Anglers, hunters weigh in on proposed license fee increases in Minnesota

A hunter moves through the woods near Grand Rapids during a recent Minnesota firearms deer season. News Tribune file photo1 / 2

Bill Lounsberry of Duluth was just settling in for an afternoon of crappie fishing on Fish Lake north of Duluth on Wednesday afternoon. Lounsberry, a retired letter carrier, was aware that Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton is proposing to raise fishing and hunting license fees.

"I'm OK with that," Lounsberry said with a smile. "I'm retired. This is pretty cheap entertainment."

Lounsberry's feelings seem to echo the reactions of many others in Northeastern Minnesota's outdoor community, according to several people interviewed for this story. Most are not opposed to the proposed increases, though some want to make sure license fees are used for field operations.

Dayton proposed the increases in late January as part of his fiscal 2018-2019 budget, now before the Legislature. Under the proposal, a resident fishing license would increase from $22 to $25, and a resident deer hunting license would rise from $30 to $34. Under the proposals, fees would also increase for boat, snowmobile and ATV registration, as well as for state park and ski passes.

"There hasn't been much complaining. Most folks are understanding," said Scott VanValkenburg, owner of Fisherman's Corner, a bait and tackle shop in Pike Lake. "Guys realize the world is getting more expensive. Geez, you go to to the movie, it's 10 bucks."

Bill Lounsberry of Duluth watches his fish finder while fishing for crappies on Fish Lake. Steve Kuchera / News Tribune

Bill Lounsberry of Duluth watches his fish finder while fishing for crappies on Fish Lake. Steve Kuchera / News Tribune

Ken Roy, owner of River Rat Bait in Cohasset, says he's hearing much the same.

"For most part, we haven't heard anything real negative," Roy said. "Guys are saying $23 (including a $1 issuing fee) for a whole fishing year is not bad. If they raise it $3 or $4, that's not so bad."

But their support is not without some suggestions about how the DNR should spend that money, he said

"They'd like to see the DNR spend the money wisely rather than on foolish things," Roy said. "They want to see better fishing, and they'd like to see fewer rules."

That comment was shared by others.

"I don't think (the fee proposal) surprises people that much," said Don Karels of God's Country Outfitters north of Grand Rapids. "But it still upsets them because of the way the DNR has been going the last few years — everything is going up except the wildlife and the waterfowl and the fish."

Russ Francisco of Marine General Supply in Duluth says the DNR is slighting Duluth-area anglers.

"People don't mind paying more," he said, "but people in Duluth are unhappy. They feel like we're getting less."

The DNR recently announced that the production of trout at the French River Coldwater Hatchery will be phased out.

"Frankly, they (DNR officials) don't like coldwater fisheries," Francisco said. "We have to pay more so people in other places can get more."

The Republican-controlled Legislature has expressed concerns that the governor's overall budget proposal is too large. The entire Dayton budget plan would spend almost $46 billion in the two years beginning July 1, a nearly 10 percent increase over the 2015-2016 biennium.

License dollars important

Only about 15 percent of the DNR's overall budget comes from the state's general fund. The vast majority of state DNR funding (85 percent) comes from user fees, sales of licenses and permits, and dedicated funds from the Legacy Amendment and the state lottery.

The DNR's main fund for fish, wildlife and their management is the Game and Fish Fund, which relies primarily on sales of hunting and fishing licenses. The Game and Fish Fund is expected to slide into a deficit starting in 2019, DNR officials say. Most hunting and fishing license fees were last increased in 2013.

Chris Kavanaugh, DNR regional fisheries supervisor at Grand Rapids, said tightening of budgets has a direct effect on fisheries management activities in Northeastern Minnesota, such as stocking trout lakes, the frequency of fisheries assessments and conducting creel surveys. Fisheries assessments sometimes must be reduced when funding is limited.

"Anglers are accustomed to seeing pretty fresh data on those lakes, and sometimes we might have to push some of those surveys out a couple of years," Kavanaugh said.

Like many others, he said he believes a Minnesota fishing license would be reasonable at $25.

"Think of playing round of golf," Kavanaugh said. "At a decent golf course, it'll cost you $30 to $40 and give you four hours of fun or frustration depending on your ability. But for $25, I can go angling 365 days a year for multiple species on multiple lakes."

Bucks for bucks, ducks

Tight budgets also affect wildlife management, said Dave Olfelt, DNR regional wildlife manager at Grand Rapids.

"Our budgets are funded from those (license) fees," Olfelt said. "After a fee increase goes into effect, it increases our budget for several years. As expenses catch up, it starts to decline. We're in that declining phase now, so there's a level of urgency for legislators to act."

Fishing and hunting licenses remain a bargain, said John Chalstrom of Chalstrom's Bait and Tackle north of Duluth.

A grouse hunter moves through the woods during a 2016 hunt in the Hinckley area. Sam Cook / News Tribune

A grouse hunter moves through the woods during a 2016 hunt in the Hinckley area. Sam Cook / News Tribune

"It's still a pretty cheap thing for a sportsman to buy a license once a year and enjoy the sport all year," Chalstrom said. "I don't think it'll change anyone's buying habits. It's the nature of the beast: Every couple of years, we have to put up with a price increase. But everything across the board is getting more expensive."

Ryan Fox, owner of the Winnie Trading Post near Deer River, said he believes the DNR should boost walleye stocking, improve the deer herd and simplify hunting and fishing regulations.

"Fix what's wrong, and (the DNR) will have more money than they know what to do with," Fox said.

Buck Benson, who owns Buck's Hardware Hank in Grand Marais, supports the fee increases.

"I believe that the hikes in fees and licenses to harvest or use these resources are not unreasonable and are not burdensome," Benson said. "I applaud Gov. Dayton in looking ahead to protect our outdoor resources."

The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association has not yet taken a position on the proposed fee increases, said Craig Engwall, MDHA executive director. The group plans to discuss the issue at an upcoming board meeting. The Minnesota United Snowmobilers Association also has not yet taken a position on the proposals.

Other viewpoints on fee increase proposals

Dave Nelson - President, Twin Ports Walleye Association

"We at the Twin Ports Walleye Association have worked closely with the Minnesota DNR conducting a walleye population study on the St. Louis River. We have written letters in support of the habitat restoration projects now currently in progress... Projects like these require funding.

"While we remain in favor of a walleye stocking program (not currently in place) on the river, it is our fear that without funding, even the programs that are currently in place could be in jeopardy. We are happy to see that some funding has been approved through the state's general fund and hope that more funding could be available without raising license fees. We would be in favor of an increased license fee knowing that the funding would be used to continue the good work that the DNR has started."

John Lenczewski - Minnesota State Director, Trout Unlimited; Chair, DNR Game and Fish Fund Citizens' Budgetary Oversight Committee

"From our perspective, we think it's warranted. We don't want to see the level of management effort decline. If anything, they could do more. We think the fee increase is a realistic way to do it.

"And $2 of that (fishing license proposal) was in the last request in 2013. They got $2 less than they asked for at that time."

"We really feel we're overdue for getting some general funds back into the Game and Fish Fund. That was always an investment the state made. In the 10 years from 2001 to 2010, it averaged almost $2.3 million a year. Since ... 2011, it's been essentially zero."

Kevin Bovee - Secretary, Lake Superior Steelhead Association

"The biggest concern the club has is, will this license fee increase detract from young anglers and hunters coming into the sport? ...

"And where is the increase going? How much of this increase will get back to field operations and increased field operations? Here, they're closing the French River Hatchery. What are we going to get for this increase? We all realize the cost of doing business is increasing, but at some point the users want to see something positive in the field."

Ross Pearson, Duluth - Kamloops Advocates

"Kamloops Advocates have supported increased fishing license fees in particular to create the Kamloops and steelhead opportunities that we enjoy on the North Shore. In terms of comparing the cost of the necessary licenses to the cost of just one of these planted fish, an angler is paying only a fraction of the fish's actual delivery cost. In 2010, about 500 people signed on as Kamloops Advocates to support fee increases to help maintain the Kamloops opportunity."

Jim VanLandschoot - President, Western Lake Superior Trolling Association

"Personally, I don't have a big problem with it, but I can't imagine our trollers will be happy about it since (the DNR has) discontinued all the stocking programs in Lake Superior (except Kamloops rainbow trout and steelhead). It's not that we're opposed to a license fee increase, but we'd like to see a little more bang for our buck."



