More info on STOPPING the sale of public lands in Iowa - a must read!!

PrairieBelle · 02-22-2012, 05:32 PM

I know you guys are getting sick of Bill and I rambling about legislative issues but the fact of the matter is if sportsmen don't stand up and make a fuss, we'll get squashed. It is time ALL IOWANS contribute and REAP be fully funded. Selling public land to fund REAP is a joke. Here's some info from Pheasants Forever. Lets kill this thing before it continues. TALK to your representatives -- it doesn't matter if you email, call or run into them in the bar or coffee shop. They are people too --and approachable-- but they need to know what we want!

PF Letter to Iowa House on House Study Bill 645

Jared Wiklund Wed, Feb 22, 2012 at 4:49 PM

Pheasants Forever Members,

For those of you who have sent letters or called our state legislators in the past 24 hours regarding House Study Bill 645, thank you very much on behalf of Pheasants Forever and keep up the good work! I received an email from a lobbyist who is at the Capitol today and he said that all of the calls are helping with this fight for public ground.

If you have not yet made a call or sent an email, I encourage you to do so; I have attached a list of House representatives along with their respective email addresses- by clicking on the name of your representative, you will see a separate internet page which will list all of their contact information. I have also included a letter which was sent on behalf of Pheasants Forever- feel free to change the information for your local chapter and forward it on to your legislator- Although this work is minimal in nature, sending this letter via email or calling your representative will make a HUGE difference.

Thanks for your support and please let me know if you have any questions!

~Jared Wiklund

February 22, 2012

Members, Iowa House Members
State Capitol Building
Des Moines, Iowa 50319

Honorable Iowa House Members:

The House State Government Committee will vote soon on House Study Bill 645, a bill that deals with cost savings and increasing the efficiency of government agencies – something that most all would agree is a noble undertaking and a good thing.

However, HSB 645 contains a Section (Division 4/Section 14) that is of critical concern to Iowa hunting and fishing license buyers and to any Iowan who enjoys public lands for hiking, bird watching, or other outdoor activities. The required sale of certain public lands by the Iowa DNR. This section specifically targets public wildlife areas (used for hunting and other outdoor recreation) by requiring the DNR to create a list of lands that could be potentially sold, and to then sell these public wildlife management areas. The anticipated money raised ($20,000,000.00) would be used to fund REAP.

The Legislature has repeatedly failed to fully fund the REAP program. Now Legislators propose to fund REAP on the backs of sportsmen and women by taking public wildlife lands (funded almost entirely by hunters and fishermen), and offering them for sale – to fund REAP. If this is the fix for funding REAP, it is quite frankly absurd.

Some significant points to consider.

· Recreation on natural areas is a significant economic anchor in Iowa. Hunters, anglers and wildlife viewers spent $974,000,000 in retail sales in Iowa annually, creating and supporting more than 17,800 jobs and creating a total economic benefit of $1.54 billion.

· Each acre of public wildlife area generates $402 annually in economic activity.

· DNR reimburses Counties the full consolidated levy of property taxes for all lands purchased in whole or in part with Habitat Stamp or REAP funding. Property taxes paid to Iowa counties last year totaled $755,885

· In 1996, 88% of Iowans voted to constitutionally protect the Iowa Fish and Game Trust Fund, and make sure that the fund was used only for promoting, managing, researching and regulating hunting and fishing in Iowa. In hunting and fishing stakeholder public meetings across the state a year ago, one of the top concerns of stakeholders was the small number of public areas available for hunting and fishing. In REAP assemblies across the state this year; one of the top recommendations was more acquisition of public lands. Iowa has less than 1% of all its acres under state management, and Iowa ranks 49th in the nation in the number of acres of all public lands.

For 27 years, Pheasants Forever has worked closely with the Legislature and the Iowa DNR to improve habitat for upland wildlife, expand recreational opportunity, and to protect and enhance Iowa’s natural resources. Over the past 25 years PF Chapters have partnered with Iowa DNR and County Conservation Boards to buy public wildlife areas. Pheasants Forever spent $1.91million the last 3 years on public land acquisition in Iowa. We see no opportunity for this legislation to achieve the goals Iowans have set for public lands. We respectfully urge you, on behalf of our chapter, to remove Division 4/ Section 14 out of HSB 645.

Thank you for all the work you do. Iowa Pheasants Forever would also like to thank you for your efforts working with our organization on past natural resources legislation.

