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Just wanted to post a quick reminder: The Wildlife Board meeting to set Utah's 2014 fishing regulations is tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. Board members will hear presentations from the DWR's fisheries biologists and receive updates on how the RACs voted. They will also take comments from the public. Here's the agenda, if you're interested in attending: http://wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings...agenda.pdf
Amy Canning
Communications Specialist
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
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I forgot to mention that we'll be live webcasting the audio of the meeting. Here's the link to the webcast, which will begin around 9 a.m.: http://go.usa.gov/Wkb4
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Thanks for reminding us about the meeting. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend either in person or by video unfortunately.
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Too bad many of us are working at that time.
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Did anybody go this morning and has a report for us? Did all of the DWR's recommendations pass?
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[quote AmyC]Just wanted to post a quick reminder: The Wildlife Board meeting to set Utah's 2014 fishing regulations is tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. Board members will hear presentations from the DWR's fisheries biologists and receive updates on how the RACs voted. They will also take comments from the public. Here's the agenda, if you're interested in attending: http://wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings...agenda.pdf
Amy Canning
Communications Specialist
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources[/quote]
9 A.M. Thursday morning..........
90% of employed sportsmen/women have a responsibility called work at that time of day.
Good call.
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90% of DWR employees and W.B. members have a thing called "weekends" . How many hours a week does the public want these guys to work?? My heck -- I'd imagine some of them would like to enjoy a day of fishing instead of spending their weekend holding a business meeting that could have been held during the week...
I don't see an issue with holding a business meeting during normal business hours. If it's important enough, I'll find a way to participate one way or another. This isn't something new -- it's not like this time was something different than every other WB meeting we've had for the past 10 years...
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There ya go…. using logic again.
What's up with that?
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[quote PBH]90% of DWR employees and W.B. members have a thing called "weekends" . How many hours a week does the public want these guys to work?? My heck -- I'd imagine some of them would like to enjoy a day of fishing instead of spending their weekend holding a business meeting that could have been held during the week...
I don't see an issue with holding a business meeting during normal business hours. If it's important enough, I'll find a way to participate one way or another. This isn't something new -- it's not like this time was something different than every other WB meeting we've had for the past 10 years...[/quote]
Since they (refering to the DWR and wildlife board) are public servants, and having a public meeting, they can schedule their work day to start late.
6p.m. meeting, they can start their working day at noon or 1 p.m. on that day. And don't forget they chose this profession, so don't give me that b.s. about weekends, ( which no one said anything about originally) or how much the public wants them to work. You saying no DWR official works weekends? As for the w.b. members, also chose to run and if elected they knew about evening meetings.
They want public partipation, then they can schedule it so the public, can participate. And as for you Brett, have you really gotten off work to go to one of these meetings, or have you just called and talked to your dad or brother. You being a son and sibling of DWR managers usually have a heads up with what's going on before the rest of us do.
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mojo -- what about the southern region guy that has to drive to SLC for that same meeting? How do you think he feels about having "a late start"? A 6 p.m. meeting? Sure thing: then it ends at 9, and four hours later and he rolls back into his driveway at 1 a.m.? I'll be he's thrilled.
Look -- we all know these guys work weekends. A lot of them. Frequently. Usually those working weekends involve field work -- something the public is always screaming for more of. Then they scream because nobody is in the office.
Honestly, I don't know why these choose this profession. I sure as hell did not. The pay sucks --do any of you have any idea when the last time the DWR was given a raise??? Not only does the pay suck, but so do the hours. Then you involve the public and everything goes to hell in a hand basket.
But, guess what? They still do it. Why? Because they love fish. They love wildlife. That deserves a little bit of respect.
So, if they choose to hold a business meeting during the week between the hours of 9 and 5, so be it. I'm OK with that. Regardless of who my dad (retired) or brother is.
The only reason I might know anything is because I care. There isn't any reason in the world why any of you can't know what I know. All it takes is communication -- develop a relationship with some of these guys, and you'd know too!