A few extra bucks for first class fishing is well worth it

By ron hustvedt
February 12, 2017 — 11:15pm
I spent some time this past weekend organizing photos from the past year and I was reminded of how much fun my kids and I had fishing throughout the state of Minnesota. We logged a lot of miles and even though we didn’t get out nearly as much as we’d hoped to, we had some high quality fishing on those outings.

We fished on Upper Gull Lake near Brainerd and had a great time catching eight and nine-inch bluegills off the dock. We also fished the lake from a boat and caught a ton of chunky largemouth. Motoring down the chain onto the big waters of Gull Lake, we caught a few meals of walleye and my son caught the biggest walleye of his life, a gorgeous 27-incher. 

On the Mississippi River near St. Cloud my kids started off catching rock bass and then we tied into some bruiser smallmouth bass. My daughter has claimed those as her favorite species since they fight so hard.

We fished on Mille Lacs, both through the ice and open water, and my son set another personal best with a 28-inch northern pike. On our latest outing, my daughter got to say she out-fished both her big brother and I with some quality walleye action.

Since both of my kids are still fairly young, seven and nine years old, we don’t spend hours upon hours on the water. Our outings are a few hours long, we have plenty of distractions and opportunities to learn while we are on the water, and we probably miss more fish than we catch. They are learning and that’s part of the process, but I’m very glad to have such a wide choice of waters to choose from and quality fisheries to know that even my clumsy guiding will put them on fish every time.

Minnesota has 5,400 managed fishing lakes and many of them are considered “world class” fisheries. People consider Minnesota to be a dream fishing destination and I’m proud that my home waters are the envy of millions. I’d like to keep it that way, and that’s why I’ll gladly fork over a few extra dollars for my licenses this year.

Something that’s always been interesting to me is that the game and fish fund is primarily funded by user fees, and not taxes. This means all fish, wildlife and law enforcement activities of the DNR are paid for by hunters and anglers.

The DNR states that if the increases are enacted this Legislative session, it will keep the game and fish fund above the water until 2021. That’s long enough to get my kids to the brink of becoming teenagers, and I’ll gladly fork over a few more dollars then as well. If the Legislature passes the increase this session, the next four years will keep the fishing opportunities solid and give my kids and I a good chance to spend more time on the water together.

If it doesn’t pass, I’m not sure what good those extra few bucks will afford me. I might be able to afford an extra lure, or another gallon of gas, but we’ll probably have to spend a whole lot more just to have a quality fishing experience north, or east, of the border. 

Some hunters, anglers voice support for DNR fee increases

By Tony Kennedy Star Tribune
March 8, 2017 — 7:28am

An ad hoc coalition of hunting, fishing and conservation groups are banding together at the Legislature to push for higher outdoors license fees and other funding for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

A draft letter addressed to legislative leaders has been signed by Minnesota Trout Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, The Izaak Walton League and Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy along with more than 35 other sportsmen’s clubs and natural resources groups. Gary Botzek, executive director of the Minnesota Conservation Federation, said the petition will be delivered next week in time for DNR budget hearings in the House and Senate.

“The list is impressive and growing,’’ Botzek said of the petition. “We need to step in.’’

Botzek and John Lenczewski, executive director of Minnesota Trout Unlimited, are spearheading the drive. They also are members of a citizens’ oversight committee at DNR that tracks agency finances.

The letter advocates for full legislative approval of Gov. Mark Dayton’s DNR budget, a plan that would increase user fees by $36.8 million for the 2018-19 biennial budget period. A resident fishing license would increase from $22 to $25. A standard deer hunting license would increase from $30 to $34. Boat, snowmobile and ATV registration fees also would rise.

The petition also requests that $3 million a year go to the DNR’s Fish and Wildlife Division from the state general fund — an amount not included in Dayton’s budget. The letter argues that Fish & Wildlife’s work is vital to $5.5 billion a year in hunting and fishing activity.

So far missing from the petition is the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association — a group that supports fee increases but wants deer license revenue earmarked for deer management. The time to impress legislators is short, with the new biennium starting July 1.

Show times

George’s Minnesota Muskie Expo, now in its 21st year, runs Friday through Sunday at Gangelhoff Center on the campus of Concordia (St. Paul). Daily admission is $10, but children 12 and younger get in free. A three-day pass costs $17.

Also this weekend, starting at noon Friday, Howard Lake hunter Jim Wackler’s 31-point monster buck will be on display at the Outdoor News Deer and Turkey Classic. The hunting expo will be at Warner Coliseum on the State Fairgrounds. Cost is $12 for adults; $5 for youth ages 10-15; free for kids 9 and younger.


Rochester Post-Bulletin / 2/15/2017

Hunters and anglers are an odd bunch.
Think about it. Back in 2012, it was hunters, anglers and their various groups and associations across the state that helped push the Legislature to raise the price of fishing and hunting licenses. Going further back, it was those same hunters, anglers and associations who pushed for dedicated funding for the outdoors, a push that ultimately resulted in the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, which raised the state sales tax to raise funds for the arts, parks, trails, watershed projects and yes, fish and wildlife habitat.
So it's not surprising that, with the state's Game and Fish Fund poised to go into the red in 2019, Gov. Mark Dayton has proposed a budget that would raise the cost of a fishing license from $22 to $25, and raise the deer license fee from $30 to $34. Also in line for price hikes would be state park permits, snowmobile registration fees, boat registration fees and ski passes.
If history is a good indicator, Dayton can expect at least grudging support from the people who would pay these higher fees. After all, anyone who hunts, camps, fishes or owns a snowmobile knows that the price of a license or permit is a minuscule part of the cost of these activities. (According to the Minnesota DNR, the average angler in Minnesota spends $1,500 per year on this sport.) It's safe to say that few anglers will hang up their rods because the annual cost goes up by three or four dollars.
But that doesn't mean Dayton's proposal is the right way to go.
The Game and Fish Fund should be shored up, as should the Snowmobile Account, the Water Recreation Account, the Invasive Species account and several other DNR funds that are projected to go into the red within the next few years. But we'd argue that with Minnesota still projecting a budget surplus of more than $1 billion, now is not the time to raise fees on people who enjoy the great outdoors in Minnesota.
Our state's natural resources, including its fish, game and wilderness areas, play a big role in Minnesota's quality of life. As such, we see no reason that the maintenance and preservation of these resources should have to be funded almost entirely through user fees.
As an example, consider municipal golf courses and swimming pools. Statewide, almost all such facilities lose money, but communities have concluded that access to relatively inexpensive golf and pools is important, especially for kids and seniors.
The Game and Fish Fund, which pays for the DNR's habitat management and law enforcement systems, already receives 85 percent of its funding from user fees. Any current or projected shortfalls should be covered by additional general fund dollars, not higher fees.
Keep in mind that outdoors activities are one of the state's biggest economic engines. Fishing alone accounts for more than $2 billion per year in direct retails sales, and more than 35,000 jobs across Minnesota are directly related to the fishing industry. Hunting, snowmobiling, camping, hiking and other outdoors activities not only keep "internal" dollars flowing but also attract hundreds of millions of visitors' dollars each year.
Finally, consider this: Wisconsin residents who hunt deer, turkeys and pheasants, plus fish for walleyes and trout in their home state, can get all of the necessary licenses and stamps for $76.50. Minnesota residents who want to pursue the same activities here pay a minimum of $111.
In a state that's flush with cash, that's enough.

Dokken: Fee Hike For Hunting, Fishing Licenses Faces Uphill Battle In Minn.

How do you feel about spending more money for hunting and fishing licenses in Minnesota?

That question promises to come up a fair bit over the next few weeks as state lawmakers grapple with Gov. Mark Dayton’s proposal to raise hunting and fishing license fees. As colleague Sam Cook of sister paper the Duluth News-Tribune reports in a story on the cover of today’s Herald section of Northland Outdoors, the DNR’s Game and Fish Fund, which pays for the bulk of fish and wildlife management in Minnesota, is expected to go into the red in 2019 without an influx of additional dollars.

The DNR last increased license fees in 2012.

As Cook reports, support for the proposed fee hike appears to be solid in northeast Minnesota, at least among the people he interviewed.

