Dear HCN,
Someone’s getting some
wires crossed about the Teaming With Wildlife proposal. One letter
writer (HCN, 1/20/97) interpreted your article to find opposition
only from the far left and the wacky right, while claiming
off-highway vehicle producers supported it.
As
far as we know, none of the off-highway vehicle manufacturers has
taken a position on the issue. However, among the outdoor apparel
industry and the major national recreational organizations,
opposition seems pretty universal. The American Motorcyclist
Association’s opposition is based on the potential to include
motorcycles and added costs for accessories and peripheral
equipment used by motorcyclists (tents, sleeping bags, film,
binoculars, etc.).
Under “Teaming,” the state
fish and game agencies that would receive the funds are notoriously
averse to working with anyone outside of their community. These
agencies have taken on massive acreage for management but almost
never cooperate with recreation. The legislative proposals we’ve
seen do not require such cooperative efforts and disguise the tax
as a user fee on purchases of outdoor apparel and recreational
equipment.
Generally, when you place a special
tax on an identifiable group, they can reasonably expect some
services in return. These taxes are broadly called user fees. We
pay gas taxes and get roads, airline ticket taxes and get better
radar systems, OHV sticker taxes and get riding areas. The
“Teaming” proposal offers nothing in return for the
taxes.
The fish and wildlife agencies do face
increased mandates to provide more care to nongame species and
should be on the hunt for new partners and funding sources.
However, they should not package a tax, call it a user fee and
continue to refuse to be responsive to the constituency they claim
they’ve created. No matter how much the proponents of this proposal
dress it up, this pig simply won’t
dance!
Eric J.
Lundquist
Westerville,
Ohio
The writer is a
legislative affairs specialist for the American Motorcyclist
Association.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline They’re off the team.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
