# MUCC Resource Department Report - October



## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Email to Tom,

FYI -- Copied below is the MUCC Resource Department report prepared for the October Board meeting. Please pass this along to other MUCC clubs, members or individuals.

Thanks,
Dennis Fox
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MUCC Resource Department Report  October Board Meeting Report

Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT)  The MDNR has proposed to change current laws regulating the way the state is billed for local taxes on DNR-purchased lands (comprised of 60,000 parcels, totaling just over one million acres). Currently the department receives a bill for each of the 60,000 parcels twice a year (totaling 120,000 separate bills per year). These 60,000 parcels are located in about 920 taxing jurisdictions. The MDNR proposal would reduce the number of bills to 920 per year, requiring the local taxing jurisdiction to compile the years taxes onto one bill. This proposal came as local units of government are refusing to accept a reduction in tax payments by the DNR on DNR-purchased lands. MUCC is supporting these changes to offset higher amounts of Game and Fish dollars from being used for these taxes. It is also supported by Representative Mead, Senator McManus, and Senator Gast.

NPS Scraps Plan for Wilderness Designation  A plan to return about half of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to its pristine pre-settlement state has been abandoned by the U.S. Department of Interior. Earlier this year park staff released the plan citing four possible alternatives in the way the park would be managed in the coming years, also citing the designation of then area as wilderness would be the primarily preferred alternative. MUCC vehemently opposed the management schemes under this preferred alternative that included the destruction of the N. Manitou Island deer herd, the termination of the Coho Salmon stocking program, and the destruction of about 10 miles of access roads.

New Pike Regulations  MUCC spoke before the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) during their September meeting on the issues related to the DNRs new pike of any size regulation. This regulation would allow for the catch of pike of any size (with a creel limit of five fish) in certain waters. This regulation is consistent with MUCCs policy with one exception. MUCC policy calls for quality fishery management requirements, such as a limited number of fish kept over a certain size limit (which would protect breeding aged females from being over harvested. MUCCs comments were received well, and the NRC discussed possible actions that could be taken at a later date. 

In the proposed waters, recent research performed by Fisheries Division personnel has found very high northern pike populations and growth rates below state average in the corresponding waters. These high numbers result in stunting and an eventual poor fishery, which necessitates a different management strategy than the statewide regulation of two fish, with a twenty-four inch size limit. For a listing of lakes included in this recommendation call Jason Dinsmore at 517/346-6484.

Hunting Closures  Lyon Township, after building a school on property that was historically used by the area sportsmen and women for hunting, is seeking to close hunting on all lands adjacent to the school property. MUCC stands against this proposal on the merit that the proposal came on the hysteria of a few individuals fearful of hunters and hunting. There is no evidence, scientific or otherwise, that hunters obeying the 150 yard buffer around the buildings pose any threat to the students or personnel of the school. The closure would also include a privately owned apple orchard that, without hunting, would be left with an exploding deer population with no way of controlling it.

Shelby Township, going one step further than Lyon, seeks to close hunting on all public lands within the township and hunting on private land totaling less than 3 acres in area. The township is also attempting to close the area to all firearm hunting (both shotgun and rife/pistol). MUCC will stand opposed to the closure of the public lands to hunting and the limitation of the minimum acreage for bow-hunting on private lands. MUCC supports the use of a 150 safety zone between hunters and buildings, or other settlements. When combined with safe and responsible hunters the risk to property and the non-hunting public is minimized to almost nothing.

MUCC Supports Bills to Stop Spread of Disease  Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) considers the captive cervid industry, as it is currently managed, a very large and imminent threat to the free ranging cervids that exist within our borders. In response to this, State Representative Larry DeVuyst has released a package of bills which would more closely regulate the captive cervid industry and require that meat brought into the state be boned and only allow the cape and antlers to cross the states borders along with the meat. Considering the great uncertainties that exist with chronic wasting disease (CWD), and all that the state has gone through to combat tuberculosis (TB), tough and thorough legislation, such as the ones that have been introduced, is needed. The bills that are included in this are house bills 6394, and 6420 - 6424. These bills closely mirror policy adopted by MUCC membership at the 2002 Annual Convention. MUCC, and the nearly 500 conservation clubs that it represents, stands in support of the measures that were introduced in order to protect our herds, natural resources, and our hunting heritage.

Hunting, Fishing and State Park Entrance License Fee Delegation - MUCC has written a letter to the Natural Resource Commission (NRC) indicating support for legislation that will delegate the authority for hunting, fishing and state park entrance fees from the Michigan Legislature to the NRC. The intent is to provide sportsmen with greater input in the process of adjusting these fees at the same time a removing them from the political process. Under this structure there will be a minimum of 60 days for the public to provide comment whereas with the legislature these changed could be made in as little as 13 days. Another reason for this change is with term limits any adjustments will be almost impossible to move through the legislative process.

$1 Billion Sewer Bond - MUCC is supporting Proposal 02-02, which will provide $1 billion to help fix residential and municipality sewer systems and is encouraging our members to vote YES on the proposal. Proposal 02-02, will require 90 percent of the bond proceeds to into the existing State Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund and 10 percent to go into a new fund that would be established to make loans to municipalities to help them reduce the flow of groundwater or storm water entering sewer systems or to help them upgrade or replace failing on-site septic systems. Based on numerous policies adopted by MUCC members, we are supporting the proposal as a means to help address problems associated with failing sewer systems. Problems such as surface water contamination that leads to fish consumption advisories, overloading of nutrients that leads to over growth of aquatic weeds and water contamination that leads to beach closings are all problems that this bond proposal is aimed at fixing.

Right to Forest - HB 5953, sponsored by Ken Bradstreet (Gaylord) will create the Right to Forest Act. Under the bill, forestry operations would not be considered to be a public or private nuisance if the operations alleged to be a nuisance conformed to generally accepted forestry management practices in accordance with the policies of the DNR. MUCC is supporting this bill because forestry operations are important to maintaining healthy forests which are a valuable tool in wildlife management. The bill applies to both state and private forests.

CCW Fingerprinting - HB 6349, sponsored by Steven Vear, eliminates the requirement for additional fingerprints when a person is renewing a concealed weapons permit. MUCC strongly supports HB 6349 because repeatedly requiring a person to be fingerprinted each time they renew their CCW permit is an undue burden on law abiding citizens. This is also an unneeded duplication because once fingerprints are entered into the database they stay there and every time a person is fingerprinted those prints go to the same database.

Firearm Safety Zone  HB 6261, sponsored by Representative Scott Hummel (DeWitt), which would prohibit a person from hunting or discharging a firearm within 150 yards of an occupied or unoccupied building, dwelling, house, residence, cabin, or barn without the written permission of the owner, renter, or occupant of the property. Under current law this 150 yard safety zone only applies to an occupied building, dwelling, house, residence, cabin, barn, or other building used in connection with a farming operation.

Senior Fishing License Exemption  HB 6190, sponsored by Representative Wayne Kuipers (Holland), would allow senior citizens to fish without a license. MUCC policy supports seniors receiving half-priced hunting and fishing licenses but does not support a complete exemption


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