Politicians looking to poach off DIFW budget

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And you thought the state was actually going to pony up some general fund cash to help fund the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife?

You thought all that hard work, and all those compromises had paid off, and that all the griping about the DIF&W being funded entirely on the backs of sportsmen and sportswomen would finally end.

You thought so. Didn’t you?

Not so fast.

On Thursday I received some ominous news in a mass e-mailing from George Smith of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine.

According to Smith, SAM’s executive director, the state’s Part I budget is being re-examined by the House of Representatives, and much of that initial progress has been jeopardized.

The reopening of that portion of the budget came in response to the effort to win a people’s veto of the borrowing component it includes.

If that borrowing is eliminated entirely, Smith maintains the remedy would “most certainly include budget cuts.”

In fact, Smith said that on Tuesday the Senate president and House speaker asked committee chairs to request a list of across-the-board cuts from each department’s commissioner in order to fill what may be a $250 million hole in the budget.

The possible across-the-board cuts from each department would amount to 5 percent of each budget.

(Now, the really bad news).

Here’s DIF&W Commissioner Roland “Danny” Martin’s response, obtained by Smith:

“A 5 percent cut in the general fund portion of our budget would equate to a loss of over $1,100,000 in each fiscal year and would cause the elimination of 14 positions in the department,” Martin wrote.

The way the DIF&W would reduce costs is quite simple: Cut jobs, then eliminate another $400,000 in spending.

“These 14 positions include six game wardens, two hatchery workers, one fisheries biologist, two wildlife biologists, one accountant and two clerical positions within the Department,” he wrote.

In addition, Smith said that many of the things outdoors enthusiasts had thought were set in stone may be up for debate again.

“This reopens discussion of increased fees, new revenue sources and other issues,” Smith wrote in his e-mail to SAM’s “Rapid Response Team.”

While some may point at the newly-itemized 5 percent cuts as a Doomsday scenario designed to scare potential people’s veto supporters, others say planning for every possibility is important.

And Smith points out, a 5 percent budget reduction at the DIF&W comes entirely out of the General Fund fees that had been hard-earned. The reason: About $20 million in annual revenue is protected by the state Constitution.

Smith calls that eventuality “unacceptable and grossly unfair,” and said he’ll work with SAM’s lobbyists to reaffirm the commitments that were made by legislative leaders.

Smith wants your help. He wants to make sure that only 5 percent of general fund money, not 5 percent of the total DIF&W budget, is eliminated if it is deemed necessary, and is looking for sportsmen to call their legislators.

“At the very least, we should lose only 5 percent of the department’s general fund tax money – a total of $200,000 – and they should leave our fees alone, as well as the programs those fees fund,” Smith wrote.

There’s the potentially bad news on a Saturday.

It’s up to you to decide what to do next.

Seen and heard

The high price of gasoline is a hot topic everywhere, and outdoors enthusiasts who not only venture off the beaten path, but also fuel up their boats and ATVs are especially susceptible.

While filling up my own vehicle at the neighborhood convenience store the other day, it seemed that even the gas pump had a few words to say about the cost of fuel.

Above the credit-card slot, the display screen usually walks customers through their purchase. On this day, one portion of the screen was out of order, and not all the letters were visible.

Instead of asking for my credit card, the greedy pump’s message was as follows:

“Insert Car.”

That just about covers it, I figure.

Turkey hunter to pay $218,000

State wildlife officials often caution hunters to be careful in the woods, and advise them of their responsibility to identify their target before pulling the trigger.

On Thursday, a York County Superior Court jury sent a message: They, too, take the state’s target identification law seriously.

In a civil case, Richard LaFlamme was awarded $218,821.10 for injuries he suffered when another hunter – Larry Innis of Kennebunkport – mistook him for a turkey and shot him in 2002.

LaFlamme suffered multiple pellet wounds in the incident, which took place early on a rainy May morning.

This is the final week of this year’s spring turkey hunt, and while the vast majority of hunters take their safety responsibilities seriously, the York County case illustrates an important fact: Mistakes happen, and it’s up to all of us to make sure that we do all we can to eliminate those mistakes.

If you’ve yet to fill your turkey tag, good luck in the coming week. Hunt well … and safely.

Coming up on ‘Going Outdoors’

The weather has been gray and wet all month, and many of us are ready for a change of pace.

If you’ve been sitting around, waiting for the sun to come out in order to enjoy your favorite outdoor activity (or even mow the lawn), you’ve likely been sitting inside all May (and your lawn is likely a hayfield).

On Monday’s ‘Going Outdoors’ segment of the ABC-7 6 p.m. newscast, we’ll be ignoring the weather and becoming one with the fish … more or less.

If you’ve never been float-tubing, but have been considering investing in one of the handy pond-fishing rigs, this may (or may not) convince you to do so.

Cameraman Dave Simpson and I spent Friday morning at a tiny local trout pond, where I launched my own tube for the first time of the season and tossed a few flies.

Why float-tube in this weather?

It’s really one of those “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” situations.

The weather is awful, but the fish are still there. And sitting in a high-tech inner tube (picture a floating easy chair with pockets for your gear) is a fine way to get out there and hang out with the trout.

At least that was the theory. Tune in on Monday and you’ll see if it actually turned out that way.

Your chance for revenge

So … maybe I’ve written a piece or two over the years that you didn’t quite agree with. Perhaps you’ve been waiting for the chance to exact some form of revenge.

Against my better judgment, I’m happy (more or less) to announce that you’ll get that chance next Saturday.

As a part of the festivities surrounding the Eastern Maine Soapbox Derby races in Bangor, Wal-Mart is sponsoring a dunk tank. And I’ll be there from 12:30 p.m. to 1.

Hopefully the weather is a bit warmer by then (or, at the very least, nobody with any actual baseball or softball training shows up to dunk me.

The proceeds from the dunk tank will go to the Children’s Miracle Network; I hope you’ll consider stopping by to make my half-hour as miserable as possible.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.