Wildlife Protection Legislation Now Law - Markell Touts 2013's Environmental Highlights

Governor Markell Signs Wildlife Protection Bill

Adds to considerable progress made this year to protect Delaware’s natural resources

Wilmington, DE –A law signed today by Governor Jack Markell strengthens protections for Delaware’s natural resources by helping the state identify and appropriately punish those who commit egregious crimes against wildlife.

 

Sponsored by Senate Majority Leader David McBride along with Representatives Debra Heffernan and Trey Paradee, Senate Bill 117 makes Delaware a member of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact (IWVC). The 40 states involved in the compact share information about lawbreakers who have lost their hunting, fishing, and/or trapping privileges due to major offenses, such as poaching against wildlife or fisheries resources. Delaware will join this process and gain access to records from the 39 other members, allowing the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) to deny licenses to those who have committed outrageous acts elsewhere. In addition, violators in Delaware will risk losing privileges in all of the other states.

 

Surrounded by advocates for hunting, fishing and animal rights at the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge's DuPont Environmental Education Center, Markell thanked members of the General Assembly for making the environment a major priority in the just-completed legislative session.

 

"The work done to bring Delaware into the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact reflects a concerted and productive effort in this year’s General Assembly to protect our natural resources," said Markell. "Today, we affirm that opportunities to hunt and fish as well as to simply enjoy the beauty of our environment are all important parts of making Delaware an attractive and welcoming place for everyone."

 

“We don’t want people who have shown a disregard for hunting and fishing laws doing the same thing here and threatening our wildlife , but right now, there isn’t a way for a Delaware vendor to know whether someone from out of state has a record that would deny them a license,” said Sen. McBride, D-Hawks Nest, a longtime champion of environmental causes. “With this information at the fingertips of the people who we’ve empowered to issue licenses, we’re taking a big step to keep that from happening.”

 

Markell commended community leaders, such as Delaware Nature Society Environmental Advocate Brenna Goggin, for bringing together diverse groups to build a strong coalition of support for the bill. Hunting advocates, such as members of Quality Deer Management and Ducks Unlimited, joined animal rights advocates from organizations like the Humane Society in recognizing an opportunity to put aside differences for the benefit of hunters, fishermen, wildlife and the quality of life in Delaware.

 

Rep. Heffernan, who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee, said the bill provided an unusual instance in which environmental groups and sportsmen came together on an issue.

 

“Environmental groups and sportsmen both supported this new law to keep people who violate wildlife laws in other states from being able to get licenses here in Delaware,” said Rep. Heffernan, D-Brandywine Hundred South. “Both groups have a vested interest in preventing poachers and other lawbreakers from coming to Delaware and continuing their illegal practices. I’m proud to see Delaware join this compact.”

 

An avid hunter and Ducks Unlimited member, Rep. Paradee said the new law would help weed out “troublemakers” who break laws, over-hunt or over-fish. SB 117 would help make sure game are being taken according to the law.

 

“I have friends who signed on to a hunting trip with a professional outfitter who it turns out was kicked out of several other states for breaking their laws. The outfitter just went from state to state, breaking laws,” said Rep. Paradee, D-West Dover. “By having this law in place, we’ll be able to catch people like this. Hunters love this type of law because it keeps the bad elements out of Delaware and it’s good for wildlife.”

 

"Protecting Delaware's natural resources is a covenant between current and future generations," said DNREC Secretary Collin O'Mara. "The legislation passed this session by the General Assembly and signed by Governor Markell will help protect wildlife, improve water and air quality, and hold polluters accountable."

 

Other laws Governor Markell has signed in 2013 to protect Delaware’s natural resources:

 

House Bill 95 gives DNREC the authority to hold accountable people who contaminate our land and water and leave it to the state to clean up their mess. DNREC can now impose environmental liens on property owners to recover taxpayers’ money expended by the State on cleanup costs.

 

House Bill 32 eliminates a 36-year-old monetary cap on liability for oil spills. It aligns Delaware with other states that have no liability limits and ensures the owners and operators of oil vessels and facilities know they, not Delaware citizens, will be held fully responsible for not taking necessary precautions.

 

House Bill 41 builds upon strong existing state regulations and prohibits the sale and distribution of shark fins, showing the state’s commitment to ending the cruel practice of shark finning.

 

Senate Bill 65 consolidates clean water infrastructure financing responsibilities under one Water Infrastructure Advisory Council to make it easier for the state to take a comprehensive approach to keeping our drinking water safe and enhancing our wastewater and storm water systems.

Plus, the Delaware House Republican Caucus sent this along ~

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In photo, from left:  

Pat Emory, Director of Community Services for the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC); and Bill Wolter, the owner of Owens Station, discuss switchgrass, which is commercially cultivated on the property.

NEWS: 

State Acquiring Sussex County Shooting Facility

In a year that saw heated debate on numerous gun control bills in the General Assembly, the state has moved ahead on a long-anticipated deal to acquire a Sussex County shooting sports facility.

  

In the $477.1 million Bond Bill is a relatively modest expenditure of $750,000 for the first installment on Owens Station.  The privately-owned facility located just east of Greenwood is the creation of Bill Wolter, who began developing the property 30 years ago to train youths in shooting sports.  "I figured that if I could create an educational center that maybe I could make a difference in some children's lives," he said.