Sincerely,

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

PrairieBelle · 02-22-2012, 05:38 PM

For those of you not familiar with the system all legislation can be tracked here:
https://www.legis.iowa.gov/index.aspx

You can find your legislators and their contact information here:
https://www.legis.iowa.gov/Legislators/find.aspx

A couple of emails CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Today was REAP Day at the Capitol so REAP funding should be fresh on their minds. Encourage full funding of REAP but NOT through the sale of public lands.

big38 · 02-22-2012, 07:05 PM

Is all this for real or is it a "sky is falling thing". How can anyone really believe that the state is going to sell all the public ground? What will all the DNR bio's do. Get rid of them also? Something smells like crap on this whole issue.

PrairieBelle · 02-22-2012, 07:14 PM

It doesn't apply to ALL public land, but yes, you will find the bill on: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/Legislati...kingTools.aspx

Search for HSB 645, read Section 14

excerpt:

Sec. 14. DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES —— SALE OF REAL PROPERTY. During the fiscal period beginning on the effective date of this division of this Act, and ending June 30, 2013, the department of natural resources shall identify and sell real property under the control of the department, the sale of which is not otherwise prohibited by federal law, that is not utilized for state parks and forests in sufficient acreage that shall generate at least twenty million dollars. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the department of natural resources shall be authorized to sell real property and moneys received for the sale of real property pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the Iowa resources enhancement and protection fund established in section 455A.18.

They tried it last year and we got it stopped - now they're at it again.

bullcan · 02-22-2012, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by big38

Is all this for real or is it a "sky is falling thing". How can anyone really believe that the state is going to sell all the public ground? What will all the DNR bio's do. Get rid of them also? Something smells like crap on this whole issue.

This has long been a Republican idea for additional revenue. It's funny that they're willing to admit they have a revenue problem to justify taking from sportsmen.

feathhd · 02-22-2012, 10:52 PM

Hey Thanks Belle.

big38 do nothing and you will know what chit smells like!
Last, lets just say it was as you may see it, does it hurt to stand up and tell them No you dont support it?

I can add fuel to this fire by adding this to the present 2 Bills I already posted. SSB3142 You want to see how bad crap really smells, put all 3 Bills in the same Pot and tell me how well your Fish & Wildlife Trust Fund will be.

This is Not a Joke boys as the more money they suck out of us the less effective we are out on the landscape. Pure and simple! Hell the cycle has us as it is on a downward trend of driving the Fish & Wildlife Trust Fund to zero.

Belle you can explain it better than I can but what I said is right on the money. Which is why if you wanted to, Read SSB3142 and tell me what you see wrong with it?

As I said a single Bad Bill can do some serious damage but if you tie multiple bad bills together the consequences could be devastating. To that I leave you with this thought / hint about SSB3142 and I will leave it at that. Our Education system is always broke, they always need more money right? Who do they have representing them and why are many counties not able to fund school district needs? All I can say is retirement Golden Parachute deals and in SSB3142 you should see 3 things that contribute to the Fish & Wildlife Trust Fund going broke and no longer able to maintain the simple forms of conservation and restoration of habita in Iowa.

You tell me what those 3 things are and I will open my mouth. All I can say is Law Enforcement will not like what I got to say and could give 2 chits.

I wish to thank all PF members for all their work and effort to puting more habitat and more money down on the Iowa landscape for sportsmen and for our Wildlife itself.

Thanks
Bill Smith

feathhd · 02-22-2012, 11:06 PM

The fact of the matter is if sportsmen don't stand up and make a fuss, we'll get squashed. It is time ALL IOWANS contribute and REAP be fully funded.

Quote:

Selling public land to fund REAP is a joke.

Amen to that Belle and good for you!

Quote:

Thanks for all that you do on behalf of our Natural Resources and I mean it 110%

Check this out lets say I am in the Law Enforcement side of this. I can work 25 years retire and collect 70% of my yearly salary every year until I die. Presently I think we pay out over a Million a year in retirement. Now there are others who are much higher on the pole if you will who even after 25 years of service don't get that. SOMETHING WRONG IN CHINA BOYS IS ALL I AM SAYING. WHERE DOES THAT MONEY COME FROM? OOOOOH come on guys ( Your Fish & Wildlife Trust Fund ) oops I couldn't help myself.

For those of you who might get P/O at the IDNR, it's not them its legislature and for the 2nd year in a row the Republicans have lead the charge in trying to raid our funds and hurt our conservation programs. That is the truth and this crap every time it rears its head should be hit with a bat. Period. It utterly P/M/O

The other Bill that is trying to take our money to pay property taxes on Federally listed wetlands is nothing more than a county shake down or general fund shake down and we need to send that SOB back to the guy that wrote it so he can wipe his ash with it.

