JEFF GEARINO Star-Tribune staff writer | Posted: Wednesday, September 14, 2005 12:00 am
Wyoming's Game and Fish Department has always been one of the most independent state agencies, primarily because for nearly a century, its funding has come nearly exclusively from hunters and anglers.
The agency has mostly stayed clear of seeking money from the state's General Fund and the increased legislative oversight that would bring.
But with increasing demands on the management of Wyoming's wildlife - including federally protected species such as grizzly bears and wolves - the department in the past few years has looked for other sources of funding. For the second time, Game and Fish will submit a General Fund budget request to the governor's office for fiscal years 2007-2008, according to agency officials.
Game and Fish's General Fund request totals $6.5 million and includes funding to continue the local citizens groups working on sage grouse conservation in Wyoming.
Seeking General Fund money for the first time in 2004 marked a major shift in Game and Fish policy and reflected the agency's recent but unsuccessful efforts to find other sources of revenue to fund wildlife conservation.
Proposals for some sort of wildlife habitat trust fund have been around for years. This year, Gov. Dave Freudenthal made it one of his top priorities, and the Legislature approved an initial deposit of $15 million for the trust fund. The fund's stated goal is to preserve and restore Wyoming's wildlife habitat for future generations.
But Game and Fish officials said General Fund money is still needed to support programs the department believes shouldn't be funded solely by sportsmen's dollars.
Those programs include endangered species management and preventive medicine for such encroaching wildlife diseases as brucellosis and chronic wasting disease.
"There are three components of our budget request, but they include only those programs which (absolutely) require general funds," Game and Fish Chief Fiscal Officer Kathy Frank told Game and Fish commissioners last week in Casper.
Frank said if it's approved, the $6.5 million would be spent over two years. The money would be used to fund the agency's veterinarian services program, some capital construction projects and the sage grouse local working group program and projects.
About 70 percent of the funding for the department now comes from the sales of licenses, stamps and application fees, according to Game and Fish data. About 75 percent of the license fees come from nonresident hunters and fishermen.
About 20 percent of the department's funding comes from federal excise tax on hunting and fishing equipment. The majority of the remaining 10 percent comes from competitive grants and interest received on trust investments.
Frank said state rules require agencies seeking General Fund money to prepare expanded budget requests to the governor's office.
"This and future potential legislative funding will allow the department to move forward with deferred capital construction projects and to fund the vet services and sage grouse working group programs at a level the department was unable with license revenue to fund," Frank said.
Where the money is going
Earlier this year, the governor and Legislature appropriated $425,000 of the funding for sage grouse projects in Wyoming. Last week, the commission approved spending the full amount for 20 separate sage grouse enhancement projects ranging across Wyoming over the next year.
Frank said the department's '07-08 request will seek an additional $2.5 million for vet services programs, including $900,000 per year for continued sage grouse working group projects.
The Legislature also appropriated about $2.1 million for vet services in the current fiscal year, which included the hiring of nine permanent positions for the program.
About $900,000 of the vet services money was earmarked to construct an elk trap for a test-and-slaughter program scheduled for January or February at the Muddy Creek feedground near Boulder in western Wyoming. The department is spearheading the pilot program for the Pinedale elk herd to see if capturing, testing, removing and slaughtering brucellosis-infected elk on the feedground will reduce disease rates.
Frank said the '07-08 request will include money in the vet services program to fully implement the test-and-slaughter program and to expand it to other feedgrounds if the agency so chooses.
Vet services funds will also be used to pay for utility costs at the Tom Thorne/Beth Williams Sybille Research Center; some lab testing at the UW state vet lab; and to cover future chronic wasting disease and brucellosis lab costs, including supplies and personnel.
Frank said the agency is also seeking a total of $4 million over the two years for eight capital construction projects.
The projects include work at the Pinedale Regional Office, the Cheyenne headquarters office, the Speas fish hatchery, the Story fish hatchery, the Yellowtail habitat management area and the North Jackson warden station.
Reporter Jeff Gearino can be reached at (307) 875-5359 or at gearino@trib.com.