(FWIW -- Richard just spent 4 days on Lake Powell gill netting, as well as helping with the sheep transplant. He then got in his truck and drove straight to SLC for WB meeting. He missed his wife's birthday. All in the name of wildlife. If it were me, I'd tell the public to go jump off Tapestry Wall! I guess that's why he has the job, and I don't)
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mojo -- keep in mind that the WB meeting isn't the time to bring up new issues. The issues and topics at the WB meeting have typically already been hashed out at RAC meetings and numerous other meetings and open houses throughout the year. So, in general, the WB meeting is used as a business meeting to "wrap up" all the issues from all the previous meetings. All those other meetings ARE setup so that the general public has the opportunity to attend -- hosted in the evenings, etc.
The general public is open to attend the WB meeting. But I don't believe that the general public is the focal point of this meeting. I think it is scheduled as a business meeting and done during normal business hours to finalize and wrap up everything else.
That might not make you feel any better, I don't know.
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[quote mojorizing][quote AmyC]Just wanted to post a quick reminder: The Wildlife Board meeting to set Utah's 2014 fishing regulations is tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. Board members will hear presentations from the DWR's fisheries biologists and receive updates on how the RACs voted. They will also take comments from the public. Here's the agenda, if you're interested in attending: http://wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings...agenda.pdf
Amy Canning
Communications Specialist
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources[/quote]
9 A.M. Thursday morning..........
90% of employed sportsmen/women have a responsibility called work at that time of day.
Good call.[/quote]
+1
I didn't have a chance to go because I had work.
PBH I work for a very small company (I am the only employee) and there is no chance of me just getting some time off for a meeting like that. If they really want the public there they should go out of their way just a few times to give the majority of us a chance to attend.
I did make the open house at Skyline and the RAC meeting a month or two ago because it was held in the evenings, when I didn't have work.
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[quote TyeDyeTwins]
I work for a very small company (I am the only employee) and there is no chance of me just getting some time off for a meeting like that. If they really want the public there they should go out of their way just a few times to give the majority of us a chance to attend. [/quote]
The meeting is open to the public. The public can attend. But is the public needed to be there? What purpose does the public present during the WB meeting?
[quote TyeDyeTwins]I did make the open house at Skyline and the RAC meeting a month or two ago because it was held in the evenings, when I didn't have work.[/quote]
so regardless of whether or not you attended the WB meeting, you DID attend both an open house and a RAC meeting! This is exactly how the process is supposed to work -- so, again, I have to ask: what purpose does attending the WB meeting serve? All the information had already been gathered from the open house and the RAC meetings, which you participated in!
The WB meeting was streamed live, so that could have provided an opportunity for many to listen to what happened. I'm guessing that the audio is still available to listen to as well.
I'm just not sure what attending this meeting in person would accomplish. The important meetings are the ones that TyeDye attended. Follow his example.
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[quote PBH]mojo -- keep in mind that the WB meeting isn't the time to bring up new issues. The issues and topics at the WB meeting have typically already been hashed out at RAC meetings and numerous other meetings and open houses throughout the year. So, in general, the WB meeting is used as a business meeting to "wrap up" all the issues from all the previous meetings. All those other meetings ARE setup so that the general public has the opportunity to attend -- hosted in the evenings, etc.
The general public is open to attend the WB meeting. But I don't believe that the general public is the focal point of this meeting. I think it is scheduled as a business meeting and done during normal business hours to finalize and wrap up everything else. [/quote]
I don't know that I disagree with your general sentiment, but there are things that need to be remembered. Foremost, is that the Wildlife Board is the entity that truly has the power to enact or change fish and game regulations in the state. Not the RAC's, not the DWR on it own. The WB can and has told individual RACs and the DWR to pound sand in the past. Now fortunately this is relatively rare and usually they do just rubber stamp what the RACs and DWR have sent through. However, when something really controversial comes up, (like option 2 in deer hunting) it might be nice to have more public participation than just the SFW rep in attendance. Also, as the only true power making entity, I would like to see as much transparency as possible in their actions. If that meant more public friendly meetings, then I'd be for it. I suppose Wildlife board reform is beyond the scope of this discussion. Nevertheless, as has been said before, if some issue is sufficiently important to you, you will find a way to be there.
