Elk Don’t Like Hikers

[beginnerhunter]

Think about how much red tape we put up with to go hunting. Thousands of dollars, multiple tag draws, all for the CHANCE to maybe harvest an animal during a window of time from Sept-Jan.

There is a lottery to hike half dome in Yosemite. This is to reduce environmental impact and crowding. There's no reason this cant be expanded to popular hiking destinations or places suffering from the impact of outdoor recreation. Make them pay for these passes and/or tax their goods.

Non-consumptive isn't a thing anymore. It probably never was.

 

[jmveverka]

Put one of these up at every trailhead. Your hunting license comes with a parking pass to exempt you from fees, those without a license must pay a user fee every time they hit the trail.

 

[onpoint]

An interesting/ominous/daunting dilemma exists - which goes right back to the spread of/burgeoning recreational economies in the west.
It would be wonderful to see the recreational user tax base and license fee collection(s) increase via "non-consumptive" fees and taxes. Of which currently are largely non existent where these uses are exploding.
It would be a windfall for agencies responsible for enforcement, management, and maintenance of these public resources.
However....
We "traditional" users (hunters and anglers) have had the chest puffing and self righteous luxury of claiming "we pay for it, so we get the lion's share of the say".....
A lion's share of (for lack of a better term, but most likely - as mentioned already - misnomer) of non-consumptive users may have totally different and conflicting views regarding the "how" to manage.
As/if they assume some fiscal responsibility, they also become "more" of a stake holder. Will they be more of an ally or an adversary to the "consumptive" user????
Montana's Madison River issue has had this deal injected into the conversation, as (in one of the many iterations of the LONG process) drunk inner tubers and the-fly-by-night shuttle services that serve that crowd had a say in the process. These folks actually are a counter culture (sorry-reality) and a negative effect on the lower Madison/it's fishery/and angler's experience there......
Circularly goes back to Ben's "Real Issue"......
I wish "us" luck........................

 

[Irrelevant]

Pacific Northwest Research Station | US Forest Service Research and Development

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