(page 3 of the Fourth Quarter 2003 newsletter, Nebr. Shooting Sports Association)

Maintain a vigilent eye on Game and Parks Commission

Many of us can recall a time when taxes were not a financial burden. We could actually afford to pay our fair share of the cost of government.

Nowadays we are working approximately 4 months of each year to keep up with taxation. Those of us who are old enough, can recall this tax burden didn’t happen overnight. It was a process of slight increases – – a half a million here, a million there, and slowly but surely, year by year, we the taxpayers let it happen. It is the kind of situation that seemed to just "creep" up on us. Well, there is another "creep" situation currently taking place with our natural resources, and those of us who enjoy the outdoors need to be paying attention. In the early 1950s, legislation was passed that relieved the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission of code agency status. This non-code status means control of our natural resources is not dictated by the governor’s office, but by Nebraska

Game and Parks commissioners and their director. This legislation gave the director of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission more authority to make decisions concerning natural resource issues than the governor of Nebraska. The governor’s influence in the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission was and is still exerted by the appointment of our state’s eight district commissioners. To keep a diverse group on the commission, guidelines were established. There is a political balance, equal representation of business backgrounds (such as ranchers/farmers and businessmen/ women), and term limits. These guidelines work well by bringing rural and urban viewpoints to the table when decisions on the future of our natural  resources are being made. But those of you who are interested in the future of our state’s natural resources need to keep a vigilant eye on this process, because there is a "creep" factor afoot. Slowly but surely politics is making its way into the management of our fish and wildlife. I mention only fish and

wildlife, because these two facets of our natural resources can ill-afford the influence of politics. For the most part, this "creep" is taking place in the selection process.

There are not enough guidelines or criteria established through which the governor must make his decision. I, as an outdoorsman would like to believe that a person being considered for one of the commission’s seats had a passion for at least some outdoor interest (hunting, fishing, camping), and that when debate arose on one of these issues, my commissioner would represent my interests, and not that of an outside political influence. Maybe it’s time to upgrade the way we select our outdoor representatives.

Keep your ear to the ground, something may be coming.