So how about it Cliff, what was the report from the meeting? I couldn't quite follow what you wrote on that other thread.
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[#0000ff]Here is a copy and paste of Brett Prettyman's article in today's Tribune:
[/#0000ff]
Utah anglers will be able to possess more fish in 2014
Wildlife » Changes approved for 2014 Fishing Guidebook.
By brett prettyman
| The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published Nov 07 2013 04:50 pm • Updated 2 hours ago
Utah anglers will be able to keep two daily limits of fish starting in 2014, but will still be required to count fish stuffed in freezers when counting their total.
Spearfishers will have more places to "hunt" next year and anglers will be allowed legally to dispose of fish they are required to kill, after the Utah Wildlife Board approved recommendations Thursday from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) for the 2014 Fishing Guidebook.
Efforts by the Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife (SFW) group to extend the possession limit to three days’ worth of fish and eliminate processed (bottled) fish as part of that limit will be considered for another year, as the board elected to get more input from anglers regarding those changes.
Anglers are currently allowed to only have the daily limit of fish — four trout for average Utah fishers — in their possession. That means four fish on the stringer at the lake, in the cooler at camp or at home in the freezer.
"We were given a mandate [by the Wildlife Board] to think of incentives to attract people to more distant waters where we don’t see a lot of pressure or have enough harvest," said Drew Cushing, warmwater sport fisheries coordinator for the DWR. "And at the same time not affect those places where we have adequate pressure and harvest."
The changes will not impact anglers at Strawberry Reservoir or Flaming Gorge Reservoir. For Strawberry, biologists elected to stay with one daily limit to maintain a lower level of angler harvest. Flaming Gorge is managed in conjunction with Wyoming so Utah officials will wait until that state has time to implement the new regulation.
Being able to keep more fish during a weekend excursion might lead to more anglers heading to out of the way waters, but Ken Strong with SFW says allowing three days’ worth of fish limits will get more people to buy fishing licenses.
Strong pointed out to the board that when the state limit — which does not apply to all species on all waters – dropped from eight to four fish, the number of fishing licenses purchased in Utah dropped by more than 50,000. He also noted that other steep declines happened with other changes in regulations.
Jim Carter, a longtime angler advocate and founder of the Strawberry Anglers Association, countered that drops in license purchases have followed national trends in declines, spurred by issues like a stalled economy and local factors such as drought.
The Wildlife Board told DWR fisheries biologists to put the question to the angling community for review.
Spearfishing, a topic of heated debate the past few years, remains a thorny issue, but the board approved a list of more waters where the activity can take place. Spearfishing will not, however, be allowed at Jordanelle and Lost Creek reservoirs starting in 2014 and there will be some seasonal closures to protect spawning largemouth and smallmouth bass.
The new regulations did not sit well with some anglers.
"Spearfishing is actually freshwater hunting," said Clifford Sackett with the Utah Bass Federation. "Many states allow spearfishing in lakes and reservoirs, but nearly all of them restrict the divers to rough fish like carp, gar, bullheads, suckers and etcetera. Spearfishing is not fishing, it is hunting and it should be regulated under hunting rules, which is what a lot of other states do."
Utah anglers also got some direction when it comes to disposing of fish they are required to kill when caught in certain places, but may not want to take home. It won’t be illegal for anglers to conk a northern pike they caught on the Green River on the head and then put it back in the river, although the fish is most often eaten in those cases.
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I attended the meeting and all I can say was I was sickened by the outcome. The northern region made a recommendation that the Willard Bay inlet be closed during the walleye spawn and the board completely dismissed it without regard. Why go to RAC meetings, voice your opinion or concern, get buy in by an ENTIRE region Council just to have it overturned and dismissed?!?!
Just for kicks I'll list the "UTAH" waters that you have already approved for closure during spawn ... right from the rule book you wrote ( or approved) ... it'll be a bit sickening I'm sure.
