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FROM
Thomas Giery Pudney,
LegislativeGazette.com
May 31, 2017
Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, a champion of animal rights, has committed
her support to a bill that would change who can serve on the
sportsmen-funded advisory board that makes recommendations on the state’s
fish and wildlife policies and regulations.
The bill (S.3327/A.6519) seeks to change the language in the Department of
Environmental Conservation’s rules that currently state “At the time of
designation, Conservation Fund Advisory Board members must hold a valid New
York state hunting, fishing or trapping license and have held one three
years prior.”
Rosenthal, who is no stranger to animal rights legislation, having pushed
for the regulation of puppy mills and the statewide banning of cat
de-clawing, joins seven other Assembly members in supporting the
legislation. The prime sponsor in the Assembly is Shelley Mayer, D-Yonkers.
“Last I checked, the DEC’s role is not merely to create an environment
hospitable to hunting and gaming, but it is, as its name suggests, to
conserve the environment,” said Rosenthal, D-Manhattan. “Wildlife is
critical to preserving our state’s natural environment, and it is vital that
DEC represent its diverse responsibilities to New York. Ensuring that the
DEC is reflective of its mission is a key step in ensuring that the DEC is a
better partner with advocates and legislators in animal protection.”
As an example of how hunters and sportsmen influence policy, Rosenthal
points to a DEC program that she says propagates pheasants for the sole
purpose of allowing them to be hunted.
“The state agency that is charged with protecting our wildlife breeds birds
just so that they can be killed,” said the assemblywoman. “If the animals
are lucky enough to live through the hunting season, they can look forward
to a slow death from exposure. I have a bill to ban the practice, which is
inhumane and runs counter to everything that the DEC should be about.
“Changing the composition of the DEC’s board would help to put an end to
inhumane practices like this in the future.”
The bill, originally introduced in the Senate in January by frequent animal
right advocate Senator Tony Avella, D-Queens, would amend state Conservation
Law requiring that a member of the CFAB hold a New York state hunting and
fishing license for three years to demonstrate their “long-standing
interest, knowledge, and experience in fish and wildlife management.”
The function of CFAB is to advise state agencies with information on the
effect that programs and policy may have on New York state’s wildlife. They
also issue annual reports to the DEC commissioner on the financial needs of
various wildlife programs and how to meet those needs.
The bill’s intent, according to its sponsors, is to increase the diversity
of the DEC advisory board by eliminating the hunting and fishing license as
a requirement, making it a factor in the appointment process, but not a
necessity. This would allow the appointment of board members who may come
from a different background than hunting and fishing.
The CFAB is charged with reviewing DEC allocations for fish and wildlife
purposes, releasing reports to the state’s sporting community, consulting
with fish and wildlife interests and providing annual reports to the
Commissioner of DEC on fiscal needs, providing advice on the needs of
various fish and wildlife programs, and encouraging public participation in
fishing, hunting and trapping to promote conservation and management of the
state’s natural resources.
According to the bill memo, the “broad and important goals” of the CFAB,
“can more adequately be met by making the mandatory hunting, fishing or
trapping license requirement discretionary.” This change would allow for the
appointment of people with “equally substantial interest, knowledge and
experience beyond the scope of hunting, fishing and trapping.”
Supporters of the bill say the current rules on who can sit on the CFAB have
resulted in a “virtual nightmare” for New York’s wildlife, and DEC decisions
about wildlife management are “overwhelmingly cruel, one-sided and
destructive.”
“This bill must pass in order to correct a terrible, grossly unfair law that
never should have been enacted in the first place,” says Kiley Blackman,
founder of Animal Defenders of Westchester, who originally brought the law’s
current stipulation to the attention of Senator Avella. “All citizens have a
right to provide input into the treatment of our wildlife, not just those
who want to kill them.”
However, Bill Conners, secretary of Conservation Fund Advisory Board,
expressed his dismay that appointees of the board, which the DEC relies on
to fund projects and draws its revenue largely by the money generated by the
sales of the fishing, hunting and trapping licenses, could be compromised by
the removal of the licensing requirement.
“I find it inconceivable that someone — indeed, anyone — would be extended
the privilege of sitting on the Conservation Fund Advisory Board who is not
vested in the solvency of the fund,” Conners said. “The purchase of a
license turns a bystander into a stakeholder. This is very little to ask of
anyone who claims to be committed to the management and conservation of this
state’s fish and wildlife resources.”
Both bills are currently in the Environmental Conservation committees in
each house.
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