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Sunday Hunting Alert
To SAM’s Rapid Response Team
January 12, 2005
You must act now to help us achieve the Sunday hunting opportunities offered by Governor John Baldacci in the proposed new state budget. We ask you to do two things:
1) Contact the Governor and let him know that you appreciate and support his decision to allow Sunday hunting opportunities.
2) Contact your State Representative and Senator to urge them to support the Governor’s budget for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, including the Sunday hunting opportunities.
You can contact the Governor by email ([email protected]), regular mail (1 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333), or phone 287-3531.
You can contact your State Representative by email (see instructions below), mail (2 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04330), or phone (287-1400 or 1-800-423-2900).
You can contact your State Senator by email (see below), mail (3 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04330) or phone (287-1540 or 1-800-423-6900).
To find out who represents you in the Maine House and Senate, go to SAM’s website (www.samcef.org), click on the “Legislative News” section, then click on the “Find Your Representative and Senator” section. This will direct you to list of Representatives and Senators by town. You can get email addresses and other information about your legislators at the legislature’s website (http://janus.state.me.us/legis/). Finally, if you can’t access the internet, you can get all of this information by calling the Legislative Information Services staff at 287-1692.
Please send copies of your messages to SAM at [email protected] or 205 Church Hill Road, Augusta, ME 04330. We need to know who you contacted and what you said.
On SAM’s website, (www.samcef.org), you can find much more information about DIF&W’s budget, the Sunday hunting opportunities, and where we’re going from here. All of this information is located in the section on “Legislative News.” At that location you will find:
An article titled “Sunday Hunting Makes Governor’s Budget,” that explains how SAM was able convince the governor to include Sunday hunting opportunities in the budget.
An article titled “The Case for Sunday Hunting,” that provides more information about why Maine sportsmen – and our outdoor economy – deserve and need these opportunities.
An article titled “DIF&W’s Budget – A Summary of the Details.” This is the short version of what is in the budget, including Sunday hunting.
A letter, titled “Letter to Legislators,” that SAM will distribute to each legislator next week. You can use our letter to create your own messages to the governor and legislators. Please put your messages in your own words, rather than use our sample letter.
Our website is currently briefly offline but should be back online soon. At the bottom of this memo we’ll place a short article on the issue to get you started.
The governor’s proposed budget includes Sunday hunting for all species and seasons EXCEPT the November gun season on deer. That’s when sportsmen are out in big numbers and suffer the most conflicts and problems with landowners. All other hunting seasons involve smaller numbers of hunters and few landowner problems. And as the Governor has stated, Maine needs to be competitive in attracting nonresident hunters – who now stop in New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York – all of which offer Sunday hunting. For yourself, and for Maine’s outdoor economy, please give us your help on this TODAY! Thank you!
Response Letter for Sunday hunting critics
When considering the Sunday hunting opportunities included in Governor Baldacci’s proposed budget for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, it is important to understand what is not included: there will be no Sunday hunting during November’s firearms season on deer.
That is the time of year when landowners and the general public have issues with the large number of hunters who are in the fields and forests pursuing deer. All of Maine’s other hunting seasons involve much smaller numbers of hunters and few problems for landowners or the public.
Maine must be competitive if our outdoor economy is to be sustained and enhanced. Nonresident hunters have been diverted to neighboring states like New Hampshire, Vermont and New York – all of which offer Sunday hunting.
Hunting has an economic value of more than $450 million, and allowing bird, moose, and bear hunters to hunt the entire weekend will make Maine a more appealing destination for hunters, increasing revenue for both DIF&W and the Maine economy.
And here’s something else that can’t be ignored. Although a recent study showed that DIF&W provides $4 million of direct services to the general public, the Governor and Legislature have been unable to provide public monies to DIF&W to fund those services – including critical services like search and rescue.
Maine sportsmen continue to step up and pay higher fees, so that DIF&W can provide these services to the general public.
In the next biennial budget, the Governor has once again had to ask sportsmen to fill DIF&W’s budget gap, because General Fund tax dollars are unavailable. And to their great credit, the sportsmen of Maine have agreed to so.
In return, they asked for additional hunting opportunities on Sunday. That is only fair.