Personally, I don’t mind spending a few bucks more to hunt and fish in my home state if the money is spent wisely and I can see the results in the areas I hunt and fish. I view public land as an asset rather than a liability, especially if it’s managed well.

I like to see trails mowed, boat ramps maintained and money spent on research such as netting and creel surveys on Lake of the Woods and Upper Red Lake. The state’s public lands and waters are too valuable to be neglected, the way I see it.

Still, I expect the fee hike, which would increase the price of a resident fishing license from $22 to $25 and a resident deer license from $30 to $34 — fees such as boat, snowmobile and ATV registrations would increase, as well — will face tough sledding in the Legislature.

If, like me, you’re a North Dakota resident who owns land and does a lot of recreating in Minnesota, you’d pay $51 instead of $45 for a fishing license and $185 instead of $165 for a nonresident deer license.

How much sympathy nonresidents garner remains to be seen, but I don’t think a Republican-controlled Legislature will be sympathetic to raising prices for Minnesota residents, especially since license fees last increased only five years ago.

Before that, hunting and fishing license fees hadn’t increased since 2001.

The potential for that resistance was apparent before the session when I interviewed state Rep. Dan-Fabian, R-Roseau, for a preview story on outdoors issues that were likely to surface during the session. There were rumblings about a proposal to raise hunting and fishing license fees at that point, but nothing had yet been proposed.

Fabian, who is chairman of the House Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee, said he’d like to see more examples of reforms and ways the agency could streamline its operations before supporting a fee hike.

As examples, he cited efforts such as the Star of the North Trail, a cooperative venture between the DNR and the Lake of the Woods Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society, to establish a network of hunting trails in Beltrami Island State Forest, and volunteers who are grooming trails at Zippel Bay, Hayes Lake and Lake Bronson state parks this winter because DNR staff aren’t available to do the maintenance.

According to at least one of the volunteers I know, there was a lot of red tape to overcome before volunteers could groom the trails, but it finally happened. And the Star of the North Trail is one of the most exciting projects to come along in quite some time and is off to a great start.

If volunteers are willing and able to make public lands better places to visit, that’s a win-win the way I see it. I’m not sure volunteers are a long-term fix for maintaining wildlife management areas, setting nets for fisheries surveys or operating the specialized equipment often necessary to manage public lands and waters.

The expertise DNR staff bring to their jobs has to be taken into consideration, as well.

In the meantime, DNR officials say they’re doing all they can to keep spending in check. The recent retirement of Crookston DNR wildlife manager Ross Hier hasn’t been filled — leaving assistant manager Emily Hutchins to fill both shoes — and a summer creel survey planned for Lake of the Woods has been scrapped for lack of funding. That fisheries office, in Baudette, Minn., also is leaving vacancies unfilled for now.

Those are just a few examples of DNR belt tightening.

An oft-cited argument against raising license fees comes from the Legacy Fund Minnesota voters approved in 2009 for natural resources, parks and the arts. Money from that dedicated fund raises upwards of $100 million annually, but it can’t be used to bolster traditional funding sources such as hunting and fishing license dollars.

In other words, it can’t be used to shore up the beleaguered Game and Fish Fund.

Area conservation groups, sportsmen’s clubs and others with an interest in the DNR’s fee hike proposal will have a chance to learn more Thursday night in Thief River Falls, when the Pembina Trail Toms chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation hosts an info session in the Joint Operations Facility, located at 246 125th Ave. NE near the intersection of state Highway 1 and U.S. Highway 59.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m.

DNR staff will be on hand to give a presentation and answer questions about the proposal.

Ultimately, it will be up to hunters, anglers and others who appreciate Minnesota’s natural resources to make the case to skeptical lawmakers that increasing hunting and fishing license fees is the best course of action.

That’s going to be an uphill battle.

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DNR Makes Case For Increase In Hunting And Fishing Licenses Fees During Thief River Falls Presentation

The Minnesota DNR’s Game and Fish Fund, primarily funded by hunting and fishing license dollars, is projected to go into the red by the summer of 2019 without an influx of new money. The DNR is proposing an increase in hunting and fishing license fees to replenish the fund, but whether that happens will depend on how lawmakers vote in the Minnesota Legislature. (Minnesota DNR)

THIEF RIVER FALLS — A small audience gathered Thursday night in Thief River Falls to hear area and regional staff from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources make their case for increasing hunting and fishing license fees.

Still recovering from rotator cuff surgery in early January, I wasn’t comfortable making the drive to Thief River Falls so I sat in on the session via Skype.

Doug Franke, area wildlife supervisor for the DNR in Thief River Falls, led the presentation. Other DNR staff on hand were Phil Talmage, area fisheries supervisor for the DNR in Baudette, Minn.; Pat Znajda, District 1 enforcement supervisor; John Williams, Northwest Region wildlife supervisor, Bemidji; and Becky Ekstein, Thief River Falls assistant area wildlife manager.

The info session wasn’t a public meeting, as such, but instead was set up for area sportsmen’s groups such as the National Wild Turkey Federation. The Pembina Trail Toms NWTF chapter hosted the presentation.

The half-dozen sportsmen who attended also had an opportunity to ask questions about the proposal during the informal presentation.

Franke used a Powerpoint presentation filled with charts and graphs to explain the need for a fee increase. Without the influx of new money, the DNR’s Game and Fish Fund is projected to go into the red by June 2019 and be more than $7.3 million in the hole by June 2021.

“We’re basically going to call this a ‘lights-on’ bill,” Franke said. “It gives us funding to keep everything current we have now and not lose anything.”

Dedicated account

The Game and Fish Fund is a dedicated account primarily funded by hunting and fishing license dollars and federal excise taxes on hunting and fishing equipment. It is the primary source of revenue for the DNR’s fish and wildlife management activities.

“It’s literally how we fund the fish and wildlife program and a large chunk of enforcement funding,” Franke said.

As time goes on, when incoming money stays flat and more money goes out, the fund depletes.

“One of our primary goals in the past few years is how do we become more efficient?” Franke said. “It makes sense that if we’re spending your dollars, there’s got to be efficiencies somewhere.”

The Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, generated by proceeds from the lottery, can’t be used as a substitute for traditional, license-generated funding but can only supplement existing work. Ditto for Legacy Amendment dollars generated by the small sales tax increase Minnesota voters approved in 2008 dedicating funding for natural resources, parks and the arts.

“It’s one of those funds we have access to quite a bit of money but it can’t replace what we’re doing” with traditional license revenue funds, Franke said. “And if you have fewer staff, trying to implement contracts in the field becomes difficult. You can’t ask for funding you have a difficult time spending.”

Franke said the DNR is working to keep costs in check by holding positions open and cutting back on fieldwork such as creel surveys and other management efforts. At the same time, though, operating costs have increased, and emerging issues such as flooding, wildlife diseases and invasive species have diverted existing resources.

The Northwest Region alone is down nine wildlife positions that aren’t being filled, and enforcement has 20 vacancies across the state, increasing the time it takes for conservation officers to respond to incidents and curbing their ability to enforce the state’s game and fish laws. Statewide, there are 26 wildlife positions and 17 fisheries positions not being filled because of funding shortfalls.

“When we start losing those staff, the phone, trust me, it doesn’t get picked up quite as often or quite as quickly,” Franke said. “It hurts, and we try to respond as much as we can, but it slows everything down.

Even if a fee increase passes, Williams, the DNR regional wildlife supervisor, said he won’t be able to fill any vacancies.

“We’ve got to focus right now on just keeping the level of services and staffing we have,” he said.

Proposed hikes

Among the increases the DNR is proposing are the following:

  • Individual angling licenses would increase from $22 to $25.
  • Nonresident annual fishing licenses would increase from $45 to $51.
  • Resident deer licenses would increase to $34 from the current $30.
  • Nonresident deer licenses would increase to $185 from the current $165.

The increase, which would result in an estimated $6.1 million in new fishing license revenue and $2.8 million in new hunting license revenue, would stabilize the Game and Fish Fund into the year 2021. That, in turn, would allow the DNR to better manage fish and wildlife populations and do necessary habitat work on the state’s 1,400 wildlife management areas.

Across the board, the increase is about 12 percent.

