guys to send whatever the can. $100 is only $8 a month. (two beers) the point is if everyone sent in money we could raise enough money to have our reps in victoria and the regional offices talking to moe officials, mla's ministers etc on an on going basis.

As long as it was a donation and not an add on I think it would be a great idea. With having to jump through the hoops just to posses a rifle/shotgun, CORE and then have to fork out an extra $100 a year might be to much for the young beginner / senior to swallow.

We should lobby to have more of the revenue of hunting going to conservation.

[one-shot-wonder]

As long as it was a donation and not an add on I think it would be a great idea. With having to jump through the hoops just to posses a rifle/shotgun, CORE and then have to fork out an extra $100 a year might be to much for the young beginner / senior to swallow.

We should lobby to have more of the revenue of hunting going to conservation.

What percentage of the 30,000+ members of the BCWF would donate? I am trying to come up with what we could generate and it got me thinking.

If say 10% of the 30,000 members donate $100, you have $300,000, seems decent but when the G/O's can generate twice that we need more.

What if the BCWF charged every member $10/year more on their membership dues to be allotted for this fund?Generating another $300,000 all of a sudden we have a significant amount of funding, set aside for lobbying.

I am not sure what $600,000 buys you for lobbying power but it seems like a healthy start.

An additional way to start the ball rolling on this, and many other important issues with conservation, is to sign a few more hunters up. More members and we can make this model generate even more funding!

[bridger]

I like the idea of adding money to the membership to add to the fund. when the fed has in the past tried to raise dues by as much as $2 per member it was voted down by the clubs. Perhaps if clubs knew it was a special fund they would go for it. Having said that I think we need to broaden our horizons and get help from every resident hunter in the province and think in terms of millions of dollars in the bank. If every resident donated $100 ($8 a month --2 beers) we would have millions of dollars to promote hunting and protect our heritage. that amount of committment would really open the eyes of politicians, goabc and the moe. It would be a statement they couldn't possibly ingore. Let's go for it!!!

[BCrams]

In addition:

It is too bad the Gov't could not tack on 50 cents to a dollar on tags to go directly into the Resident Hunter Preservation Fund (sort of like the HCCF fees etc) except the RHPF would go to the BCWF.

Or even better, as the Non-residents are coming to harvest wildlife which belongs to the crown (us), they should be charged a min amount which would go to the Resident Hunter Preservation Fund. (like the heads of the GOABC would go for that)

In any case, I would support the RHPF for residents.

[bridger]

In addition:

It is too bad the Gov't could not tack on 50 cents to a dollar on tags to go directly into the Resident Hunter Preservation Fund (sort of like the HCCF fees etc) except the RHPF would go to the BCWF.

Or even better, as the Non-residents are coming to harvest wildlife which belongs to the crown (us), they should be charged a min amount which would go to the Resident Hunter Preservation Fund. (like the heads of the GOABC would go for that)

In any case, I would support the RHPF for residents.



x2 bridger

[Ambush]

First off, it's not a good idea, it's a great idea!! I would even say absolutely imperative.

The biggest obstacle to these type of initiatives is making people aware of them. I'll bet that half of the fifty thousand hunters that don't belong to the BCWF hardly know it exists.

To make a campaign like this successful you have to bring it to people.

Everybody that hunts has to buy a licence, and the people that sell them make some or most of their income from hunters.

These vendors should be provided with a single page hand-out that clearly spells out the threat to resident's hunting opportunities and how they can help.

Provide a self addressed envelope rather than a "..please go to our website to donate" plea. Good intentions are often put off.

Every good marketer knows you have to place your product where the buyers are and make it easy to buy.

Go to the hunters, let them know what must be done, then make it easy for them to do it.

And don't forget about anglers. They also are soon to be facing the same fate.

The reason there are so many lobby groups is because lobbying works.

How much money do you think bear protectionist groups actually put into the province? If you guessed none, you'd be right. But look what they can do just by talking into the right ears. No science, no finacial contribution, just talk!

We better start rowing the boat ourselves, or sit back and be content with where ever it takes us.

[Fisher-Dude]

And don't forget about anglers. They also are soon to be facing the same fate.


No kidding. The municipal water purveyors are looking to gate off our watersheds and kill off fishing too. I've got volumes of information on it.

[bridger]

asking the license vendors to give each hunter the info is great idea. We didn't think about that. shouldn't be to hard to organize. thanks for the idea!