Posted by SAM member,
Mark Luce
www.hindsite-deer.com
To SAM’s Rapid Response Team
January 12, 2005
You must act now to help us achieve the Sunday hunting opportunities offered by Governor John Baldacci in the proposed new state budget. We ask you to do two things:
1) Contact the Governor and let him know that you appreciate and support his decision to allow Sunday hunting opportunities.
2) Contact your State Representative and Senator to urge them to support the Governor’s budget for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, including the Sunday hunting opportunities.
You can contact the Governor by email ([email protected]), regular mail (1 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333), or phone 287-3531.
You can contact your State Representative by email (see instructions below), mail (2 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04330), or phone (287-1400 or 1-800-423-2900).
You can contact your State Senator by email (see below), mail (3 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04330) or phone (287-1540 or 1-800-423-6900).
To find out who represents you in the Maine House and Senate, go to SAM’s website (www.samcef.org), click on the “Legislative News” section, then click on the “Find Your Representative and Senator” section. This will direct you to list of Representatives and Senators by town. You can get email addresses and other information about your legislators at the legislature’s website (http://janus.state.me.us/legis/). Finally, if you can’t access the internet, you can get all of this information by calling the Legislative Information Services staff at 287-1692.
Please send copies of your messages to SAM at [email protected] or 205 Church Hill Road, Augusta, ME 04330. We need to know who you contacted and what you said.
On SAM’s website, (www.samcef.org), you can find much more information about DIF&W’s budget, the Sunday hunting opportunities, and where we’re going from here. All of this information is located in the section on “Legislative News.” At that location you will find:
An article titled “Sunday Hunting Makes Governor’s Budget,” that explains how SAM was able convince the governor to include Sunday hunting opportunities in the budget.
An article titled “The Case for Sunday Hunting,” that provides more information about why Maine sportsmen – and our outdoor economy – deserve and need these opportunities.
An article titled “DIF&W’s Budget – A Summary of the Details.” This is the short version of what is in the budget, including Sunday hunting.
A letter, titled “Letter to Legislators,” that SAM will distribute to each legislator next week. You can use our letter to create your own messages to the governor and legislators. Please put your messages in your own words, rather than use our sample letter.
Our website is currently briefly offline but should be back online soon. At the bottom of this memo we’ll place a short article on the issue to get you started.
The governor’s proposed budget includes Sunday hunting for all species and seasons EXCEPT the November gun season on deer. That’s when sportsmen are out in big numbers and suffer the most conflicts and problems with landowners. All other hunting seasons involve smaller numbers of hunters and few landowner problems. And as the Governor has stated, Maine needs to be competitive in attracting nonresident hunters – who now stop in New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York – all of which offer Sunday hunting. For yourself, and for Maine’s outdoor economy, please give us your help on this TODAY! Thank you!
Response Letter for Sunday hunting critics
When considering the Sunday hunting opportunities included in Governor Baldacci’s proposed budget for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, it is important to understand what is not included: there will be no Sunday hunting during November’s firearms season on deer.
That is the time of year when landowners and the general public have issues with the large number of hunters who are in the fields and forests pursuing deer. All of Maine’s other hunting seasons involve much smaller numbers of hunters and few problems for landowners or the public.
Maine must be competitive if our outdoor economy is to be sustained and enhanced. Nonresident hunters have been diverted to neighboring states like New Hampshire, Vermont and New York – all of which offer Sunday hunting.
Hunting has an economic value of more than $450 million, and allowing bird, moose, and bear hunters to hunt the entire weekend will make Maine a more appealing destination for hunters, increasing revenue for both DIF&W and the Maine economy.
And here’s something else that can’t be ignored. Although a recent study showed that DIF&W provides $4 million of direct services to the general public, the Governor and Legislature have been unable to provide public monies to DIF&W to fund those services – including critical services like search and rescue.
Maine sportsmen continue to step up and pay higher fees, so that DIF&W can provide these services to the general public.
In the next biennial budget, the Governor has once again had to ask sportsmen to fill DIF&W’s budget gap, because General Fund tax dollars are unavailable. And to their great credit, the sportsmen of Maine have agreed to so.
In return, they asked for additional hunting opportunities on Sunday. That is only fair.
Posted by SAM member,
Mark Luce
www.hindsite-deer.com
