Join the fight to save the independance and finances of your fishery. A new Arkansas Senate resolution being considered would bring the Arkansas Game and Fisheries under legislative control and put AGFC funds into the common pool.
Government bureacrats and many elected officials hate monies being held by independant authorities, as they don’t have control, and can’t direct those funds towards pet projects or the issue d’jour. The challenge to AGFC cash comes due to the windfall royalties AGFC will earn through the development of natural gas prospects on Commission lands.
The Commission has already pledged to direct some of the proceeds to ADEQ and the Oil and Gas Commission, but the argument centres over the State Budget having access to all the royalties. In a relatively poor state funding education, roads and other worthy government services is always an issue.
But the proposal, from our perspective at least goes too far, taking all license sales, trout stamps, and much more into the general fund. The Journal watched this process back in the late ’80s in Tasmania _ the equivalent body the Inland Fisheries Commission underwent a similar change.
Funding for the IFC stagnated for the next 10 years as other state budget issue were always deemed more worthy of funds than something for fun _ fishing.
If you want to learn more about the threat to AGFC, opposed by a myriad of groups including Friends of the North Fork and White Rivers, Trout Unlimited (White River Chapter), National Wildlife Federation, North Arkansas Fly Fishers, and the Upper White River Basin Foundation, and how you can help click here
