Saw on KOMO news last night that Gov. Locke budget proposal includes the closure of 3 state hatcheries. I know it's preliminary but does anyone have the inside word on what hatcheries might get axed?

Hope it's nothing related to steelhead.

[ 12-19-2001: Message edited by: Eric ]

The listed hatcheries in his budget proposal are McAllister Creek, Naselle and Sol Duc.

In addition Locke's general budget proposal does have some fee increases, including hunting and fishing licenses. Increases two-day recreational fishing and shellfish license fees to levels comparable to neighboring states and Canadian provinces. $1 million General Fund State, and $1 million State Wildlife Account in new revenue.

He also proposes not filling vacant positions in the Department of Fish and Wildlife's enforcement program

Provide less, charge more for it. Good one Gary.

[ 12-19-2001: Message edited by: seacat ]

chalk up another good reason for CnR

I cant see them closing McCallister isn't that one netted pretty heavy...

Check out: www.wa.gov/wdfw/pubaffrs/business/budgetreduction.htm

Bob D

Thanks Bob. Very informative page.

Check out the part about the catch card mailings. Everyone needs to send in the cards or else we get screwed even more.
Looks like they will cost us a buck a piece too from what I read.

[ 12-19-2001: Message edited by: seacat ]

Hey people, don't blame Gary on this one.

All you need to do is go back from out last election to a few years ago. How many state initiatives did we pass restricting the growth of our goverment? How many state initiatives did we pass that reduced taxation? You all can thanks the likes of Initiative 601, 604, and that fine Tim Eyman fellow.

Basically, we voted not to pay for anything and to cut everything.

Add in a local economy that is in the tank, and what do you honestly expect? The budget had to be cut. What would you cut?????

I'm one of those fine people that are directly effected by all of this. Higher Ed will be cut by 5%, no raises for us, *and* they will make us pay more out of pocket for health insurance. Nice.

Parker - Just vote NO to our state initiatives. Haven't seen a good one yet.

Good post Parker I agree
If they close McCallister ,I'm sure the Nisqually's will scream about lost revenue's and we the Tax payers will again provide compensation.....Oh Brother...not again

My wife is a Educational assist......she' still waiting for the raise WE tax payer voted in.

last fall I ran into Gary and Mona in Cotsco,I'm sure he'll remember me,He didn't have answers then .....I doubt He has them now ..........Os

Parker hit the nail on the head. We can thank the frat-boy watch salesman from Everett and all the lemmings that follow him for cuts like this.

B.

Yeah, whatever you do don't blame the Governor... He has to spend all that money on social programs. All those welfare and support entitlement programs must stay in place to support those who won't work. Our taxes should go to those who cannot afford their own booze and cigarettes. Yeah, it's Tim Eyeman's fault.

Merry Christmas...oops, I hope I did not offend anyone what I meant to say was Happy Holidays

McAllister's been closed before and probably will be again. The problem with McAllister is that it was built in the wrong place. It was supposed to be built nearer the springs but they couldn't get the land to build up there(turf wars with the city) so they were forced to build it at it's present location.The fish health guys said it shouldn't be built at all then because the lower creek suffers from nanophyetes, a parasite that wrecks havoc on the rearing ability of the hatchery. Not to mention that when it rains hard a ton of cow poop ends up in the ponds.For the past few years nanophyetes has hit it hard because of low water flow in the creek,(drought and the city taking more water from the springs) and that's the main reason i think they want to shut it down.The parasite problems have always meant the hatchery could never raise as many fish as they could because they've had to lower densities in the ponds to deal with the parasites and could never hold any fish over the summer for the yearling program.It will be a bummer if it closes ,though, clear creek is pumping out a lot of fish now .The nisqually's might throw some money McAllister's way...you never know.There is a lot of co-op between McAllister and Clear Creek.

OK Parker, I don't know you but I think that you're a good guy and I'll rephrase my appreciation for Gary...

