by Bob McDowell, Director
Introduction
I'd like to share a few impressive figures with you. The New Jersey Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife manages 247,000 acres of open space, a deer herd 150,000 strong, and a turkey population of at least 14,000. The Division maintains 18 boat ramps, 14 artificial reef sites, and 2 fish hatcheries which stock more than 700,000 trout and 400,000 bass, pike, catfish and sunfish in over 300 bodies of water. Last year alone, more than 500,000 shad migrated up the Delaware River, hunters harvested almost 60,000 deer, and New Jersey's sportsmen and women had the greatest diversity of hunting and fishing opportunities ever. The Division also trained 15,000 future hunters, provided fishing education programs for more than 2,200 novice anglers, introduced 800 additional teachers to Project and Aquatic WILD and held 8 outdoor skills workshops for women! We take wildlife seriously at the Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife and we know that you, the sporting public, do also.
Current Accomplishments,
Impacts &
Prospects for the Future
Land
Management
Freshwater Fisheries
Wildlife Management
Law Enforcement
Information and Education
Marine Fisheries
Endangered and Nongame Species
Impacts of Current Fiscal Situation
What
the Division Has Done to Reduce Costs
Conclusion:
The Future of NJ's Wildlife Is In Your Hands
Managing New Jersey's nearly 800 fish and wildlife species is a cooperative responsibility shared between the Fish and Game Council, the Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife and the sporting community. Their unique, yet kindred responsibilities are summarized below.
The Fish and Game Council, created by law in 1945, is responsible for adopting a Fish and Game Code for the conservation and protection of New Jersey's fish and wildlife, as well as overseeing the "Hunter and Angler" Fund which supports these efforts. The hunting and fishing community, New Jersey's leading conservationists, was given a tremendous opportunity to provide input into the Council's decisions regarding fish and wildlife conservation by nominating six members to serve on this eleven member council.
In addition to their input on the Fish and Game Council, the sportsmen and women of New Jersey contribute to the conservation and protection of the state's fish and wildlife resources through license and permit sales. These individuals also contribute through a special federal excise tax placed on the hunting and fishing equipment they purchase.
The Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife is responsible for providing a secure and healthy environment for the fish and wildlife of New Jersey. The agency is committed to working for both the wildlife and the citizens of our state to ensure stable and thriving conditions where both can exist in balance with one another. Managing all of the state's wildlife resources is a task requiring professional and scientific expertise, as well as public support.
The cooperative management concept of the Council, Division and sporting public is much like a 3-legged stool, each supporting the future of fish and wildlife in the Garden State on an equal basis. The weakening of one leg affects the stability of the entire structure.
For more than fifty years, this triple partnership has produced hundreds of accomplishments (see below). However, future achievements and the future of New Jersey's fish and wildlife resources will ultimately depend on the strength and stability of this 3-legged stool.
One of the division's greatest assets is the land base upon which New Jersey's wildlife depends. Last year, 10 new Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) comprising 14,000 acres were added to the WMA System. In the last 10 years, the Division has added approximately 60,000 acres of land to this system and currently manages 247,000 acres on 98 Wildlife Management Areas. An overall planning effort is being developed for the WMA System which when complete will serve as a guiding document for the management of these areas. Providing access to and management of new WMAs, as well as existing areas is a high priority. The Division plans to develop 12 boat ramps and fishing access sites, as well as 6 new urban fishing access sites.
More than 160,000 brook, brown and rainbow trout are stocked throughout state waters each autumn. Similarly, 600,000 trout are stocked every spring. In addition, the Charles O. Hayford Fish Hatchery in Hackettstown currently produces 15 species of freshwater fish and is under renovation to increase fish production. The Division has also developed a Warmwater Fisheries Plan which would provide additional recreational opportunities for freshwater anglers. Fisheries biologists are currently conducting the lake inventories necessary to implement this plan. The Division's fisheries biologists are continually upgrading the Division's Trout Management/Trout Stocking Programs and always looking for innovative ideas to improve trout habitat and continue the proper utilization of the trout that we raise at our fish hatchery. The Division also plans to expand its highly successful Urban Fishing Program. Currently the Division provides fish and education programs at approximately 60 derbies annually. The youth at these events represent future conservationists as well as license buyers.