For context, Franke said a $25 fee to fish for a whole year and $34 to hunt for the season is a good deal compared to spending $33 for a Twins game, $50 to $185 for a Vikings game and $43 to $115 for a Minnesota Wild hockey game.

“Hunting and fishing is a pretty cheap date out there right now,” he said. “It’s a pretty good deal. It’s important to us that we provide a fee-type service to people that’s competitive. It’s important people get the best bang for their buck. We’re not in the high end of things by any means.”

The proposal hinges on approval by the Minnesota Legislature, and if it fails to pass, the DNR says, there will be consequences.

To contact legislators about the fee increase, click here.  More information about DNR fish and wildlife work is available here. 



DNR seeks hunting, fishing fee increases

To maintain habitat quality

Feb 22, 2017

Fritz Busch

Staff Writer
fbusch@nujournal.com
Staff photo by Fritz BuschJack Lauer, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Southern Regional Fisheries Manager, talks at a public meeting about proposed hunting and fishing license fee increases at Turner Hall Tuesday night.

Staff photo by Fritz Busch Jack Lauer, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Southern Regional Fisheries Manager, talks at a public meeting about proposed hunting and fishing license fee increases at Turner Hall Tuesday night.

NEW ULM — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) proposes modest fee increases to maintain habitat quality and expand research on deer and management for the coming decade.

Jack Lauer, DNR Southern Regional Fisheries Manager, said fee hikes are needed to keep the declining DNR Game and Fish Fund solvent into the next decade.

“Without fee hikes, the fund will be insolvent in 2019,” Lauer said. “The Game and Fish Fund is the primary fund that pays for DNR fish and wildlife management. Without fee increases, the Fund will fall below its minimum recommended positive balance of $5 million in 2018 and be depleted in 2019.”

The DNR says the declining balance is already negatively impacting 600,000 hunters and 1.5 million anglers as the DNR is aggressively managing costs by delaying or canceling habitat and research projects.

In addition, the DNR is reducing walleye and other game fish stocking efforts, reducing biological surveys and assessments needed to make informed management decisions.

Most of the proposed increases are a few dollars. If approved by the State Legislature, residential annual fishing fees would increase $3 to $25 in 2018, non-residential annual fishing to $51, up from $45; residential deer hunting to $34, up from $30; deer hunting lottery applications would be $4 instead of no cost; and resident super sports to $108, up from $93.

A $15 shelter permit is being proposed for wheeled fish houses.

General hunting and fishing license fees were last increased in 2012 at an amount designed to keep the Game and Fish Fund solvent for about six years. Prior to that, it was a decade between increases.

If enacted in 2017, the increases would keep the fund solvent until 2021.

Without a fee hike, the DNR will have to reduce spending to keep the Game and Fish Fund positive. It would also mean, according to the DNR:

• Elimination of maintenance on Minnesota’s thousands of miles of hunter-walking trails.

• Reduced ability to update wildlife management actions according to changes in climate, invasive species infestations, disease, land use, hunting pressure, etc.

• Reduced wildlife and hunting-related information and customer service.

• Reduced ability to use the Outdoor Heritage Fund to restore, maintain and invest in prairie, wetland and forest habitat.

The DNR spends 32 cents of each license dollar on fisheries, 31 cents on wildlife, 29 cents for conservation officers, four cents for clean water, 2 cents for boat ramps and accesses and a cent for sustainable forests.

Ryan Haala, President of the Sioux Trails Chapter of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, said his organization supports the DNR license fee hikes.

“It’s needed for what we get from Minnesota’s wonderful fishing and hunting,” Haala said.

Lauer urged hunting and fishing enthusiasts to let their representatives know how they feel about hunting and fishing license fee hikes by visiting www.gis.leg.mn.OpenLayers/Districts

Fritz Busch can be e-mailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.

COMMENTS



DNR staff highlight need for license fee increase

THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn.—A small audience gathered Thursday night in Thief River Falls to hear area and regional staff from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources make their case for increasing hunting and fishing license fees.

Doug Franke, area wildlife supervisor for the DNR in Thief River Falls, led the presentation. Other DNR staff on hand were Phil Talmage, area fisheries supervisor for the DNR in Baudette, Minn.; Pat Znajda, District 1 enforcement supervisor; John Williams, Northwest Region wildlife supervisor, Bemidji; and Becky Ekstein, Thief River Falls assistant area wildlife manager.

The info session wasn't a public meeting, as such, but instead was set up for area sportsmen's group. The Pembina Trail Toms chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation hosted the presentation.

The half-dozen sportsmen who attended also had an opportunity to ask questions about the proposal during the informal presentation.

Franke used a Powerpoint presentation filled with charts and graphs to explain the need for a fee increase. Without the influx of new money, the DNR's Game and Fish Fund is expected to go into the red by June 2019 and be more than $7.3 million in the hole by June 2021.

"We're basically going to call this a 'lights-on' bill," Franke said. "It gives us funding to keep everything current we have now and not lose anything."

Dedicated account

The Game and Fish Fund is a dedicated account primarily funded by hunting and fishing license dollars and federal excise taxes on hunting and fishing equipment.

"It's literally how we fund the fish and wildlife program and a large chunk of enforcement funding,' Franke said.

As time goes on, when incoming money stays flat and more money goes out, the fund depletes.

Franke said the DNR is working to keep costs in check by holding positions open and cutting back on fieldwork such as creel surveys and other management efforts. At the same time, though, operating costs have increased, and emerging issues such as flooding, wildlife diseases and invasive species have diverted existing resources.

The DNR's Northwest Region alone is down nine wildlife positions that aren't being filled, and enforcement has 20 vacancies across the state, increasing the time it takes for conservation officers to respond to incidents and curbing their ability to enforce the state's game and fish laws.

"When we start losing those staff, the phone, trust me, it doesn't get picked up quite as often or quite as quickly," Franke said. "It hurts, and we try to respond as much as we can, but it slows everything down.:

Williams, the DNR wildlife supervisor, said even with a fee increase, he won't be able to fill open positions. At best, he'll maintain the status quo.

"Those are the kind of positions we're having to make right now," he said. "It's a big deal."

Statewide, Williams said there are 26 vacancies in wildlife and another 17 in fisheries.

The Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, generated by proceeds from the Minnesota State Lottery, can't be used as a substitute for traditional, license-generated funding but can only supplement existing work. Ditto for Legacy Amendment dollars generated by the small sales tax increase Minnesota voters approved in 2008 dedicating funding for natural resources, parks and the arts, Franke said.

"It's one of those funds we have access to quite a bit of money but it can't replace what we're doing" with traditional license revenue funds, he said. "And if you have fewer staff, trying to implement contracts in the field becomes difficult. You can't ask for funding you have a difficult time spending."

The DNR's message: Hunters and anglers will lose.

Proposed hikes

Among the increases the DNR is proposing are the following:

• Individual angling licenses would increase from $22 to $25.

• Nonresident annual fishing licenses would increase from $45 to $51.

• Resident deer licenses would increase to $34 from the current $30.

• Nonresident deer licenses would increase to $185 from the current $165.

The increase, which would result in an estimated $6.1 million in new fishing license revenue and $2.8 million in new hunting license revenue, would stabilize the Game and Fish Fund into the year 2021, the DNR estimates. That, in turn, would allow the DNR to better manage fish and wildlife populations and do necessary habitat work on the state's 1,400 wildlife management areas.

Across the board, the increase is about 12 percent.

For context, Franke said a $25 fee to fish for a whole year and $34 to hunt for the season is a good deal compared to spending $33 for a Twins game, $50 to $185 for a Vikings game and $43 to $115 for a Minnesota Wild hockey game.

"Hunting and fishing is a pretty cheap date out there right now," he said. "It's a pretty good deal. It's important to us that we provide a fee-type service to people that's competitive. It's important people get the best bang for their buck. We're not in the high end of things by any means."

The proposal hinges on approval by the Minnesota Legislature, and if it fails to pass, the DNR says, there will be consequences.

To contact legislators about the fee increase, go to www.gis.leg.mn/OpenLayers/districts. More information about DNR fish and wildlife work is available at www.mndnr.gov/licensedollarsatwork.