American Fork Creek / Aspen Lake / Bear Lake and Tributaries / Beaver River / Beer Creek / Benches Pond Tributaries / Big Spring Creek / Boulder Mountain Lakes and Reservoirs / Brown Duck Basin / Causey Reservoir / Cold Springs Lake / Dougherty Basin Reservoir / Dry Creek / Duck Creek / Duck Creek Springs lake / Honeyville ponds / Huntington Rservoir Tributaries / Kolob Reservoir / Kolob Reservoir Tributaries / Lake Canyon Lake / Logan River / Manila Creek Pond / Manning Meadow Reservoir and Tributaries / Mountain Dell creek / Otter Creek Stream /Panguitch Lake Tributaries / Paragonah Reservoir Tributaries / Red  Creek Reservoir / Parleys Creek / Petes Hole Reservoir / Porcupine Reservoir / Provo River (partly) / SCofied Reservoir Tributaries / Sheep Creek / Spanish Fork River / Spanish Oaks Reervoir / Spring Creek / Spring Run Creek / Parts of strawberry River tributaries / Swan Creek / Upper Kents Lake Inflow / Utah Lake / Utah Lake Tributaries west of I-15 / West Fork Duchesne River / Whitney River tributaries / West Fork, Duchesne River / Whitney Reservoir Tributaries / Wold Creek / Yankee Meadow Reservoir ...
right out of your book.
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I also attended the Wildlife Board Meeting and was just as sickened at the decision to leave the Willard Inlet open during the Walleye spawn. I wrote an e-mail to all of the Wildlife Board members after the meeting and let them know what I think about their hasty and thoughtless decision.
The part that really bothers me is that we did everything right by attending the RAC meetings and convincing the Northern Utah RAC board to formulate a motion to recommend closure of the Inlet, and by the way....no one from the public ever spoke in favor of opening the Inlet at either meeting or at the Wildlife Board meeting. There was obviously no consideration given to WiperMac's survey given to them at Thursdays meeting that indicates a vast majority of the BFT anglers oppose opening the Willard Inlet.
I personally believe opening the Willard Inlet is setting a dangerous precedent for the future. Which spawning area will be opened next to increase license sales? Furthermore, What example is this setting for our young fisherman?
With the low water level in Willard Bay, leaving the Inlet Channel open will surely hurt the Walleye population. Most of the Rocks and gravel spawning areas are high and dry!
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[quote WiperMac]I attended the meeting and all I can say was I was sickened by the outcome. The northern region made a recommendation that the Willard Bay inlet be closed during the walleye spawn and the board completely dismissed it without regard. Why go to RAC meetings, voice your opinion or concern, get buy in by an ENTIRE region Council just to have it overturned and dismissed?!?!
[/quote]
and
"I also attended the Wildlife Board Meeting and was just as sickened at the decision to leave the Willard Inlet open during the Walleye spawn. I wrote an e-mail to all of the Wildlife Board members after the meeting and let them know what I think about their hasty and thoughtless decision.
The part that really bothers me is that we did everything right by attending the RAC meetings and convincing the Northern Utah RAC board to formulate a motion to recommend closure of the Inlet, and by the way....no one from the public ever spoke in favor of opening the Inlet at either meeting or at the Wildlife Board meeting. There was obviously no consideration given to WiperMac's survey given to them at Thursdays meeting that indicates a vast majority of the BFT anglers oppose opening the Willard Inlet."
Well guys, there is your Utah Wildlife Board. Sorry to hear that it didn't work out for you. As I noted before, the WB basically does anything it wants. I hope you don't give up yet.
A friend, who currently is on a RAC, told me that if you have your proposal pass 3 separate RACs, the WB is required to issue a written explanation if they then reject the proposal. It may or may not be something your group can pursue. Good luck either way.
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Thank you for the kind words and helpful directions. From what I've been told at this point the only person that can overturn the board decision is the governor. He's now been made aware of the situation so at this point all we can do is hope for the best.
As crazy as it may seem opening of the inlet has been a positive thing. It was only because of that action that the "Friends of Willard Bay" was born. With on going efforts and a ten year plan we still hope to make additional positive improvements for all to enjoy. But........ to say this didn't take a little wind out of our sails would be an all out lie. [:/]
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