The 104-acre facility is unique.  It is managed as a conservation education center and is often used by school teachers as a venue for nature walks.  The parcel contains several miles of trails and three small catch-and-release stocked fishing ponds.  Parts of the property are used for the cultivation of Atlantic Coastal Panicgrass and switchgrass.  The former is used for coastal restoration projects, while the latter is sold to waterfowl hunters to camouflage boats and blinds - preventing the cutting of indigenous marsh plants.

The property also contains the Delaware's only sporting clays course with approximately 60 shooting stations, a trap range and a "five stand" range.  Best practices are employed to ensure lead shot from the ranges does not contaminate the soil and water, falling into focused areas to facilitate retrieval and recycling. 

Owens Station is thoughtfully configured so the hiking trails and ponds can be used concurrently with the shooting ranges.

As a senior with no children to succeed him, Mr. Wolter realized about seven years ago he needed a way to transition the property in a way that would maintain and advance his vision for it.  "I did not want to see this in houses," he said.  "I worked too hard, for too long, to see that happen."

State Rep. Dave Wilson, R-Cedar Creek Hundred, who represents and the area and is a member of the Bond Bill Committee, said the acquisition has been a long time in coming.

"It took a determined, bipartisan effort to get this done," Rep. Wilson said.  "While he was a state representative, Bob Walls was one of the first to support this proposal.  Sen. Bob Venables and I have also been advocating for this because we believe it's a smart investment that's going to provide real benefits for downstate residents."

Rep. Wilson added that while Owens Station would be the first state-owned public shooting facility downstate, Delaware has long operated Ommelanden Range near New Castle.  "On a per capita basis, I think more people are involved in hunting and shooting in Kent and Sussex counties than they are in New Castle County," Rep. Wilson said.  "This will finally give our downstate residents public access to some of the same amenities that have been available up north for years."

The first state installment of the $2.25 million purchase price is in the current capital budget.  Two similar payments are expected to be included in the next two Bond Bills.

At the moment, everything is still in flux said Pat Emory, Director of Community Services for the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), the agency that will be making decisions about the future of Owens Station.  State officials are still hammering out a sales contract and needs to address the issue of how it will handle leases with private vendors already operating at the facility - a potential source of income for the state.  The contract will also delineate what role Mr. Wolter will play in the transition process.

Looking to the horizon, Mr. Emory sees a bright future for Owens Station.  "I think the potential is only limited by your mind. ...  There's a lot of opportunity.  Bill has done a tremendous job and I think we can build off of that."

Citing a demographic analysis conducted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Mr. Emory said nearly 1.2 million adults live within a 60-mile radius of Owens Station.  Of those, there are more than 39,000 potential handgun shooters, nearly 42,000 potential shotgun target shooters, and almost 45,000 rifle shooters. 

While the facility does not currently have formal rifle or pistol ranges, DNREC's long range plans could consider them as well as other additions.

"The bottom line is there is a mess of people out there and I think ... through advertising there is the possibility of enhancing this whole operation and making it into a destination where people could come down here and possibly camp," Mr. Emory said.

DNREC Deputy Secretary David Small said while there is still a lot of work yet to be done, the agency will definitely be considering another nearby state property, Newton Pond, as they fashion their plan.  "We certainly want to think about these two properties together and how they can complement one another," he said.

Another piece of state-owned property, the 263-acre Owens Tract of Redden State Forest, situated just to the east of Owens Station, could also factor into the agency's thinking.

"If there are opportunities to make this more of a destination with using other properties that are close by ... we certainly want to take a look at that for a long-term management plan," Deputy Secretary Small said.

DNREC will also be examining the potential to save the agency money by relocating some of its staff from leased office space to Owens Station.  "Certainly the potential is ripe for that," Deputy Secretary Small said.  "Exactly how that gets used has yet to be seen.  We've got a number of field offices in that part of the state in Sussex County that could conceivably make use of that space."

And this ~ 

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NEWS:

Delaware Joining Network to Identify Game Law Violators

Using the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge near Wilmington as an illustrative setting, Gov. Jack Markell signed into law today (7/15) a measure that will allow Delaware to get tougher on the most egregious game law violators.

Senate Bill 117, sponsored by Senator David McBride, D-Hawk's Nest, authorizes Delaware to join the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact (IWVC) - a nationwide law enforcement network aimed at preventing people who have lost their hunting, fishing, or trapping privileges in one state from carrying out those activities in other member states. 

"This pact means that if you lose your privileges in Delaware because you were found guilty of a flagrant crime, like poaching, you will lose your privileges in the other 39 states belonging to this compact as well," said State Rep. Tim Dukes, R-Laurel, who co-sponsored the bill in the House.

Rep. Dukes' 40th District is bordered on two sides by Maryland, which is already a compact member.  The compact will prevent a game law violator from Maryland from jumping the border and legally purchasing a hunting or fishing license in Delaware, or vice-versa.

"We don't want people who have shown a disregard for hunting and fishing laws doing the same thing here and threatening our wildlife, but right now, there isn't a way for a Delaware vendor to know whether someone from out of state has a record that would deny them a license," said Sen. Dave McBride.

The concept of a wildlife violator compact reportedly grew out of work done independently in Colorado and Nevada in the mid-1980s.  These two states joined with Oregon to form the core of the compact in 1989.

Among the groups supporting Delaware's membership in the compact are the Delaware Nature Society, the Humane Society and Ducks Unlimited.

"This bill was widely supported by a broad and diverse coalition of organizations and passed through the House and the Senate unanimously," Rep. Dukes said.

The bill gives the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control three years to implement the compact's provisions.

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