Get ready for a new tax

The Oregonian reported today that the number of Oregon hunters and fishermen has been dropping over the last 20 years, and the result has been a drop in funding for wildlife conservation projects run by the state.

Since 1985, the annual number of juvenile fishing licenses has dropped by a quarter, and the number of juvenile hunting licenses has fallen almost 70 percent. That means the future of these activities, as well as the Department of Fish & Wildlife projects they fund, is in doubt.

This means the ODFW must balance hunting and fishing interests -- which pay for 35 percent of the department's budget -- with other groups such as wildlife activists. The story notes that "the debate over wolves in Oregon is one example. The state's largest hunting group argued the predators would whittle away game herds, limiting hunting. But wildlife activists contended wolves have a vital place on the landscape."

We should expect that this funding battle will mean another state agency (ODFW) gathering at the funding trough, trying to squeeze the same amount of funds into yet more channels. We should also expect proposals for a new tax, either on equipment or access. The story notes that Missouri dedicates a portion of its sales tax to wildlife and forestry. Conservation groups supported a failed effort in congress to raise wildlife money by taxing outdoor-related items such as birdseed and binoculars.

But I have a better idea. Let's make it mandatory that any group that wants to lobby the state about wildlife or conservation pay a lobbying fee. Those groups that already pay for state wildlife and conservation projects through licenses would be exempt.