Currently, New Jersey has one of the most scientific deer management programs in the nation. The agency spends about $1.2 million annually to manage deer throughout the state. In fact, the white-tailed deer resource (through hunting) contributes more than $100 million to the state's economy offering jobs and income to a wide range of businesses, including sport shops, restaurants, hotels, service stations and farmers. In addition, the restoration of the wild turkey represents one of the state's greatest wildlife management achievements as populations continue to thrive and expand in New Jersey. In fact, wild turkey populations are doing so well that Garden State hunters are experiencing an 18.5 percent success rate, higher than both New York and Pennsylvania. The Division will continue to explore ways to increase recreational opportunity for deer, wild turkey, waterfowl, upland game and furbearers, as well as to expand youth hunting programs. In addition, the agency will continue to upgrade the Rockport Game Farm to a point where it will reliably and cost-effectively produce between 58,000 and 60,000 pheasants for the ever-expanding WMA System.
This year marked the 100th anniversary of the Division's Deputy Conservation Officer Program. Conservation Officers and their deputies are the Division's most visible representatives contacting thousands of citizens each year. Through these contacts, officers are able to familiarize the public with the Division's policies and specifics of the Fish and Game code, marine regulations and other land use regulations. Last year, more than 41,000 sportsmen and women were inspected. These inspections were performed during 59,415 hours of work on 7,798 days of duty. During these inspections, officers detected a total of 3,847 violations that resulted in the issuance of a summons. The proper patrol of an expanding Wildlife Management Area System and the policing of such activities as hunting, fishing, and other natural resource based recreation is critical to the success of any wildlife management program. Through law enforcement efforts, hunting and fishing is made safer and acceptable by the public.
Since the Division started accepting advertisements in the Fish and Wildlife Digest, approximately $60,000 has been saved annually in printing costs. Additionally, New Jersey continues to have one of the top ten leading Hunter Education programs in the nation. The program instructs 15,000 future hunters each year with the objective of placing a safe, responsible and knowledgeable hunter in the field. Last year, more than 450 volunteer hunter education instructors donated 20,580 hours of their time toward achieving this goal. The Division was also represented at 8 major outdoor shows, as well as sporting events such as the Cumberland Sportsmen's Jamboree, Governor's Surf Fishing Tournament, Wings and Water Festival, and Tuckerton Decoy Show. In addition, the Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center continues to offer quality programs to school and civic groups, as well as the general public. Approximately 200 school groups and 50,000 people visit the hatchery annually. With the help of volunteers, more than 2,200 people participate in fishing education classes each year. Through Project and Aquatic WILD workshops, the agency trains 800 educators each year. To date, eight Becoming an Outdoors-woman workshops are scheduled for this year with the potential to reach nearly 400 participants. The Wildlife Conservation Corps program, with more than 1,800 members is the largest natural resource management volunteer group in the State. Through their support, the Division has been able to provide many additional services to our constituents.
The continuation of intensive management plans for several species including bluefish, striped bass and fluke are restoring populations to previously healthy numbers. In fact, striped bass stocks, once at critically low levels, are now seeing a dramatic increase due to these efforts. In addition, the results of a two-year Division study indicate that a network of 14 reef sites, encompassing 23.7 square miles of sea floor, has spawned hundreds of new jobs in New Jersey. This boost to the Garden State economy relates to a newly developed conservation concept known as ocean reef construction and is coordinated by the Division to provide habitats for marine fish and shellfish, new fishing grounds for anglers and underwater structures for scuba divers. The recreational opportunities ocean reefs provide generate $7 million to the state's sportfish industry each year and the construction of reefs has resulted in the development of many new jobs for New Jersey's marine trades generating more than $4 million annually. Also, as part of its Adopt-A-Reef Program, the Division constructed three new fishing and diving reefs this past summer. The program was developed to offer fishing and diving clubs or businesses the opportunity to sponsor the creation of a reef along the New Jersey coast.
Endangered and Nongame Species:
The division continues to play the lead role in rare species protection in New Jersey through the Landscape Project which will protect wildlife habitat for both non-game and game animals. By determining priority species and producing precise maps of critical habitat, the division's Endangered and Nongame Species Program will furnish federal, state and local regulatory agencies with the tools and expertise to develop cooperative, integrated protection plans for rare species. The resurgence of New Jersey's bald eagle population continues with the discovery of three new nests in the south. This brings the statewide total to 13 active pairs. Osprey numbers continue to climb with well over 200 active nests statewide. The Wildlife Diversity Tours/Watchable Wildlife project will soon become a reality for state wildlife enthusiasts when New Jersey's first Wildlife Viewing Guide is released this fall. The guide will include two-day Wildlife Diversity Tours that feature selected viewing sites within a particular region. By encouraging tourism, the division hopes to generate grass roots support for open space conservation. This project will help demonstrate that open space can generate more net dollars to local economies than development.
Impacts of Current Fiscal Situation
For the last three years, the Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife has maintained a level operating budget of $15,078,506. As a result, the effects of normal inflation and cost of living increases have reduced each bureau's operating budget considerably. For example, the Bureau of Freshwater Fisheries' budget has remained at $2,374,978.00, however, costs to operate the Pequest Trout Hatchery have increased by nearly $75,000. This additional cost has had to be absorbed into the existing budget.
