Lawmakers cut funding for Wildlife Resources

So after all the yeas and nays have been counted from our lawmakers on the hill, just how did the Utah divisions of Parks and Recreation and Wildlife Resources fare?

You judge:

With respect to budget cuts requested by Sen. Tom Hatch, R-Panguitch — $300,000 or 10 percent of the general fund money from parks and $210,000 from DWR — it turns out DPR received a reprieve, and the DWR didn't. An asterisk by the deductions stipulates that law enforcement take the full hit.

The loss of funding for law enforcement would, of course, have nothing whatsoever to do with the fact Hatch and his brother, Ira, fell under investigation by DWR law enforcement officers for poaching a trophy elk last year, a charge to which Ira Hatch would eventually plead "no contest."

The bad news is the DWR will likely have to make do with fewer law enforcement officers. The really bad news is poachers are celebrating.

The deer and California bighorn sheep on Antelope Island are safe from big-money trophy hunters this year, but word is "wait until next year."

SB187 made it through the Senate by a vote of 18-11 but stalled in the House.

Sen. Bill Hickman, R-St. George, has said he'll reintroduce the bill next year and fully expects it to pass.

He was offended when two representatives submitted joking substitute bills. One would have required hunters to first hollow out a canoe from an old log and paddle to the island. Another would have included a safari hunt within the confines of Hogle Zoo. Imagine what the state could sell a tag for, for an elephant or a polar bear, with guaranteed success? Another suggested moving the hunt from the island to St. George to hunt coyotes and foxes.

The substitute bills were not the biggest joke. Hickman's obvious attempt to satisfy big-money trophy hunters at the expense of the park's and public's welfare was. And it became most obvious by the fact he chose not to consult with anyone in the know, not island staff nor big-game biologists, before presenting his bill.

The problem with such action is there's no accountability. Once such laws are passed, responsible lawmakers quietly slip from view. If Hickman and supporting senators are so sure such a hunt will bring $200,000 to the park coffers each year, as they claimed, then they should give their guarantee. If ever bids slip below $200,000, they'll dip into their pockets and make up the difference.