Brad Dokken

Brad Dokken is editor of the Herald's Northland Outdoors section and also works as a copy editor and page designer. Dokken joined the Herald company in November 1985 as a copy editor for Agweek magazine and joined the Herald staff in 1989. He worked as a copy editor in the features and news departments before becoming outdoors editor in 1998. He also writes a blog called Compass Points. A Roseau, Minn., native, Dokken is a graduate of Bemidji State University. 

(701) 780-1148


State fishing, hunting license fee increases could benefit Rice County area

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Under Gov. Mark Dayton’s budget proposal, anglers and hunters would have to pay a few dollars more for state licenses, but the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officials say the cost of not increasing the fees would be greater for outdoor enthusiasts.

“The failure to pass the fee increase in 2017 has consequences for hunters and anglers that they’ll feel,” said Craig Soupir, DNR Waterville area fisheries supervisor, during a sparsely attended informational meeting held last week at Cabela’s to discuss the proposed fees and the use of the license money.

Those consequences?

A cut to outdoor programs that hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans, including those in the Rice County area, enjoy throughout the year.

The DNR has proposed raising the annual resident fishing license fee from $22 to $25 and the resident deer hunting license from $30 to $34.

Among other fees, the DNR wants to raise non-resident individual angling licenses from $45 to $51 and nonresident deer hunting licenses from $165 to $185.

The increases, which are in the 10 percent to 15 percent range, were proposed by the DNR at the recommendation of a citizens’ oversight committee in 2016 to stabilize the Game and Fish Fund for the next five years.

“All our operations are dependent on the Game and Fish Fund, dependent on user fees,” said Dave Trauba, DNR regional wildlife manager. “We don’t get funded by general tax dollars.”

The last time Minnesota raised its fishing and hunting license fees was in 2012, and before 2012, it had been 10 years since the last general fee increase.

Soupir said the proposed increases are needed to keep the state’s Game and Fish Fund and other dedicated accounts from going into the red in 2019, which “is a place we’ve never been before.”

“The cost of doing business goes up, yet our revenues remain relatively flat,” he said.

Trauba said the Minnesota State Lottery and Legacy Amendment dollars aren’t available for basic year-to-year fish and wildlife management or conservation officer funding.

“Those funds don’t fund our operations. We have to apply for that money,” he said. “That can go toward develop work, fisheries work, but doesn’t pay for the boots on the ground and to be able to leverage those dollars we need the boots on the ground. It keeps the boots on the ground.”

To offset some of the expenditures, the DNR has delayed or canceled habitat and research projects, reduced walleye and other game fish stocking efforts, reduced biological surveys and assessments needed for management decisions and postponed the filling of staff vacancies in enforcement and wildlife management areas.

Currently, the DNR’s local area wildlife office, which is led by an area supervisor and two full-time employees, covers more than 2 million acres of public and private land in Steele, Dodge, Freeborn, Mower, Rice and Waseca counties.

The area contains 75 state wildlife management areas totaling more than 13,000 acres; 7,100 acres of state-designated wildlife management lakes; six state game refuges; a waterfowl refuge; two wildlife sanctuaries; and two designated waterfowl feeding and resting areas, according to the DNR.

If the fee increase was passed by the Legislature, it would be used by the Owatonna area wildlife office to expand deer research and management, to maintain habitat quality, to protect wildlife and habitat and leverage the state’s Legacy Amendment habitat funding for special projects.

And if it’s not passed, it’ll mean cuts to research, management of wildlife areas, maintenance on the state’s thousands of miles of hunter-walking trails and other items.

When asked if the DNR has received pushback because of the proposed fee increases, Soupir said, “Not everyone supports it, but most of the time our anglers and our hunters are usually the biggest supporters of this stuff because they see it on the ground, they know what it means if we don’t have money. It’s a matter of convincing others that it’s important.”

Ted Tuma, who lives on Roberds Lake near Faribault and was the sole attendee at the informational meeting, is a longtime fisherman, and he’s concerned about the state’s ability to keep the lakes healthy and the long-term effects not doing something now may have on its fisheries and wildlife over the next few decades.

“It’s hard to come up with an argument against not raising the fees for hunting, fishing and enforcement,” he said. “I can’t imagine anyone having anything against it.”

Soupir said the increased license fees would help the DNR stabilize its forecast through 2021 if they were approved this session. He encouraged anglers, hunters and wildlife enthusiasts to speak with their legislators about the topic.

Rep. John Petersburg, R-Waseca, and Rep. Brian Daniels, R-Faribault, agreed that while it’s early in the state’s budgeting process, they are hesitant to support a fee increase because it’s “an additional tax on individuals.”

“It’ll always be my last resort, not my first,” Petersburg said.

Daniels said he doesn’t know why the state needs to raise fees when there’s a surplus and a “rainy day fund.” A new budget forecast is expected to be released later this month, and then the Legislature will have a better idea of what it’s working with in terms of revenues and expenditures, he said.

The DNR will hold its next informational meeting in the area at 7 p.m. on Feb. 28 at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center. Area hunters, trappers, anglers and wildlife enthusiasts are encouraged to attend.

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Here are the court dispositions for March 8. 


Support the MN DNR

Minnesota Hunting and Fishing Fee Increase

If we value the management of Minnesota’s outdoor heritage — the management of our outdoor resources — we need to let our lawmakers know we support an increase in hunting and fishing license fees. Please contact your state legislators today to let them know you are an outdoorsman and you want to protect Minnesota’s outdoor heritage and support the Minnesota DNR.

The Minnesota DNR has proposed a new fee structure for both resident and non-resident hunting and fishing licenses. I believe that we as outdoorspeople need to stand behind the DNR in this proposal and voice our support now! The timeframe on this support is urgent with the legislature in session right now, and we need to let our legislators know that we support the proposed fee increases — sooner than later. I understand that with the rising costs of….well, everything, that it’s tough to stomach the idea of yet another increase in the price of anything. Looking at the numbers within the DNR’s proposal, fishing and hunting is still some of the cheapest entertainment around.

Like all of our own personal costs of living, the DNR’s costs of operating have increased in the past 10 years. Gas, supplies, etc. — all has become more expensive for the DNR like everyone else. The basic costs of hunting and fishing, however, have not. There has not been an increase in Minnesota hunting and fishing license fees for 10 years. At the current rate, the DNR’s budget will go negative by 2014.

What do license dollars do?

  • Pay for managing the habitat we hunt and fish
  • Pay for managing the species we hunt and fish
  • Pay for the conservation officers we need
  • Pay for the infrastructure (trucks, offices, stocking, staff)
  • Tax/lottery dollars are only a small part of Fish/Wildlife/Enforcement operations

Why is it in sportsmen’s best interest to support the license fee increase proposal?

  • Despite many cuts within the DNR, costs will exceed revenue
  • Fee proposal will enable DNR to continue to deliver high quality services we already expect
  • New fee structure will actually provide new cost-saving and convenience options for those who rarely hunt or fish and for those who hunt and fish a whole lot.

In a nutshell, the proposal increases the resident fishing license from $17 to $24, resident small game to $22, and resident deer to $30.

Contact your senator

Contact your representative

Don’t know who they are? Find them here.

Minnesota DNR fee proposal specifics

Minnesota DNR Bottom Line

March 3rd, 2011 | Category: MN DNR Information


DNR seeks to increase license fees

Proposal would generate funds for operations, maintenance

WINDOM, Minn. — In the land of 10,000 lakes and ample public lands for sportsmen, fishing and hunting have a tremendous impact on Minnesota’s economy. Yet, the agency tasked with ensuring those outdoor activities remain viable is facing a financial shortfall.

The Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment that benefits so many projects for the outdoors in Minnesota contributes nothing to the state’s Department of Natural Resources for fish and wildlife operations and management. The same is true with Minnesota State Lottery proceeds.

Where does the DNR get its money to operate? From user fees.

“We don’t get general fund dollars. If you don’t buy a fishing license, that’s where it comes into play in our budget,” said DNR Area Fisheries Supervisor Ryan Doorenbos, who is based at Windom. If the Minnesota Legislature approves a fee increase, it would take effect in March 2018. If the request isn’t acted upon or denied, the state’s Game and Fish Fund is projected to be in the red by 2019.

“Then, essentially, we’re broke,” Doorenbos said.

