Chris Hyland

1
Chris Hyland

• Local Sportsman and Habitat Enthusiast

• Member of Waterfowl Advisory Group, past
  Chairperson
• Graduate of Advanced Hunter Education Program
• Member of Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited,
  Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Tri-State
  Steelheaders, and The Nature Conservancy.

2
Two Themes

• Support habitat and restoration work.
• Support the future of hunting and youths to get
  involved in hunting.

3
Restoration Work

• This is big business (it just needs to get more
  efficient).
• DU leveraged 5.5m for WA in 2006
• Aquatic restoration 1.3m in Walla Walla Basin
  for 2006
• These provide high-skilled, high wage jobs.
• Non-game species benefit as well.
• Potential to reduce flooding.

4
Waterfowl Hunting Expenditures

• IN 2001 (nationwide)
• Equipment expenditures 439,815,000
• Food Lodging 205,508,000
• Transportation 183,656,000
• Other trip costs 105,825,000
• TOTAL 934,803,000
• Source Economic Impact of Waterfowl Hunting in
  the United States, Report 2001-9 by US Fish
  Wildlife Service, 2001

5

• The Problem With These Numbers?

They are all Going Down (as a of the
population)
6
Great IdeasThat Have taken Place

• Reduced costs for youth licenses (including
  non-resident youths).
• Youth only Hunting Weekends.
• Youth hunts at Wildlife refuges.

7
Great IdeasThat Have taken Place (cont)

• Feel Free to Hunt Written Permission Only
  hunting.
• One-Season pass for youths to hunt without
  completing Hunter Ed. (deferred program).
• DONT put a minimum age requirement for hunters
  ed classes.
• Archery in the Schools.

8
What to do for the Future?

• Improve access to private lands by
• WDFW pays for public access to private lands
  (being considered on Federal level as well)?
• In addition to penalty for trespassing, penalty
  for hunting.
• In CREP/CRP (conservation programs), dont
  require Feel Free to Hunt on private lands for
  bonus points.

9
What to do for the Future? (cont.)

• Create youth only waterfowl hunting areas?
• Create more opportunities/ways/methods to satisfy
  hunter ed requirements?

10
Broad Principles to Encourage

• Encourage youths to hunt, develop more mentoring
  programs.
• Support restoration projects.
• Foster relationships between hunters/anglers and
  private landowners.
• Do we in some cases reduce opportunity to
  simplify regulations???
• Increase enforcement.