Services and programs that have and will continue to be affected impact land management, wildlife management, freshwater fisheries, law enforcement and natural resource education.
The Division's ability to provide access to and management of new WMAs, as well as existing areas will continue to erode. In addition, the development of partnerships and grant programs which have resulted in significant federal funding to protect important Delaware Estuary watersheds such as the Maurice and Salem Rivers will suffer. Such programs have been carried out with little cost to the sporting public. Over the past seven years, New Jersey has received $5.4 million in federal funding for the protection of these and other wetlands. In fact, in terms of federal funding, our state ranks seventh in the nation alongside much larger states like Virginia, Kansas and North Dakota. However, since the Division lacks the personnel to utilize such funding by implementing the vast wetlands conservation programs developed, New Jersey will stand to lose its impressive appropriation.
Implementation of the Warmwater Fisheries Plan will also be delayed as the Division will not be able to complete the necessary lake inventories. Supplemental stockings of wild turkey to help establish populations in the southern portion of the state will not be possible. In addition, the Division has already reduced production of pheasant and quail by 10,000 and 5,000 respectively, and may be forced to eliminate its Quail Stocking Program. The purchase and distribution of deer repellent and deer fencing will also be discontinued.
The Bureau of Law Enforcement currently has 6 vacant field positions that cannot be filled. This represents more than 16-percent of the agency's field force and as a result, delays in response time and reduced inspections have resulted in fewer apprehensions of wildlife violators.
The Office of Information and Education will be unable to reprint informational literature for distribution to sportsmen and women. The Guide to Wildlife Management Areas and Places to Fish are examples of material that will remain out of print. Many Division-sponsored events will also be threatened including Fish and Wildlife Conservation Week activities, the agency's participation at various sportsmen's shows, programs at the Pequest Natural Resource Education Center and the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Program.
What Has Been Done to Cut Costs?
The Division implemented the following cost-saving measures in an effort to control operating costs:
Immediately implemented a hiring freeze. The Division presently employs 205 people under the Hunter and Angler account. There are currently 21 positions that remain vacant. The number of people employed by the Division is less now than it was 10, 15 and even 25 years ago.
Increased the use of volunteers. The Division relies on the support of more than 1,800 volunteers who assist biologists in the areas of research, management, law enforcement, and hunter education. It represents the largest natural resource management volunteer group in New Jersey.
Sold advertisements in the Fish and Wildlife Digest and privatized production. In an effort to utilize privatization measures for certain aspects of the Fish and Wildlife Digest, the Division recruited professional assistance for production, advertising and printing of the publication. As a result, costs were reduced by more than $15,000 per issue.
Implemented a flat budget (no increases). This resulted in program cuts such as delayed lake surveys and fewer groups received tours at the Pequest Trout Hatchery as the cost of inflation and union-negotiated increments and uniform allowances had to be absorbed into each unit's operating budget.
Reduction of state vehicles. The Division turned in all non-essential vehicles during the past year.
Delayed replacement of equipment. Replacement of worn-out equipment such as old tractors, radios, boats, computers and research equipment was delayed.
Initiated a reorganization of the administrative office in Trenton. This action is expected to improve operational efficiency.
Modernized equipment at the Rockport Game Farm. This allowed the Division to reduce production cost of pheasants.
Purchased cheaper cars/trucks. Vehicles that absolutely have to be replaced are replaced with a less costly model.
Utilized new fish culture techniques. This action increased efficiency in fish production.
Conclusion: The Future of New Jersey's Wildlife Is In Your Hands
As you can see, the New Jersey Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife has developed many new and innovative programs over the past 20 years, that the sporting community wanted. All of these benefits and services do not come without a price. The demands to accomplish these programs and develop access to new land acquisitions places a tremendous stress on the Division's budget. The New Jersey Fish and Game Council's funding proposal must be implemented if hunters and anglers expect to enjoy the same quality of hunting and fishing in the future that they enjoy today.
Obviously no one wants a license increase of any kind, but the cost of doing business and providing New Jersey's citizens with some of the most progressive management programs in the nation, including some of the most liberal season and bag limits, cannot continue without the necessary funding to provide such opportunity. This, coupled with the reality of an annual 3 to 4 percent cost of living increase, makes a license increase a necessity.
New Jersey offers some of the finest hunting, fishing and trapping opportunities in the country. Healthy wildlife populations, habitat and sound wildlife management don't just happen. The Division is the reason these are available. A small investment now is critical if we are to successfully maintain existing programs and continue to provide the type of recreational opportunities our constituents have come to enjoy.
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