The last license fee increase approved by the state legislature took effect March 1, 2013. Doorenbos said that increase was $2 short per license of what the DNR requested. At that time, state leaders were told the DNR would be coming back to them sooner, rather than later, to request more funds.

Now, DNR staff are conducting public informational meetings across the state to spread their message. A meeting was scheduled Thursday night in Worthington but, because of the snowstorm, was postponed to 7:30 p.m. March 9 at the Elks Lodge.

“The groups we have talked to, a lot of the people are fine with it — they understand the issues,” Doorenbos said. “I think that a lot of times (with) these groups that show up to the meetings, we’re sort of preaching to the choir.”

In reality, the messages either for or against the proposed fee increases need to get to members of the Minnesota House and Senate. They will ultimately decide whether the DNR can institute a fee hike. Thus far, legislative companion bills have been presented to seek the modifications — HF 888 written by Reps. Dan Fabian (R-Roseau) and Rick Hansen (DFL-S. St. Paul); and SF 723 written by Sens. Bill Ingebrigtsen (R-Alexandria) and David Tomassoni (DFL-Chisolm). Gov. Mark Dayton included the increase in his budget proposal.

The proposal

Proposed license fee increases range from 12 percent to 20 percent, with two new fees identified.

For anglers, the cost of a resident license would increase from $22 to $25 — less than the cost for a package of nightcrawlers. A resident combination license would increase from $35 to $40; while the non-resident angler license would rise from $45 to $51 and the non-resident family angler license from $60 to $68.

Deer hunters face a fee increase from $30 to $34 for residents and $165 to $185 for non-residents.

The two new fees proposed include a $15 shelter license for all wheeled ice-fishing houses (this is required now if the fish house is left overnight on a lake) and a $4 application fee to participate in the deer lottery for a doe permit.

Doorenbos said the fee for the wheeled ice-fishing houses is due to damage caused to boat ramps.

“Most people probably do buy the license anyway because they have a permanent house,” he said. Implementing the fee for everyone, though, is projected to result in an additional $1 million in revenue.

Generating the most additional funding for the department will be the resident angling and resident deer licenses. The proposed $3 and $4 increases, respectively, will create an additional $1.36 million and $2.05 million for DNR operations and management.

Rising costs

Doorenbos, along with DNR Area Wildlife Manager Bill Schuna at Slayton, say the fee increases are needed due to rising costs. If the money isn’t available, cuts will be necessary.

“Whether you’re talking about your home budget or your work budget, you have to ask, ‘What things can’t we deliver on because of costs?’” Doorenbos said. Already, he said he has a skeleton crew with him and four other men managing the fishery for 10 southwest Minnesota counties.

“Minus employee salaries, half my budget is literally trucks moving — driving to the hatchery, to Lake X to stock and back to the office,” Doorenbos said. “There’s no other alternative for getting fish to the water.”

In a lot of southwest Minnesota’s lakes, populations of certain fish — particularly walleyes — wouldn’t exist without stocking. Doorenbos said without the funding increase, fish stocking may have to be put on hold on some of the area’s lakes until finances improve.

It isn’t just the primary fishing lakes the DNR stocks. Doorenbos said panfish are being put in ponds throughout the area to encourage youth angling. Stocking has been done in ponds in Luverne, Edgerton and Pipestone, and on Talcot Lake.

Other work by the fisheries department has concentrated on expanding northern pike populations, addressing invasive carp issues (legacy funds were used for some of that work) and expanding genetic diversity in walleye populations to improve in-lake natural reproduction.

“You can only do so much with x-amount of dollars,” Doorenbos said.

Even with the proposed increase, Doorenbos said he’s unsure if additional money will address the 16 current vacancies within the DNR Fisheries statewide.

“That tells you the dire need that we’re in,” he said.

Meanwhile, in the DNR Wildlife division, Schuna said the fee increases are needed to counteract inflation. Rising health insurance costs have taken a bigger bite out of the budget for operations and maintenance of the state’s wildlife areas.

“Hunting licenses pay for our core functions,” Schuna said. “We don’t get funds from the Outdoor Heritage Fund to pay for our salaries.”

Schuna said the number of hunting licenses sold in Minnesota has remained fairly steady over the years, but the revenue hasn’t kept up with the costs.

“It’s a very modest increase,” he said of the proposal. He also noted vacancies that aren’t being filled across the state.

“In the Slayton office we’re down one full-time (employee),” Schuna said. “At Talcot Lake, we had two people resign — seasonal laborers. We’re replacing them with temporary individuals that will be employed through the end of June.”


DNR proposal would increase some hunting and license fees

By Troy Krause

In 2012, the Minnesota legislature approved an increase in the cost to obtain certain license fees for hunting and fishing. Those dollars were used to help maintain the lakes, rivers and land which outdoor enthusiasts utilize to get that trophy buck or walleye to mount on the wall.

However, those funds gained from license fees are not keeping up with the demand for services provided through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which has the task of ensuring those opportunities continue to exist in the state. As a result a proposal has been offered by the DNR in conjunction with Gov. Mark Dayton that would include an increase in some of those license fees.

Meetings have been held across the state to help inform the public about those fee increases, including one in Redwood Falls held Feb. 13. No one from the public attended the meeting to learn about the fees.

According to Jeff Zajac, DNR wildlife management officer for Redwood County and some of the surrounding area, the intent of the meeting was to provide information to the public but also to find people who would support the proposal and send that message to their legislators.

The license fee increase proposal was presented by Gov. Dayton in late January, but as of this past Monday no one has introduced legislation as part of the current session to move the proposal forward.

Zajac said this increase is about helping to maintain what is already happening across the state. Budget challenges exist that are preventing those in the DNR wildlife management and fisheries areas from doing their job, as more job vacancies are left unfilled – meaning there are fewer people doing the job of natural resource conservation.

The proposed increases are minimal, said Scott Mackenthun, DNR area fisheries supervisor out of Hutchinson, adding the number of fishing licenses being purchased annually is remaining flat.

However, the cost of doing business continues to increase. Some of the proposed fee increases include:

‒ A $3 increase in the resident angling license from $22 to $25

‒ A $5 increase in the resident combination angling license from $35 to $40

‒ A $6 increase in the non-resident angling license from $45 to $51

‒ A $4 increase in the resident deer license from $30 to $34

‒ A $20 increase in the non-resident deer license from $165 to $185

‒ A $7 increase in the resident sportsman's license from $38 to $45

There are a number of other license increases that are part of the proposal that would bring in an estimated $9 million annually for the DNR programming.

The proposed increases, if approved during this session, would be in effect for 2018.

Outdoor recreation, such as hunting and fishing has a huge impact on the state's economy, as it provides $3.9 billion in revenue through everything from the purchase of fuel and food to shotgun shells and live bait.

"It is in rural parts of the state where a lot of that benefit is seen," said Zajac.

A number of wildlife groups have expressed their support for the proposal.

According to the DNR, the state's game and fish fund is on the decline, and the forecast shows it is projected to reach zero by 2019. That would mean additional cuts in staff and programming statewide, which would then impact the hunting and fishing experiences for all outdoor enthusiasts in the state.

"Minnesotans have come to expect top-shelf parks, trails, fishing and hunting experiences, clean water and healthy forests. These are an essential part of our outdoors culture and key to our state's economic future," said Tom Landwehr, DNR commissioner, in a recent press release regarding the proposal.

To find out more about the license fee proposal, visit the DNR Web site online at www.dnr.state.mn.us.



Scott Rall: There is something to be said for getting what you paid for

SCOTT RALL

Daily Globe outdoors columnist

So just what is the Minnesota Game and Fish Fund?  

It is a big collection pot where all the dollars spent on fishing licenses, hunting licenses, fish house licenses, spearing licenses and a whole of other users fees are placed.

All of the money goes in this pot and then they are disbursed to pay of all of the things the Minnesota DNR does for fish and wildlife for the entire year. The current budget for the Division of Fish and Wildlife -- the overseers of hunting and fishing -- is $110 million per year.

The game and fish fund is getting close to being in trouble.  As the cost of doing business increases, as it does in all aspects of our lives, the amount of money needed for the Game and Fish Fund to keep up must also climb.

When the Minnesota state Legislature allows the DNR to increase license fees, the fund gets a big shot in the arm in year one, but that boost fades over the next few years and it only makes sense that those fees would need to be increased again in the future. That typically happens every six years, on average.

