Wildlife Crossroads and the Future of Our Wildlife Agency

Nearly 35 years ago the Tennessee Wildlife Federation led and participated in a review of the then Tennessee Game and Fish Commission. The goal of that review was to determine where and how the Agency needed to change and grow to become one of the leading wildlife agencies in the United States. Results of that review in the mid-1970’s included the development of the commission form of government and the regional system that has served the citizens of Tennessee so well.

Since that time our Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) has grown and excelled in its mission with the resources it has been afforded by the sportsmen and women of this state. But times are changing. If you haven’t looked around recently costs of doing business are going up, and in the case of TWRA revenues are trending downward.

Financial Challenges

Some proclaim that the reason for the Agency’s financial woes are the loss in sales of hunting and fishing equipment. It is true that the sales of hunting and fishing licenses have fallen, however the real question is why have they fallen.

Many point to changing times and mindsets. Some say it is the lack of places to go. It is most likely the combination of several different influences, but one thing that we do know that causes a drop in license sales is the cost of those licenses.

Every single time TWRA raises license fees sales of licenses drop. In fact, when looking at license increases, TWRA automatically builds in a factor for a drop in license sales, and they are usually correct in their estimates. In fact, TWRA has some of the highest priced licenses in the southeast. Just ask a deer hunter or a fisherman…they can tell you faster than anyone.

But why is any of this important?

It is vitally important because nearly all of TWRA’s $70 million budget is paid by sportsmen and women. TWRA receives no general fund dollars. In Alabama, hunting and fishing licenses are cheaper than Tennessee, but why?....because Alabama’s wildlife agency collects some of their revenue from the general tax funds of their state.

Solutions?

So are we saying that TWRA needs general fund tax dollars to help its budget?

Not if the purpose is to grow TWRA into a larger state bureaucracy! In these revenue strapped times, we must be certain that TWRA is functioning as efficiently as possible. Increasing revenues without taking a thorough look at the agency and its functions would be highly irresponsible.

In contrast, the WILDLIFE resources of the state of Tennessee and the recreational users of the state of Tennessee need additional funds invested in our fish and wildlife resources to ensure their health and sustainability. We need to be able to lower license fees for sportsmen and women while still providing for habitat management and the myriad of other functions TWRA provides across the state. These objectives, even after assuring that TWRA is operating lean and efficiently, will require more revenue than the agency currently has available.

Does this mean that TWRA should receive some general fund tax dollars from the General Assembly to accomplish this goal – ABSOLUTELY!

And again we need to ask, why is this important?

Unfunded Mandate

TWRA’s legislatively mandated mission states that the Agency “shall place first and foremost the welfare of the wildlife and its environment”. While the code does acknowledge hunting and fishing, it also specifies TWRA to manage for ALL wildlife species.

Thus, TWRA is charged with managing all wildlife for the benefit of Tennessee’s citizens while only a small portion of the citizenry is paying all the bills.

Tennessee sportsmen and women contribute approximately $100 million is state sales, gas and motel taxes each year to the general fund of Tennessee. They are the ones supporting the $2.4 billion outdoor industry in our state. But none of these revenues are returned to the TWRA.

So if you are managing TWRA, as does the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission, and your costs of doing your business continues to soar, and your primary revenue stream is declining – what are you left to do? Cut spending.

And this is what has been done. TWRA has cut some $4.7 million from their 2009-2010 fiscal year budget. Are some of the cuts warranted? - yes. Is this process healthy in some aspects? – yes. Are some of the cuts going to hurt the Agency and its ability to meet its mission? – yes. Is the long-term future effectiveness and stability of the agency at risk? – YES!

Next Steps

In 2007, the Tennessee Wildlife Federation began requesting that the TWRA conduct a review of the agency for three purposes (1) review and ensure that the Agency is meeting is legislative mandate in managing Tennessee’s wildlife for our citizens, (2) review and validate that functions of the Agency are being maintained in an efficient and effective manner and (3) provide these review results to the public and elected officials

Early in 2008, the TWRA Commission did in fact order a third-party functional review of the Agency. This review will conducted this fall and will conclude in January 2009. The Federation will be working as a stakeholder in the review process. It is our hope that this review will once again confirm that our wildlife and natural resources managed by TWRA are worthy of investment by the General Assembly.

Now is the time to plan for the future of our wildlife agency. We hope you will join us in ensuring the next 30 years are as productive as the past 30 have been.

Please check our publications and www.tnwf.org of regular updates.