Commissioners and CPW staff,
I am writing today to submit public input on the agenda topic of big game license distribution and allocation between residents and nonresidents for your Nov. meeting. I am writing on my own behalf but I have been a sportsperson rep for decades in CPW working groups, and conservation organizations. I am also a landowner enrolled into the landowner preference program.
I am asking you to support and vote for CPW’s alternative C. This staff recommendation would supply residents with only ~200 additional deer and elk licenses. Predraw CPW quotas for limited deer and elk licenses for 2022 were over 221,000 licenses, so supporting Alternative C is shifting basically less then one tenth of one percent of the total limited licenses to residents. That is a tiny number, use it for perspective.
I would also ask you to adopt an 80/20 distribution policy FOR ANY AND ALL LIMITED LICENSE HUNT CODES as soon as possible.
Why shift licenses to residents?
- Colorado’s current policies are uncompetitive for residents compared to ANY western state. Current policy is truly an insult to residents. It has been an insult for decades.
- Median incomes for Colorado residents are near poverty levels in many counties, even while we are told nonresident hunter “trickle down” is an economic benefit. People use that term, but when will it show up in median earned income so people can pay their rent or mortgages?
- CPW finances have never been better, ever. Wildlife income was reported as 196 million while expenses were 144 million. This was made possible by resident support for the future generations act.
- Risk of future legislation. If you get this wrong, legislation is the only remaining remedy for residents.
- This issue has nothing to do with science based wildlife management
The issue simplified – who deserves your mercy today?
The choice before you today is all about who “deserves” preference to the hunting licenses made available based on residency. Restated, who needs your help, who should you take mercy on and offer a helping hand up in preference?
Residents
If you google the true median income for a Colorado resident in about any rural county in Colorado, you will find it is near poverty levels. At the last meeting a commissioner described the benefits of “trickle down” from nonresidents, but just where does that show up when the resident median income is ~18,945 dollars? When Senate President Garcia co-sponsored their bill last year, it was for Pueblo county residents who have a median income reported at $26,741 dollars a year. Costilla county has a median income of $18, 945, Rio Blanco county is $32,094. I don’t know how you survive on that, but a high degree of preference to a big game license might help to feed a family. Can you afford Netflix as your sole entertainment budget item on 19k a year with current fuel prices, inflation, child care, health care, vehicle expenses, insurance and rent? I doubt it. Do these residents “deserve” your mercy? They surely can’t afford to hunt in another state if they don’t draw at home.
Nonresidents
A nonresident coming to Colorado on a outfitted big game hunt is likely to spend 10-15k in fees, transportation and more. They can hunt in any state for that price, and odds are high that they are applying in many states. If they don’t draw Colorado, they will hunt at home or elsewhere. While a nonresident receives less preference in allocation, they do have better odds of drawing because they double dip, and hedge bets. They apply in their own home state, and a multitude of other states. Again, who deserves the license and your mercy? A nonresident spending 50% or more of the total median income of the Colorado resident? Or, the resident that needs to hunt his own state to survive, and can’t afford to go to another state?
CPW
As you look at CPW, revenue from license sales in 2014 was about 70 million per the attachment, a short 8 years later it is 133 million, with 196 million total wildlife income, yet you only spent $144 million. Fact, CPW has never had more income. With the passage of the future generations act, all sportsmen were promised CPW would implement a hunter access program similar to Montana which leases 7 million acres a year for hunter access on primarily private lands. That promise has never been fulfilled. We pay more, aren’t getting what was promised, and might see double digit CPI inflationary increases next year.
Outfitters
At your last meeting, we heard 16 outfitters in Rio Blanco county earned 3.2M in gross revenue or on average 200k a year for working part time in what might be a 3 month hunting season and maybe some fishing trips in the summer. Public land outfitters appear to be grossing 200k a year income, while people in their own communities can’t draw an elk or deer license and are living near poverty levels. Based on recent testimony, outfitter’s are clearly putting their own income before the needs of the community. In this year’s first draw, 27,359 nonresidents drew limited elk licenses, 16,508 nonresidents drew limited deer licenses, and we probably sell another 60,000 OTC licenses to nonresidents. If we have 100 licensed outfitters in Colorado, they have a pool of ~100,000 nonresident potential clients but can likely support only 10 percent of that. If you’re an outfitter in Colorado and can’t find clients, you are in the wrong business. Montana, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Idaho and Wyoming have far fewer nonresidents, and their outfitters are thriving. Do Colorado’s outfitters making 200k a year need anyone’s mercy?
In closing, thanks for your service on the PWC, and consideration of the facts and numbers. As you examine the facts, I truly hope they convict your heart and open your eyes to who needs your help. Once that happens, there is no other option but to show your mercy to Colorado residents by supporting Alternative C and moving to 80/20 everywhere. I am open to email swaps or phone conversations if any of you care to follow up.
Thanks!