The DNR, with the help of sportsmen, got a fee increase in 2013.  The last time fees went up was 12 years earlier.

Unfortunately, it was not the increase they asked for.  A fishing license went from $17 up to $22 and other fees went up about the same amount.

What happened with this small increase is that it has only taken four years for the fund to be operating again very near the break-even point; the fund goes into the red in 2019 under current projections.  

It is against the law for the fund to operate in the red even if reserves are present to do so.  If the fees do not increase in the near future, programs and staff will be scheduled for cuts or elimination.

In the past, there was some very close scrutiny about how these funds were spent.  User groups did not want fees from fishing licenses to be used to manage deer, for example, and the reverse was also true. Each user group wanted their fees to be used only for what they wanted, and with the current oversight in place this desire is being met.

I looked really hard but could not find the current statistic as to how Minnesota stacks up for general fund money used to support and protect our natural resources. I heard once, which I could not currently substantiate, but I think we were ranked about 46th of the 50 states in general fund revenue to natural resources back in 2008.

What this means is that hunters and fishermen floated the whole boat for the whole state when it came to managing and protecting our state’s natural resources. This has changed somewhat since the passage of the dedicated funding amendment in 2008, but that is a dedicated fund and none of the funds it raises come from the state's general fund revenues.

You can say that is OK for sportsmen to fund resource management. Why would a non-fisherman be required to help fund fish improvement projects?

They should not. But what if the DNR undertakes a major water quality improvement project for the entire Mississippi River watershed for which all Minnesotans would benefit?  Should not all residents participate in these efforts?

The governor is making public the upcoming budget a the day after I write this story, so we will have to see what he has on his mind when it comes to the general public participation in these programs. I did read that he supports a $3 increase on a fishing license and a $4 increase on a deer license.

You can say whatever you want and think whatever you want about our home Minnesota DNR and its associated agencies.

Not everyone likes the DNR and some have valid reasons. On the other hand, I know literally about 100 people who work in various departments within this state agency, and these folks are my friends and all are top-notch professionals in their fields.

We are currently experiencing many vacancies in the division fish and wildlife and I can tell you from experience that one area wildlife manager covering two work areas is like one secret service agent guarding  the president in a packed US Bank stadium.  There is no way to do a good job under those circumstances.

This is just one of the many issues that will continue to deteriorate if a fee increase is not approved this session.

Many other departments have empty spots that need a body in them do the good work that need to be done. I appreciate efficiency, streamlining processes and doing the very best with the limited resources at hand.

I can also say that you can only wring the rag so tight before no more water comes out.  It takes people and resources to deliver a good product.

I wish the Legislature would just set a schedule for the next 20 years tied to the inflation rate and make the fees increase very slightly every year so a fee increase fight does not need to take place every three to four years.

As these fees increase you can easily make a case for a lifetime hunting or fishing license in Minnesota before the rates do ultimately go up. Both me and my son have one and he moved to Colorado, and his Lifetime license is still good when he comes home to spend time with his dad.

There is a meeting tentatively scheduled in Worthington on February 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Elks Lodge where there will be DNR staff in attendance to show you what the Game and Fish Fund looks like and where it is heading.  They will be on hand to answer any questions you have behind the needed increase they are requesting.

When I think about a night out on the town or how much money I put in my truck for gas in a normal month, the cost of fishing license is about the cheapest thing most outdoor folks purchase in a year.

In almost all cases sportsmen and women who love their outdoors are more than ready to pay the increased fee.  This is not a fee increase on all Minnesotans but only those who utilize the state’s outdoor resources.  

If they ware willing to pay more, why would the Legislature drag its feet in letting them do so?

A fee increase is by no means a done deal, and if you really care about the job getting done right, call your guy or gal today and tell them to pass the increase and the tiered schedule for the years to come.  It will just make it easier the next time the Game and Fish Fund is running close to the red.



Minnesota DNR proposes license and park fee increases

By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press
January 26, 2017 — 12:12am

MINNEAPOLIS — Fishing and hunting licenses and visiting state parks would cost a few more dollars under the Department of Natural Resources' budget proposal, but the agency said Wednesday that the increases are necessary to prevent cuts to outdoors programs that hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans enjoy and help fuel the state's economy.

As part of Gov. Mark Dayton's budget proposal, the DNR proposes raising the annual resident fishing license fee from $22 to $25 and the resident deer hunting license from $30 to $34. An annual state park permit would rise from $25 to $30 per car, while a day pass would rise from $5 to $6. Fees for boats, snowmobiles and ATVs are also targeted for increases.

The last time Minnesota raised these user fees was in 2013. The proposed increases are needed to keep the state's Game and Fish Fund and other dedicated accounts that provide 83 percent of the agency's budget from going into the red in the next few years, DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr said at a news conference.

Landwehr equated the fishing license increase to the cost of a "scoop of minnows" and the deer license change to the cost of four bullets. He said the package will hold the agency for another six years.

The commissioner said the DNR hopes lawmakers approve the increases this session because the earliest they could take effect would be March 1, 2018, when a new license year begins. Any later and staff and program cuts would become necessary. He said the increases won't pass unless sporting groups and individuals contact their legislators and tell them that they support higher fees, he said.

"One of the challenges with fees is that it always a tough ask at the Capitol because nobody wants to raise fees, nobody wants to raise taxes, and yet that is the source of income for these programs," Landwehr said.

Most of the proposed increases are in the 12 percent to 14 percent range, but Landwehr pointed out that most work out to just a few dollars. Among other fees, the DNR wants to raise nonresident individual angling licenses from $45 to $51, nonresident deer licenses from $165 to $185, daily cross-country ski trail passes from $5 to $7, three-year pleasure boat registrations from $27 to $45 for a 17- to-19-foot watercraft, three-year snowmobile registrations from $75 to $105 and three-year ATV registrations from $45 to $60.

John Lenczewski, executive director of Minnesota Trout Unlimited and head of a citizens' committee that oversees the Game and Fish Fund, said licenses are a bargain. And he said there are no shortcuts for maintaining the healthy populations of fish and game that have made angling and hunting a huge economic driver for the state.

"We don't see any other way that we can maintain the high quality of life we have here," he said. "Angling and hunting, trapping, they're part of our heritage here. It's really a birthright woven into our culture."

McFeely: Another $3 is small price to pay for Minnesota fishing license

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MOORHEAD—Americans who hunt and fish have a long history of reaching into their own pockets to protect habitat and wildlife, which in turn enables them to pursue their passion. Critters that fly and swim need places to live if they are to be pursued by outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen. The more quality habitat, land or water, the more critters—and the more opportunity sportsmen have to shoot a few ducks or catch a couple of walleyes.

It's not a difficult formula to figure out.

The examples are many, even if some outdoors enthusiasts aren't aware. The federal duck stamp required of waterfowl hunters is one. Ninety-eight cents of every dollar spent on duck stamps goes into a fund to purchase or lease wetlands or wildlife habitat. A 10 percent federal tax on firearms and ammunition used for hunting goes back to the states for wildlife restoration. At the state level, hunters and anglers purchase stamps that help fund conservation projects.

There are few, if any, groups in the U.S. that so willingly tax themselves. Or perhaps it is that hunters and anglers gripe the least. Either way, the system works.

That's why it is odd to see some of the venom directed toward the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources over a proposal to increase the cost of hunting and fishing licenses in the state. Granted, most of the outrage is on social media—a crucible of lazy and uninformed outrage. So it might mean little or nothing. And there seems to be plenty of support for hiking the fees, too, especially from those who understand where the additional money will be directed.

Here's the deal: Licenses allowing Minnesotans and nonresidents to hunt and fish in the state are a bargain. Always have been. We, as Americans, have long undervalued our natural resources.

That's not to say the cost of a boat or fishing tackle or a new shotgun is cheap. It all adds up, sometimes to astronomical figures (it's never a good idea to put pencil to paper and figure out the real cost of catching a few walleyes on the opener). But the license fees themselves are miniscule—and seem even smaller the more times you go hunting or fishing.

A Minnesota resident angling license, good for one year, currently costs $22. The DNR's proposal hikes it to $25.

A nonresident license, important for all those Fargo cabin owners and anglers who migrate to Minnesota Lakes Country in the warm months, would climb from $45 to $51.