But to truly Remedy this type of BS all we have to do is come at them in the Federal Farm Bill and in State policy to DEMAND Mandatory Conservation Compliance. You want to talk about serving up some lunch, oh boy would it and guess what? We wouldn't have to pay taxes on those acres because they obtain federal and state tax payer support. Now if they tell us to go fish this is my land I will do with it as I want, that's fine to, go ahead but you sure as hell are not getting a dime of my tax payer money in any of the federal crop support programs nor do you get to shield yourself with my Federal Crop Insurance Tax payer dollars. We will use that money to help those who are willing to give me something in return for my tax payer support.

This whole concept about voluntary conservation compliance is nothing more than a pipe dream and rouse. It's a Joke! The phrase should never be mentioned again.

Monster Budget savings in one stroke of a fricken pen!

Now I have to go take a downer just to calm down.

02-22-2012, 05:32 PM	#1
PrairieBelle Huntress Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: wandering, but not lost.. Posts: 1,615 Thanked: 274 times	More info on STOPPING the sale of public lands in Iowa - a must read!! I know you guys are getting sick of Bill and I rambling about legislative issues but the fact of the matter is if sportsmen don't stand up and make a fuss, we'll get squashed. It is time ALL IOWANS contribute and REAP be fully funded. Selling public land to fund REAP is a joke. Here's some info from Pheasants Forever. Lets kill this thing before it continues. TALK to your representatives -- it doesn't matter if you email, call or run into them in the bar or coffee shop. They are people too --and approachable-- but they need to know what we want! PF Letter to Iowa House on House Study Bill 645 Jared Wiklund Wed, Feb 22, 2012 at 4:49 PM Pheasants Forever Members, For those of you who have sent letters or called our state legislators in the past 24 hours regarding House Study Bill 645, thank you very much on behalf of Pheasants Forever and keep up the good work! I received an email from a lobbyist who is at the Capitol today and he said that all of the calls are helping with this fight for public ground. If you have not yet made a call or sent an email, I encourage you to do so; I have attached a list of House representatives along with their respective email addresses- by clicking on the name of your representative, you will see a separate internet page which will list all of their contact information. I have also included a letter which was sent on behalf of Pheasants Forever- feel free to change the information for your local chapter and forward it on to your legislator- Although this work is minimal in nature, sending this letter via email or calling your representative will make a HUGE difference. Thanks for your support and please let me know if you have any questions! ~Jared Wiklund February 22, 2012 Members, Iowa House Members State Capitol Building Des Moines, Iowa 50319 Honorable Iowa House Members: The House State Government Committee will vote soon on House Study Bill 645, a bill that deals with cost savings and increasing the efficiency of government agencies – something that most all would agree is a noble undertaking and a good thing. However, HSB 645 contains a Section (Division 4/Section 14) that is of critical concern to Iowa hunting and fishing license buyers and to any Iowan who enjoys public lands for hiking, bird watching, or other outdoor activities. The required sale of certain public lands by the Iowa DNR. This section specifically targets public wildlife areas (used for hunting and other outdoor recreation) by requiring the DNR to create a list of lands that could be potentially sold, and to then sell these public wildlife management areas. The anticipated money raised ($20,000,000.00) would be used to fund REAP. The Legislature has repeatedly failed to fully fund the REAP program. Now Legislators propose to fund REAP on the backs of sportsmen and women by taking public wildlife lands (funded almost entirely by hunters and fishermen), and offering them for sale – to fund REAP. If this is the fix for funding REAP, it is quite frankly absurd. Some significant points to consider. · Recreation on natural areas is a significant economic anchor in Iowa. Hunters, anglers and wildlife viewers spent $974,000,000 in retail sales in Iowa annually, creating and supporting more than 17,800 jobs and creating a total economic benefit of $1.54 billion. · Each acre of public wildlife area generates $402 annually in economic activity. · DNR reimburses Counties the full consolidated levy of property taxes for all lands purchased in whole or in part with Habitat Stamp or REAP funding. Property taxes paid to Iowa counties last year totaled $755,885 · In 1996, 88% of Iowans voted to constitutionally protect the Iowa Fish and Game Trust Fund, and make sure that the fund was used only for promoting, managing, researching and regulating hunting and fishing in Iowa. In hunting and fishing stakeholder public meetings across the state a year ago, one of the top concerns of stakeholders was the small number of public areas available for hunting and fishing. In REAP assemblies across the state this year; one of the top recommendations was more acquisition of public lands. Iowa has less than 1% of all its acres under state management, and Iowa ranks 49th in the nation in the number of acres of all public lands. For 27 years, Pheasants Forever has worked closely with the Legislature and the Iowa DNR to improve habitat for upland wildlife, expand recreational opportunity, and to protect and enhance Iowa’s natural resources. Over the past 25 years PF Chapters have partnered with Iowa DNR and County Conservation Boards to buy public wildlife areas. Pheasants Forever spent $1.91million the last 3 years on public land acquisition in Iowa. We see no opportunity for this legislation to achieve the goals Iowans have set for public lands. We respectfully urge you, on behalf of our chapter, to remove Division 4/ Section 14 out of HSB 645. Thank you for all the work you do. Iowa Pheasants Forever would also like to thank you for your efforts working with our organization on past natural resources legislation. Sincerely, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx __________________ Even when you're sleepin'... Keep your eyes open. Mountain Lions (with DNR tattoo) - 6 Unicorn - 3, including B&C Record: "Charlie" Sasquatch - getting closer...

