Legislative Update: Does DNR Need A Director Of Outdoor Recreation?

Sportsmen groups including the Georgia Hunting & Fishing Federation, Georgia Trappers Association, Trout Unlimited and GON attended the “Keeping Georgia Wild Day” at the state capitol on Feb. 20. Leaders from DNR, the State House and State Senate, and Governor Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp showed their support for conservation by attending.

During what for hunters and fishermen has been a relatively uneventful session of the Georgia Legislature, along comes a proposed law that would create a new director-level position within DNR for someone with the power and duty to increase outdoor recreation in the state. House Bill 314 would establish the position of Director of Outdoor Recreation.

Hunting and fishing—along with camping, hiking and biking trails, water access and other types of outdoor recreation—are already managed through existing DNR divisions such as Wildlife Resources and State Parks —with existing Directors. So why a new Director? An insider at the state capitol said the push for this legislation is coming from environmental groups and a large nationwide company that sells hiking and camping gear. It’s not coming from businesses that sell hunting and fishing gear or licenses.

While establishing a new Director of Outdoor Recreation, HB 314 says nothing about how that person would be paid—would it come from DNR’s existing budgets? And you would have to assume this new director would need some support staff—is this legislation leading to a new DNR division? And the biggest question for sportsmen—would this new director and potential DNR division influence how WMAs and PFAs are managed in terms of outdoor recreation? Specifically, could it lead to a drift away from serving hunters and fishermen—even on acreage that we purchased through license sales?

The last thing we need is WMA area managers having to coordinate a deer hunt with some “passive recreation” event like a mountain bike race.

HB 314 currently sits in the Game, Fish & Parks committee, where no action has yet to be taken. Certainly, the questions above and others need to be answered before legislators create a new level of government and bureaucracy within DNR.

House Bill 421—Authorize Reasonable Limitation On Discharge Of Bows Within A Political Subdivision:

Archery hunting in the backyards of subdivisions in Atlanta and other metro areas continues to be an issue. Under current state law, cities and counties do not have the legal authority ban to hunting—they can only pass firearms discharge ordinances that ban the firing of guns. HB 421 would add archery equipment to those discharge prohibition powers for municipal governments. The bill cites “public safety” as the reason for this law change.

House Bill 244—Board Of Natural Resources, Effective Date For Certain Rules And Regulations:

HB 244 includes shellfish and seafood dealer provisions, but it’s a change allowing electronic calls for fox and bobcat hunting that might interest sportsmen. Currently, electronic calls are allowed for coyotes.

GON will update issues and keep sportsmen informed during the legislative session at GON.com.