A resident deer license is $30. It would rise to $34.

Other fees would go up, too. Boat registration. Snowmobile registration. State park permits. So at the end of the day, if you're the outdoorsy type, it might cost you an additional $50 to $100 to license yourself and all your goodies.

It's still one of the greatest deals around.

We live in a world of $4 cups of coffee, $6 hamburgers, $7 beers and $10 movie theater tickets.

To pay an extra $3 to be able to fish 365 days just isn't that devastating.

The last time license fees went up was in 2012 and the increases were less than the DNR requested. The Legislature knows best, you see.

The DNR has a $500 million a year budget, but only 15 percent comes from the state's general fund. The rest is from license sales, user fees and dedicated funds.

The increase in license fees will go toward the Game and Fish Fund, which the DNR says is facing a deficit without a boost of money. Commissioner Tom Landwehr says increased funding will allow the DNR to maintain basic levels of service—including things like walleye stocking and deer herd management.

The DNR is often not a popular agency among Minnesota hunters and anglers. If that group has a complaint about deer-hunting or fishing quality in a county or lake, the agency takes the brunt of the criticism. The DNR is viewed as an immovable bureaucracy, one that doesn't respond to its constituents.

There is some truth to that condemnation. There is truth, too, that DNR positions are often manned by good people hamstrung by politics, bureaucracy, budgets and a hundred other obstacles.

The entire agency, and the state's natural resources, don't deserve blanket scorn. Nor do they deserve to be "punished," although that's a possibility because the DNR battled powerful legislators on things like muskie stocking. It will be interesting (or frightening) to see how the Legislature responds.

If there is payback, it will be shortsighted and dangerous. Minnesota's outdoors are under increasing pressure. The DNR needs proper funding. Three bucks tacked on a fishing license is not unreasonable.

In fact, it's one of the best bargains you'll find. Just like fishing and hunting licenses have always been.



Dayton proposes fishing, deer-hunting license fee increases

By Tony Kennedy and Dennis Anderson
January 25, 2017 — 1:10pm

Deer hunters, anglers, state park visitors, boaters, ATV riders, snowmobilers and cross-country skiers would pay more for licenses, passes and registration fees under a budget proposal to the Legislature by the Dayton administration.

Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Tom Landwehr said Wednesday the governor’s proposed DNR budget seeks to restore funding to programs that are slipping toward deficits, maintain other programs at current levels and make strategic investments.

If new fees are approved, the agency’s budget would increase by $76 million, or 8 percent, to $1.07 billion in overall spending for the 2018-19 biennial budget period.

Of that increase, $36.8 million would come from the various user fees. A resident fishing license, for instance, would increase from $22 to $25. A standard deer hunting license would increase similarly from $30 to $34.

The last increase for hunting and fishing licenses came in 2011 in a legislative package that was less than what the DNR requested.

“It’s always a tough ask at the Capitol,” Landwehr said when asked about the prospects for immediate approval by the Legislature.

He admitted time to impress legislators is short, with the new biennium starting July 1. The proposed license and fee increases are projected to last for six years, he said.

Sam Fettig, press secretary for Gov. Mark Dayton, said the governor is depending on Landwehr and his staff to make the case for increases.

DNR Budget Director Emily Engel and DNR Chief Financial Officer Barb Juelich said less than 1 percent of the agency’s operating budget is derived from the state’s general fund.

Legacy Funds contribute $72 million every two years and another chunk comes from a federal excise tax on hunting and fishing gear.

At a news conference in St. Paul, Landwehr said 13 percent of the agency’s request is for new investments, including $5 million for reforestation on state lands, $4 million for a new computer system for forestry management and $2 million for parks and trails investments, including new wireless capabilities at state parks.

Under the governor’s budget request, a one-year state park permit would rise from $25 to $30.

John Lenczewski, executive director of Minnesota Trout Unlimited, said the state can’t afford to reduce its efforts to maintain healthy populations of wildlife. He said hunting and fishing are a $5.4 billion annual economic engine in Minnesota. Moreover, hunting, fishing and other outdoors activities are “woven into our culture,” he said.

“The licenses in this state are a bargain,” said Lenczewski, who sits on a citizen oversight committee that examines DNR spending.

The biggest DNR fund heading for a spending deficit is the Game and Fish Fund, the primary fund that pays for fish and wildlife management.

Its year-end fund balance is projected to fall into the red in fiscal 2019, down from a $20 million positive fund balance at the end of fiscal 2016.

Already the DNR is delaying or canceling habitat and research projects, reducing fish stocking efforts and ordering fewer biological surveys and assessments to slow the spiral, the agency said.

Other proposed fee increases in the budget include $1 more for a daily park permit that now costs $5; a jump from $27 to $45 for a three-year pleasure boat registration (for boats 17 feet to 19 feet long); a jump from $75 to $105 for a three-year snowmobile registration and a $2 increase for a daily ski pass, to $7.

The DNR also would more than double its watercraft surcharge for controlling aquatic invasive species from $5 to $12. Nonresidents would pay $51 for a standard fishing license, up from $45.

And nonresident deer licenses would increase in cost from $165 to $185.

Here are key elements of Dayton’s DNR budget proposal:

Game and Fish Fund

The Game and Fish Fund is expected to slip into a deficit starting in 2019. To maintain the fund’s basic level of services, the governor’s budget proposes increasing  fishing and deer-hunting license fees. Under this plan, a resident annual angling license would be raised by $3 (from $22 to $25), while a non-resident annual angling license would be boosted by $6 (from $45 to $51). A resident deer hunting license would increase from $30 to $34; a nonresident deer hunting license would increase from $165 to $185.

Parks and Trails

State park permit fees have not been raised since 2003, while visits, as evidenced by permit sales, have increased by about 30 percent in just the last three years. The governor’s budget proposal would increase daily park permit fees by $1 (from $5 to $6) per day. Annual permits would rise in cost by $5 per year (from $25 to $30). The fee increase as well as $9.3 million in new General Fund money would be used to support parks and trails operations.

Outdoors protection and safety

The governor’s budget proposal also includes $5.5 million from the general fund to assist in filling 21 empty conservation officer stations across the state. Each conservation officer’s patrol area averages 650 square miles, which means there are 13,650 square miles in the state that don’t have adequate natural resource protection. That is an area larger than the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island combined.

Recreational and trail accounts

State funds that help maintain more than 21,000 miles of snowmobile and all-terrain grant-in-aid trails are projected to go into deficits starting in fiscal year 2018. The water recreation account, which supports boat access and safety programs and other water-related efforts, is also projected to go into a deficit in fiscal year 2018. Minnesota’s cross-country ski fund, which maintains more than 700 miles of ski trails, currently is unable to cover trail grooming at DNR facilities across the state.

The governor’s budget proposes the following adjustments: to raise the three year registration fees for snowmobiles by $10 per year (from $75 to $105) and ATVs by $5 per year (from $45 to $60); three year boat registration fees would increase in a range from $2 to $60, depending on  length of  watercraft. For example, fees for a 17-19 foot watercraft would increase by $18. The state’s daily ski pass would rise by $2 (from $5 to $7).

Forests and clean water

The governor’s proposed budget includes $2.5 million from the general fund to reforest state lands. This investment will help support the state’s important forest-products industry and includes $500,000 to complete a study of sustainable timber harvest on state lands.

The governor’s budget also proposes to adjust the annual watercraft surcharge fee from $5 to $12 to fight aquatic invasive species and support research for long-term control methods. (The surcharge was last increased from $2 to $5 in 1993.) The governor’s proposal includes $18.5 million from the Clean Water Fund for the DNR’s work to fix and prevent water pollution and prevent overuse of groundwater. With this funding, the DNR monitors and manages water use and provides local government and other state agencies with the information, analytical tools, and expertise needed to focus their water quality efforts most effectively.

Technology

The governor’s proposal includes $4 million to replace the agency’s aging forestry data system. This will help improve the quality and timeliness of forest management decisions. This initiative is part of the governor’s proposed $51 million in IT improvements to build a modern digital infrastructure that will ensure state government works at the speed of business. Additionally, the governor’s budget would invest $2.1 million from the general fund to upgrade and modernize the DNR’s website so customers have greater access to recreation information and mobile-friendly applications.