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. The bill would also amend the authority of the Fish and Wildlife Board so that it serves in an advisory capacity to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Most concerning, however, is that S 258 also seeks to change the make-up of the Board and what bodies can appoint Board Members and would specifically ban the hunting of coyotes over bait and with dogs.
Highlights:
- S 258 would change the makeup of the Board from 14 to 12 members. Four members would be appointed by the Fish and Wildlife Department Commissioner, four members appointed by the Speaker of the House, and four members appointed by the Committee on Committees.
- Section 5 defines nonconsumptive use of wildlife as, “watching, photographing, listening to wildlife, and similar other activities without engaging in hunting, fishing, trapping, or any other form of extraction.”
- The bill would also require appointing authorities to “…include both consumptive and non-consumptive uses of wildlife” with nonconsumptive being defined as “watching, photographing, listening to wildlife, and similar other activities without engaging in hunting, fishing, trapping, or any other form of extraction.”
- Finally, a complete ban on coyote hunting with bait or dogs (previously stand-alone legislation in prior sessions) has now been added to 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 is 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 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.
The way in which S 258 would restructure the appointment process for Board Members is also a troubling proposition for Vermont’s sporting community. Four members would be appointed by the Department’s Commissioner, four by the Speaker of the House, and four by the Committee on Committees (a body appointed by the Senate Pro Tem). Essentially, the Speaker of the House and Senate Pro Tem (from the ruling party and with a veto proof majority currently) would be granted undue influence on the appointment process both through the appointments that would be directly proscribed to them, as well as through their influence on which members are on the Committee of Committees. 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, turned conservation doctrine into preservationist goal setting, and, in some cases, commissions have sought to ban the very systems and traditions that fund, maintain, and conserve balanced and healthy habitats.
Finally, and seemingly out of desperation, the proposed bill seeks to address and 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 approved aforementioned means of assisting take.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) looks forward to working 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.
