SUPPORT HB 290

Support for this bill is critical if we want some very simple reporting!  Please go Viral! 


HB 290 up in House Business and Labor at 8:30  on Tuesday Feb, 14, 2017                                                                      

14-FEB-17    8:30 AM    172    HB 290   Current Text in .HTML format  Current Text in .PDF format    Revise outfitter reporting laws    Tom Jacobson  (D) HD 21 

Contact Committee Members:  

 marknolandhd10@gmail.com, amanda@amandaformontana.com, Rep.Vince.Ricci@mt.gov, Rep.Willis.Curdy@mt.gov, Rep.Ross.Fitzgerald@mt.gov, Rep.Moffie.Funk@mt.gov, Rep.Steve.Gunderson@mt.gov, Denleylogehd14@gmail.com, Rep.Andrea.Olsen@mt.gov, Rep.Gordon.Pierson@mt.gov, Atomicrosie@gmail.com, Rep.Casey.Schreiner@mt.gov, Rep.Sharon.peregoy@mt.gov, Rep.Jeremy.Trebas@mt.gov, Rep.Sue.Vinton@mt.gov, Rep.Daniel.Zolnikov@mt.gov

An MSA bill revising record keeping by Board of Outfitters (Boo).  MOGA is trying to reduce record keeping to nearly nothing.  We want and need digitalization of data and want it shared between state and federal agencies involved in oversight of outfitters or the critters they harvest.



It is not our intention to interfere with efforts to streamline unnecessary paper reporting.  We want the Board of Outfitters to require digital reporting to be shared “freely” with FWP, DNRC, and other state and federal agencies regulating outfitting activities.  The harvest of public trust critters commercially comes with a responsibility to accurately report data that serves the public in the management of those critters.  High elk numbers, low harvest rates in some areas,  and shoulder seasons make this info critical to both biologists and law enforcement.  Information on the map of outfitted lands is already law.  It is not up to outfitters what they have to report and there is a concerted effort to hide info from both law enforcement and biologists and creating more damage to the industry reputation.

 We have conferred with FWP, legislators, and FOAM.  We have included their respective requests.

      Specifically and very simply, we need to know:

Who.              Name and ALS number

What.             Species and sex of animal harvested

When.            Date of harvest

Where.          Location of harvest, HD specific to private or public land.

  
We need from Fishing outfitters:

   Who.              Outfitter, Guide, Name and ALS number

   Where.          Fishing outfitters operate on public waters.   Board of Outfitters (Boo) needs to require recording of stream and stretch (what put-in and take-out an outfitter uses on any particular stream on any client trip date) in the client log.

 Remember, no other license group uses public trust resources like outfitters!
 
We encourage the reduction in paper reporting but not at the cost of no data.  What little we want is a small price to pay for harvesting public trust critters for free.  The public…the owners….want this info collected. 

Hunter surveys don’t collect the same data and the sample size (statistical significance) is small for outfitters.  Shoulder seasons, harboring, and outfitter leasing of private and public lands require this data in order to successfully manage our big game resources.

It is ludicrous that outfitters think they can minimize all of what they report and thumb their noses at the public.

   ***Note***  MOGA was given a chance to work with us and declined.

PLEASE SUPPORT