`trapped In Paradise'is A Painful Place To Be

Alzheimer's Group To Meet

Friday, December 02, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1B 





The people who foot the bill &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Saturday will likely resemble most opening days of deer seasons pastThe
woods will be crowded with hunters who were rained out on Monday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Considering Monday's opening day downpour, the time of year, and the fact
that antlered deer season is in full swing, perhaps this column should be
different. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Perhaps it should be about frosty mornings and steam rising from cups of
hot black coffee. Perhaps it should be about big silent bucks sneaking through
thick oak woods, or about long shots made by nervous first-time hunters. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But it's not about any of those things. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It's about conservation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It's about hunters paying the bill for preserving the state's wild lands. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It's about conservationists --some who may not consider themselves as such. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And it's about those who would end a major source of conservation dollars,
given the chance. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If you purchased a hunting license this year, you're a conservationist, as
the 1.25 million acres of state game lands within Pennsylvania were purchased
with hunting license dollars. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The money to purchase the game lands, which can never be developed and are
managed exclusively for wildlife, didn't come from any other source. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It came from hunters. It came from hunting license dollars. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Thankfully, there's additional money coming from another source. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In 1995, wildlife agencies will share $159 million in excise taxes paid by
America's hunters, target shooters and archers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The agencies will use the money for wildlife conservation through land
acquisition, habitat improvement, research, education and other programs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The funds also will help pay for hunting education programs and
wildlife-related recreation projects. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Pennsylvania's share in this amounts to $6,399,486. Of all 50 states,
Pennsylvania received the fourth-largest appropriation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The funds, distributed through a federal program administered by the
Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, come from the Federal
Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (Pittman-Robertson Act), which was signed in
1937. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The money is distributed to the states for projects proposed by the states
and approved by the Service. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The federal aid funds pay for up to 75 percent of the cost of each project,
while the states contribute at least 25 percent of the cost. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The money is derived from an 11-percent excise tax on sporting arms and
ammunition, a 10-percent tax on pistols and revolvers and an 11-percent tax on
certain archery equipment. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 One half of the tax on handguns and archery equipment is made available for
state hunter education and safety programs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Interesting. Very, very interesting. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Game lands, which are considered the public domain and can be used not only
for hunting, but for hiking, bicycling, cross-country skiing and a host of
other recreational pursuits, were paid for by hunting license dollars. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Firearms buffs and archers were responsible for the more than $6 million
Pennsylvania will receive next year to bolster state Game Commission projects,
which will in turn benefit the public. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Yet there are those who would end all of it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some misguided animal-rights activists want to abolish hunting. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I wonder about this. I truly wonder about their motivation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I wonder if these people could possibly come up with money that would equal
hunting license revenues to support an agency to manage public game lands that
benefit the wildlife they profess to care so much about. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I wonder if they could raise enough money on an ongoing basis to allow a
state agency to continue buying undeveloped land. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I think not. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I wonder about the anti-firearms people. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I wonder about their "ban guns, save lives, rid the world of crime"
sentiment. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I wonder if these people could come up with money to match the revenues
derived from the excise taxes that are used for everything from education to
land acquisition. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I think not. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Yes, the woods will likely be crowded Saturday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Steam will rise from cups of hot black coffee and silent bucks will sneak
through thick oaks. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Somewhere, a nervous first-time hunter will smile after successfully making
a long shot. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And that hunter should know that he or she is more of a conservationist
than all the animal-rights and anti-firearms people will ever be. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 George Smith is The Times Leader outdoors editor. His columns appear Friday
and Sunday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The People Who Foot The Bill Saturday Will Likely Resemble Most Opening Days Of Deer Seasons Past.