Staff at lunch during the WRD statewide meeting. (Heidi Ferguson/DNR)
During and after the statewide meeting, I heard from a number of you on many issues. Please allow me to address several of the more frequent questions.
Two hot topics are purchasing cards and the license initiative. Here are some quick but hopefully helpful updates. (Stay tuned to upcoming newsletters for more issues and answers.)
P-cards: The Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget and the State Accounting Office changed p-card policy in an effort to eliminate inadequate controls and strengthen card-use oversight by some state agencies. The changes were made following high-profile card abuse cases last year involving other state agencies, not DNR.
Under the new policy, which takes effect April 1, no agency will be issued more than 100 cards, according to the Office of Planning and Budget and State Accounting Office. DNR currently has more than 600 cards. The reduction to 100 will require severe cuts across all divisions. WRD will receive 23 p-cards.
State agencies were asked to provide comments on the new rules, though raising the number of cards for an agency and card oversight monitoring were not open for consideration.
We’ve asked our sections to review the new policy and provide the best strategy on who should have p-cards. This information will be forwarded to DNR’s administrative office, which is developing a p-card plan required by the Planning and Budget and State Accounting offices.
Details on further changes, including putting the changes into practice, will follow.
License legislation: House Bill 208 has been “dropped” in the State Legislature. The House Game, Fish and Parks Committee, where the bill was initially assigned, passed it Tuesday. The Rules Committee, which oversees the flow of legislation in the House, is next. This bill would simplify our hunting and fishing license structure, raise license fees closer to other Southeastern states, do the same for boat registration and commercial licenses, and enable Georgia to recoup more federal excise taxes earmarked for states’ hunter and angler programs.
HB 208 is part of Gov. Nathan Deal’s legislative package, which is key.
We began the scoping process for the license initiative two years ago with public forums and online surveys of constituents. More than 5,000 Georgia stakeholders gave us feedback; 85 percent supported hunting and fishing license prices set at or above Southeast averages. Ninety-five percent of those polled, plus select industry partners, backed maximizing federal dollars through the return of excise taxes to support hunting, angling and boating access programs in our state.
Remember, Georgia’s resident hunting and fishing license fees have not increased in a quarter-century. Our pricing ranks among the lowest in the nation and significantly below Southeast averages.
We are tracking HB 208 and other bills that would affect wildlife and our constituents. If you have questions about legislation, including any from the public, contact Marketing and Communications Manager Jenifer Wisniewski.
Thanks for all you do to make WRD great!
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Hopefully you had an opportunity to attend the statewide WRD meeting. If you went, please take the survey by clicking the button below or pasting the following link in your browser, www.surveymonkey.com/r/WRDStatewideMeeting. Your feedback will help us improve the 2018 meeting, set for Jan. 10.
The survey is anonymous, so don’t be afraid to be honest.
And please share the survey link with WRD employees you know who attended the meeting but aren’t on WRD's listserv because they're new or don’t have email.
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More than 1 million people fish in Georgia each year. That’s an impressive number. But in the Fisheries Management Section, one of our goals is to increase participation.
We initially focused mostly on introducing people to fishing. More recently, that focus has widened to include angler retention and reactivation. Why? Studies have shown that the majority of anglers don’t necessarily participate in fishing annually or buy a license each year.
Recruitment, retention and reactivation of anglers – dubbed R3 – is now a tri-fold priority for many state wildlife agencies and industry partners. In this, WRD has become a national leader. Building on our foundation of participation programs, we have expanded into R3 outreach including social media, fishing blogs, hook and learn events, license purchase enhancements, first-time license buyer programs, industry partnerships and a host of timely informational products.
The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation recently released a national campaign called 60 in 60. The goal to boost participation to 60 million anglers in 60 months provides a national R3 focus as well as a significant challenge. WRD’s efforts will go a long way in reaching this goal.
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A WRD crew clears downed trees. (DNR)
IN THE TWISTERS’ WAKE
When deadly tornados swept through south Georgia Jan. 21-22, WRD responded. Forty-nine employees logged about 150 days of debris-clearing effort, including more than 900 hours of work with chainsaws.
ACADEMIC ARCHER ON THE RISE
A National Archery in the Schools Program that recognizes and promotes academic achievement among NASP students is growing in Georgia. Educators in the state have enrolled more than 300 students in NASP’s Academic Archer Program, making Georgia second in the nation in enrollment, according to the Game Management Section’s Hunter Development Program, which coordinates NASP statewide.
Started last year, Academic Archer is a program designed to motivate NASP students academically by celebrating those who meet local academic criteria.
A SUCCESSFUL WEEKEND
Weekend for Wildlife banquet. (DNR)
The 29th annual Weekend for Wildlife held Jan. 27-28 at Sea Island raised more than $1.1 million, the majority of which, after expenses, will go to conserving Georgia’s nongame wildlife, rare plants and natural habitats, according to the Georgia Natural Resources Foundation.
The success of this fundraiser attended by Gov. Nathan and First Lady Sandra Deal and coordinated by WRD is testament to the work DNR staff pour into it. The 30th anniversary event is scheduled for Jan. 26-27, 2018.
WELCOME, WRD RETIREES
If you’re a WRD retiree, welcome to the agency’s employee newsletter! Please let us know if you like what you read or have ideas for improving the content by emailing rick.lavender@dnr.ga.gov.
