I think Bruce brings up an important point here. Hunting and fishing license
and waterfowl stamps have paid for an enormous amount of conservation.
Everything from research to management to outright buying and restoring
lands. With the latest numbers showing wildlife watching out pacing hunting
and fishing in Vermont by quite a bit over the last decade (see the USFWS
surveys -
http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/Subpages/NationalSurvey/National_Survey.htm),
what are we as bird watcher's doing? Our natural heritage and nongame
programs in the state wildlife departments struggle for funding, some to
just stay open. I am sure many of us donate to nonprofits and volunteer to
do a lot for wildlife, but I think we are coming up short. Sure, we have a
conservation license plate we can buy and we could check off on our tax form
to give to the nongame program, but I wonder how many of us do? Perhaps it
is time we had a bird watching stamp?
Kent

Date:    Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:59:13 +0000
From:    b flewelling <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Do turkey hunters read VTBIRD?

I am a turkey hunter.=C2=A0 I am an avid bird watcher.=C2=A0 In May and in =
October, I do most of my bird watching while I am turkey hunting.=C2=A0 I d=
o not go to VT BIRD when I'm looking for a place to hunt, and I don't know =
of any other turkey hunter who does.=20



By the way, it was funds from the sale of hunting licenses that allowed Ver=
mont in 1968 to transfer 31 turkeys from western NY to start the Vermont fl=
ock
____________________________
Kent McFarland
Vermont Center for Ecostudies
PO Box 420 • Norwich, VT 05055
802.649.1431
http://www.vtecostudies.org/