Donations can be given to wildlife division on tax returns
The Ohio Division of Wildlife is sending out reminders that it has a place on the state tax filing form.
Atypical for a government agency, the division is a player in the marketplace. The status flows from the often-unrecognized reality that virtually all of the revenue the division generates is from hunters, trappers and fishermen who buy licenses and permits, as well as from purchasers of related equipment.
Most taxpayers, in short, aren’t required to pay.
A simple analysis suggests the fewer the hunting and fishing participants, the less money available for managing animal populations, enforcing regulations and maintaining parcels of public land.
Many citizens ride the system essentially for free when they visit nature preserves or enjoy the sight of an osprey, bald eagle, wild turkey or ranging deer.
The wildlife division helps educate the public about conservation, advocates for hunting and fishing opportunities and protects land and water against invasive flora and fauna. Division projects and research involve restoration of indigenous plants and animals.
Ohioans can contribute to the conservation cause by donating all or part of their tax refunds to either State Nature Preserves or the Wildlife Diversity Fund, both which are listed on the state tax form.
The donations “have greatly furthered the protection of the state’s most endangered and threatened species and natural landscapes,” said James Zehringer, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Trump order
Concerned that a recent executive order issued by President Donald Trump might inadvertently close certain public lands to hunters and fishermen, the Columbus-based Sportsman’s Alliance is asking for clarification on an order that would freeze the enactment of regulations in process and in the future suspend two federal regulations for each new regulation passed.
In a public statement, the alliance challenged possible interpretations of the order, which appear to threaten regulations allowing the use of public land that under current law otherwise might not permit such use.
The alliance statement cited as examples the National Wildlife Refuge System and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, both of which require specific permission and regulation from governing bodies.
“Under the best-case scenario, the expansion of hunting on the refuge system would halt, and changes to waterfowl seasons and harvests would be nearly impossible,” it said.
“Worst-case scenarios involve complete loss of access and entire waterfowl seasons, as well as threat of lawsuits from antihunting organizations challenging the application of the executive actions under the presumption of closed until opened.”
Trump, too
President Trump’s administration delayed a long-planned and well-researched designation as endangered of the rusty-patched bumblebee, whose range includes Ohio.
The designation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was scheduled to go into effect Feb. 10, making the listing a first for any bumblebee species in the U.S.
On the day the listing was announced, Rebecca Riley, senior attorney for the National Resources Defense Council, said the endangered species listing “is the best — and probably last — hope for the recovery of the rusty-patched bumblebee.”
The NRDC announced it is suing the administration for suspending the designation.
Parting shots
The overwintering population of monarch butterflies in central Mexico was down by about 27 percent from a year ago. The colony has shrunk by as much as 80 percent from the mid-1990s. … Ohio’s rabbit season runs through Feb. 28, essentially ending the hunting year. Fishing and hunting licenses need to be purchased to be 2017 legal as of March 1.