|
|
Volunteers often represent resident anglers’ and hunters’ interests on government-initiated committees. The volunteers acting on your behalf as a resident often do this at large personal expense, both monetary, and in terms of the time commitment. The volunteers who represent resident hunters and anglers are not asking to be paid for their work, but they are asking for government to stop wasting their time.
One such committee is the Provincial Hunting Regulations and Allocation Advisory Committee, or PHRAAC. The PHRAAC process is not working for resident hunters for many reasons including:
- Action items were submitted to the committee on behalf of resident hunters several years ago and government has shown little willingness to discuss, address and implement the recommendations. The review process is stagnated and recommendations never get the attention they should.
- The allocation policy that was signed off on, and put into government policy in 2007, is being applied inconsistently and often contrary to the agreement in many parts of the province. This opinion has been brought forth at PHRAAC numerous times, but government has shown no interest in addressing the issue.
- Decisions at PHRAAC need to be informed by accurate and recent information. Government says they are committed to providing this information, but in reality, the information is rarely provided in a timely or adequate matter. The information has at times never been provided at all, even after repeated requests.
- Government itself does not seem committed to the PHRAAC process. Government representation on PHRAAC is continually changing, which leads to inconsistency in understanding of the process, rehashing, misinterpretation, and commitments being forgotten. Meetings are called and there is often a lack of government staff participating.
- Significant changes in regulations have been implemented without discussion and approval at PHRAAC. These changes often seem to be in response to the interests of strong lobby groups.
The following advertisement has been placed in newspapers throughout B.C.
Click on the ad for a full view.
Presentation to the Minister and the MLA on October 20th in Victoria B.C.
By: Jacques Drisdelle and Garth Lee, Region 5
BC Wildlife Federation,
Wildlife Committee Member
108 Mile House, BC
Honourable Minister, Member for Cariboo Chilcotin, and Wildlife Branch staff:
Thank you for this opportunity to express our concerns re moose hunting in Region 5 (the Cariboo Chilcotin).
Minister, what we want from you in the final analysis is an independent assessment by qualified experts of the regulatory environment applying to moose management in Region 5 (Cariboo Chilcotin).
My family has lived here for 34 years and before that we lived in northern Ontario. The first solid food that my children ate when they graduated from milk pablum and baby food was potatoes, vegetables, and moose meat and we still enjoy it immensely.
Continue reading Presentation to the Minister of Environment on Moose Hunting Regulations – Region 5 (Cariboo-Chilcotin)
Letters to the Editor
100 Mile House Free Press
August 18, 2009
http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_cariboo/100milefreepress/opinion/letters/53620852.html
In the Aug. 5 article, “Ministry Explains Hunting Regs” by Joan Silver, the Ministry of Environment claims that “if there was an open season on immature bull moose [spike-fork], it is expected hunting pressure would be high and harvest may not be sustainable.” The ministry then cites the central location of the Cariboo, which “makes it a popular destination for hunters from the Lower Mainland.”
Isn’t the last statement exactly what the tourist industry and the Chambers of Commerce want to hear? Instead of seeing the positive and promoting the proper use of our wildlife resources, the ministry is using the same old tired excuses they have been using for years not to increase hunting opportunities for residents such as opening the season for immature bulls (spike-fork).
Region 3, the Thompson-Nicola, is even more “central” to the Lower Mainland yet that does not prevent them from providing more open moose hunting opportunities for BC residents. (They only need to add a calf season to their spike-fork season to achieve the highly successful Omineca model). Nor does it stop Region 4, the Kootenays, nor Region 7A, the Omineca nor Region 8, the Okanagan from having open season for spike-fork bulls. No, my fellow hunters, it is Region 5, Williams Lake, that is out of step in not welcoming other BC hunters to enjoy the Cariboo and support local business.
Continue reading Excuses not good enough for hunters
|
|