FORESTRY FOR WILDLIFE PARTNERS
2016 Forestry for Wildlife partners with Gov. Deal and DNR leaders.
Gov. Deal and DNR Commissioner Mark Williams, Deputy Commissioner Walter Rabon and others announced the 2016 Forestry for Wildlife partners Feb. 8 at the State Capitol.
Georgia Power, Weyerhaeuser and CatchMark Timber Trust were recognized for stewardship and land management that had a positive impact on 1 million acres in Georgia through WRD’s Forestry for Wildlife Partnership.
RAISING RX FIRE AWARENESS
In another photo op concerning a topic vital to WRD’s mission, DNR joined with Gov. Deal and other wildlife and forestry agencies to celebrate Feb. 5-11 as prescribed fire week awareness.
Prescribed fire, often called controlled burning, is safe way to apply a natural process, ensure ecosystem health and reduce wildfire risk. Learn more at GoodFires.org and in the WRD Nongame Conservation Section's annual report.
PROMOTING THE CHECKOFF
It’s tax time and we need your help spreading the word about the Georgia Wildlife Conservation Fund state income tax checkoff. Through what’s often called the Give Wildlife a Chance checkoff, since 1989 Georgians have given on average $300,000 a year to help conserve our nongame wildlife and habitats. Yet contributions last year sunk to a record low of $131,248, 45 percent less than the year before.
The checkoff is one of the big three fundraisers – along with eagle and hummingbird license plates and Weekend for Wildlife – benefiting the work of WRD’s Nongame Conservation Section. Giving is easy and effective: Fill in an amount more than $1 on line 26 of the state’s long income tax form (Form 500) or line 10 of the short form (Form 500-EZ).
Learn about the checkoff and how it helps wildlife in the Nongame Conservation Section report.
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WRD's We Are DNR recipients for December and January include the following, plus some of the comments from those nominating them:
David Mixon, regional Game Management supervisor, Brunswick – Consistently handles public calls about WMAs, providing solid information and even additional recommendations. Also, his commitment to “improving operations and maintenance of Region 7 WMAs is second to none.” “By providing exceptional supervision, he ensures that technicians in the field have everything that they need to get the job done right the first time.”
Jennifer Beard, administrative assistant 3, Wildlife Resources Conservation Center – “Jen is a huge asset, serving not only as a quick reference to many office/administration issues but also in a capacity serving the public as best she can answering numerous wildlife-related questions, because that’s all in a day's work for her.”
Richard Usher, John Gulle and Lucas Mashtare, Hunter Development Program (Richmond Hill Shooting Range) – Richard and John, ranger safety officers, are nominated for "exemplary" customer service for "quick thinking and rendering first aid to a shooter hurt when a firearm malfunctioned at the range Jan. 29.” Both followed an emergency response plan developed through the leadership of Shooting Education Specialist Lucas Mashtare.
We Are DNR awards allow all WRD employees to recognize associates for exemplary work. Just click the button above and answer the brief questions.
FISHERIES STAFF LANDS AWARDS
Congratulations, as well, to WRD Fisheries Management staff for awards they received at the annual Georgia Chapter of the American Fisheries Society meeting:
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Bryant Bowen, Fisheries Worker of the Year.
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John Biagi, Career Contributions Award.
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Patti Lanford, Career Contributions Award.
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Brent Hess, Distinguished Service Award.
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Chris Harper, Certificate of Appreciation for serving as past chapter president.
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Jackson Sibley, Georgia-American Fisheries Society student scholarship award.
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DNR boat moves into disentangle Ruffian. (FWC under NOAA Permit 15488)
Did you see the videos that WRD biologist Clay George put together on the successful effort last month to free a North Atlantic right whale entangled in commercial fishing gear? That gear included a 135-pound trap/pot!
Join the thousands who watched "Rescuing Ruffian," part 1 (click the photo above) and part 2.
And while on Facebook, check out this game camera video of a trophy buck on Ocmulgee WMA.
WHAT'S BITING?
Find out in the popular Georgia Fishing Report blog posts compiled by Fisheries Management. Here’s the latest.
We’re also following WRD around the state through Instagram and Twitter, with updates varying from restorative prescribed fire at Yuchi WMA to lunker largemouths at Silver Lake WMA's Panic Pond.
10-pounder from Panic Pond. (DNR)
Send snapshots, short videos and other brief examples of the awesome work you do to help Georgia hunters, anglers and wildlife to wrd.socialmedia@dnr.ga.gov.
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Changes for December through mid-January (hourly positions not included).
HIRED
- Christopher R. Williams, Game Management (Fitzgerald), wildlife technician 2
- David M. Dockery, Hunter Education & Shooting Sports, communications specialist 2
- Zachariah A. Abouhamdan, Nongame Conservation, wildlife tech 2
- Peter J. Dimmick, Nongame Conservation, fisheries tech 2
POSITION CHANGE
- Seth D. Thompson, Game Management (Fitzgerald), wildlife tech 2
PROMOTED
- Matthew C. Keel, Game Management (Albany), wildlife tech 3
- Kenneth D. Story, Game Management (Calhoun), wildlife tech 3
RESIGNED
- Ryan L. Holt, WRD Administration, communications specialist 3
- Mary K. Pfaffko, Nongame Conservation, manager 2
- Wilson E. Ricks, Game Management (Sapelo Island), wildlife biologist 3
RETIRED
- Denise C. Sargent, Game Management (Administration), administration assistant 1
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