Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 21, 1992 TAG: 9201210046
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOORS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
AN UPDATE ON BILLS CONCERNING STATE'S OUTDOORSMEN
Outdoor sportsmen are watching several bills of special interest in the General Assembly. Here's an update:\ SUNDAY HUNTING: A bill that would permit Sunday hunting for pen-raised birds on licensed shooting preserves cleared the House Conservation and Natural Resources Committee with surprising speed.
Sunday hunting is a volatile issue in Virginia. The 10-member board of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is on record as opposing it. Board members are concerned that this bill, introduced by Harry Parrish, R-Manassas, is a foot in the door.
Preserve operators say Sunday hunting on their areas is not a social or biological issue, but a matter of their industry being able to survive. Hunting on Sundays would be like having two Saturdays in the week, one said.
\ JET SKIS: With strong support from the Smith Mountain Lake area, last year legislators passed a law requiring operators of personal watercraft to be at least 14 years of age.
That didn't fly well in the Virginia Beach area, where three Eastern Virginia legislators have introduced a bill that opens the way for youngsters to climb back onto Jet Skis.
It says: "Before operating a personal watercraft, a person under the age of 12 shall obtain parental consent and successfully complete a boating safety course."
\ STREAM POSTING: A bill by Del. Clifton Woodrum, D-Roanoke, which would give the owners of property along non-navigable, non-tidal streams the right to post streambeds against trespass on foot has divided outdoorsmen into three camps:
There are those who applaud the effort, those who are appalled by it and those who aren't certain what to think.
In discussions last week, the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries saw it as a dangerous measure, one that could bring considerable harm to the state's trout fishing program.
At the minimum, board members would like to see it set aside a year for study.
\ FISH PASSAGE: Del. Vic Thomas, D-Roanoke, has introduced a bill that would give Virginia's fish passage program to the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, where it belongs.
This is the program designed to restablish the migratory runs of species like shad and striped bass that have been knocked out by dams and other factors. The program has a chance to return ocean-running stripers all the way to Lynchburg.
The department is delighted with that idea but concerned that the bill lacks the funding to get the job done. An amendment could provide some of that money.
Today is the last day new bills can be introduced. In the final flurry, look for these measures:
\ SALT WATER LICENSE: This idea has been so controversial that there has been some question whether or not it would even find a sponsor. The suggested fee has been scaled down to $7.50. There is widespread opposition in Tidewater areas, but some support from inland areas like Richmond.
\ CONSERVATION STAMP: The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is in desperate need of additional funding. Revenue from hunting licenses alone is down $400,000 this fiscal year.
A $5 conservation stamp, the money to be used for capital outlay, is being projected as the most likely way to bail out the agency. The stamp would be required of anyone who buys a hunting or fishing license or registers a boat.
\ FARM FEE: The Virginia Farm Bureau is backing legislation to tack a couple extra dollars onto hunting license fees, the money to go to farmers who must deal with problems caused by wildlife. The effort can expect vigorous opposition from state game officials and the hunters they represent.