"Provide less, charge more for it. Good one Gary" should have read "Provide less, charge more for it. Thanks Gary, you're doing a great job"

I know it's a no-win situation for him, but that's part of being an elected official. Gotta take the criticism with the praise.

Would I make different choices given the decision and the ability to do so? Sure I would, and so would you. It's a tough job no doubt. We'll see how it all shakes out in the Legislature. That's where the real debate begins anyway.

I can empathise with you, I didn't get a raise this year either and I've always had to pay for my families health care. Not complainin' though, just recognizing that that's the world we live in.

Peace...

IMHO, the real answer lies with an independent audit of state spending, which we know will never happen in our lifetimes.

It's time for some bottom-line accountability in Olympia.

Accountability in OlyTown??

Yer killing me, 4S!

I know Dan, but I can dream... Can't I?

Heck there is enough people in Forks on welfare to support all three of those hatcheries. I personnally dont think how they can close them. Way to much revenue brought in from them. Especially the Sol Duc. Forks thrives off of that fishery in the summer and so do I.

JUST THINK IF THE STATE USED OUR SPORT DOLLARS FOR ENHANCEMENT AND ENFORCEMENT OF "OUR" HATCHERY FISH INSTEAD OF CHUCKING IT ALL INTO THE GENERAL BUDGET, WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO SHUT DOWN ANY HATCHERIES! OUR TAX DOLLARS WELL SPENT AGAIN, JUST LIKE THE LOTTERY PROCEEDS!

Liver,

Ahhh, yes. The "General Fund". That friggin' thing has been used to steer more money toward pork projects than any legislation possibly could. You license dollars (not to mention sales tax revenue derived from sporting goods sales and services) go in, and a few meager scraps come out. That is what breeds waste, as funds collected by a certain agency are NOT used for future funding of that agency, or branch or gov't. The state will lose 10 dollars over the next decade to save 1 dollar today.

Crap, 4S, we're back to that accountability thing again. Still dreaming..............

First of all this is just a "PROPOSED" budget. The chances are still very good for some of these items to be changed. Make some noise with local legislators if you want changes.

As far as blaming the passed intiatives, I think that my be only partially true. what is happening is more of the governor saying FU to the intiatives and the people and spending how he wants anyway. Sure you can blame the initiative, but I say blame Locke for not listening and say FU to him and vote him and the legislators out if this kind of crap goes through. There is plenty of money if they make the choices that the majority of voters want them to make.

Folks, I see a lot of government bashing going in here, and I just want to ask a couple of questions.

Out of the folks that you have met in your life, how many would you say, as a percentage of the population, are good, hard working honest folks?

Given that the government has 10's of thousands of people working for it, is it reasonable to expect that the percentage of honest, hard working folks in it is somewhere close to what you see in normal life?

If that is the case, is it reasonable to expect that they are, on average, trying to do the best job they know how, with what they've got?

And if, we think that they are going stark raving mad, is it possible that, in at least some cases, maybe we don't know all the information yet, and maybe they are behaving rationally on the fact set that is front of them?

Just asking.


I'm not saying that the folks working for the state are the sharpest knives in the drawer. If they were, they'd probably be pulling down six figures working in industry somewhere. But I think a lot of them, most of the ones I've met over my life, are trying to do right, as they know it and see it.

Like most of the rest of us.

It's Christmas. Let's think good thoughts about each other, if only for a while.

Three fish to the boat today (have to make this sort of a fishing post).

Well this will go over like a "lead ballon" but living in a state that has refused to go from a "sales tax", "property tax", "Sin tax".......and has stayed away from a "state income tax", we are now getting just what we deserve. Many more years of the same, increases in all the above plus, gas, license fees, state park closures, hatchery closures(going to wild stocks), and on and on.

We should be thankful that now there are limits on some of their tax abilities.


"Worse day sport fishing, still better than the best day working"