Why It Matters: Introduced on January 12, 2024, Vermont Senate Bill 258 (S. 258) – An act relating to the management of Fish and Wildlife – proposes to transfer the authority to adopt rules for the taking of fish, wildlife, and fur-bearing animals from the Fish and Wildlife Board to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Since its introduction, S. 258 has undergone many changes in the hopes that its sponsors would find a middle ground acceptable to fellow legislators and constituents alike. The bill recently passed the Senate and has now moved to the House, S. 258 remains a nonstarter for Vermont’s sporting community and the recently amended bill does nothing to address most of the major shortcomings of the original version, . The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) coordinated an action alert with a wide range of conservation partners asking sportsmen and women in Vermont to encourage their elected officials to oppose Senate Bill 258.
Highlights:
- 258 now changes the makeup of the Board from 14 to 15 members with one At Large member.
- The bill still allows for and demands “balanced viewpoints” which opens seats to individuals who are philosophically opposed to hunting, angling, and/or trapping a seat on the Board.
- 258 still calls for the VT Fish and Wildlife Board to be an Advisory Board, only.
- Finally, a complete ban on coyote hunting with bait or dogs (previously stand-alone legislation in prior sessions) is also included in S. 258.
Introduced on January 12, 2024, Vermont Senate Bill 258 (S. 258) – An act relating to the management of Fish and Wildlife – proposes to transfer the authority to adopt rules for the taking of fish, wildlife, and fur-bearing animals from the Fish and Wildlife Board to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. S 258 remains rife with language all Green Mountain State sportsmen and women should be alarmed about. In what is quickly becoming solidified as a perennial issue, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department’s Board is once again the focus of scrutiny from non-sporting and anti-hunting influences. Having Board with members that are neutral on matters or even directly oppose hunting, trapping, and fishing leads to obstructionism which, in turn, will potentially restrict access and opportunity for sportsmen and women. The pressure for non-consumptive representation on game commissions directly threatens the future of conservation in Vermont.
Having undergone numerous changes via the amendment process, S. 258 remains antithetical to sound wildlife management and threatens the sporting community’s traditions, heritage, and how conservation is funded in the Green Mountain State. One only needs to look west to states like Oregon and Washington to observe examples of why such changes to commissions/boards become more than problematic. In those states, recent commission decisions have become outright hostile to sound wildlife management, turning conservation doctrine into preservationist goal setting.
Finally, and seemingly out of desperation, S. 258 still seeks to prohibit longstanding practices and traditions as it concerns the taking of coyotes with the aid of trained hounds and baiting practices. Both effective and ethical means of assisting take, prohibitions of such methods would disrupt the management practices of this predatory species. With no natural predators on the landscape, coyote management is left to sportsmen and women who elect to pursue such quarry at the direction of, and prescribed methodology from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, which includes both of the aforementioned means of assisting take.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation continues to work with the Vermont Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus to staunchly oppose this misguided legislation, and remains committed to thwarting efforts to subvert the mission and success of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board. CSF and its partners are asking for the sporting community to rally to the ACTION ALERT to make Vermonter’s voices heard in Montpelier.