02-22-2012, 05:38 PM	#2
PrairieBelle Huntress Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: wandering, but not lost.. Posts: 1,615 Thanked: 274 times	Re: More info on STOPPING the sale of public lands in Iowa - a must read!! For those of you not familiar with the system all legislation can be tracked here: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/index.aspx You can find your legislators and their contact information here: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/Legislators/find.aspx A couple of emails CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Today was REAP Day at the Capitol so REAP funding should be fresh on their minds. Encourage full funding of REAP but NOT through the sale of public lands. __________________ Even when you're sleepin'... Keep your eyes open. Mountain Lions (with DNR tattoo) - 6 Unicorn - 3, including B&C Record: "Charlie" Sasquatch - getting closer...

02-22-2012, 07:05 PM	#3
big38 Bluewing Teal Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Minburn, Iowa Posts: 39 Thanked: 5 times	Re: More info on STOPPING the sale of public lands in Iowa - a must read!! Is all this for real or is it a "sky is falling thing". How can anyone really believe that the state is going to sell all the public ground? What will all the DNR bio's do. Get rid of them also? Something smells like crap on this whole issue. __________________ Do you ever listen to yourself speak or do you find youself drifting in and out

02-22-2012, 07:14 PM	#4
PrairieBelle Huntress Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: wandering, but not lost.. Posts: 1,615 Thanked: 274 times	Re: More info on STOPPING the sale of public lands in Iowa - a must read!! It doesn't apply to ALL public land, but yes, you will find the bill on: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/Legislati...kingTools.aspx Search for HSB 645, read Section 14 excerpt: Sec. 14. DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES —— SALE OF REAL PROPERTY. During the fiscal period beginning on the effective date of this division of this Act, and ending June 30, 2013, the department of natural resources shall identify and sell real property under the control of the department, the sale of which is not otherwise prohibited by federal law, that is not utilized for state parks and forests in sufficient acreage that shall generate at least twenty million dollars. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the department of natural resources shall be authorized to sell real property and moneys received for the sale of real property pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the Iowa resources enhancement and protection fund established in section 455A.18. They tried it last year and we got it stopped - now they're at it again. __________________ Even when you're sleepin'... Keep your eyes open. Mountain Lions (with DNR tattoo) - 6 Unicorn - 3, including B&C Record: "Charlie" Sasquatch - getting closer...

02-22-2012, 10:52 PM	#6
feathhd IAW Top Shot Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 1,539 Thanked: 131 times	Re: More info on STOPPING the sale of public lands in Iowa - a must read!! Hey Thanks Belle. big38 do nothing and you will know what chit smells like! Last, lets just say it was as you may see it, does it hurt to stand up and tell them No you dont support it? I can add fuel to this fire by adding this to the present 2 Bills I already posted. SSB3142 You want to see how bad crap really smells, put all 3 Bills in the same Pot and tell me how well your Fish & Wildlife Trust Fund will be. This is Not a Joke boys as the more money they suck out of us the less effective we are out on the landscape. Pure and simple! Hell the cycle has us as it is on a downward trend of driving the Fish & Wildlife Trust Fund to zero. Belle you can explain it better than I can but what I said is right on the money. Which is why if you wanted to, Read SSB3142 and tell me what you see wrong with it? As I said a single Bad Bill can do some serious damage but if you tie multiple bad bills together the consequences could be devastating. To that I leave you with this thought / hint about SSB3142 and I will leave it at that. Our Education system is always broke, they always need more money right? Who do they have representing them and why are many counties not able to fund school district needs? All I can say is retirement Golden Parachute deals and in SSB3142 you should see 3 things that contribute to the Fish & Wildlife Trust Fund going broke and no longer able to maintain the simple forms of conservation and restoration of habita in Iowa. You tell me what those 3 things are and I will open my mouth. All I can say is Law Enforcement will not like what I got to say and could give 2 chits. I wish to thank all PF members for all their work and effort to puting more habitat and more money down on the Iowa landscape for sportsmen and for our Wildlife itself. Thanks Bill Smith __________________ F/H/D

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