Like a lot of folks, I don’t really remember the first fish I ever caught. I’m sure there’s a yellow Polaroid of it somewhere, me standing on a dock in cutoff jeans and a striped tank top, holding a Zebco in one hand and a little sunfish in the other.
Or perhaps that picture is only in my mind, indelibly impressed alongside the gap-toothed grin of my youth.
It seems I lived that moment many times as a child, on one dock or another, dunking worms in different lakes and learning to love the outdoors as I grew. No one bothered to explain who was responsible for putting that dock there, or for that matter those fish, and it never really occurred to me to ask.
I just kept putting worms on the hook and watching those sunnies take the bait.
And like most kids, I didn’t know if I was fishing in a state park, a state wildlife area, a private pond or a public lease. I never considered the politics of fish and game management, or knew such a thing even existed. I just knew I was fishing, and loving it. So much so that I’m still doing it today.
Of course, these days there’s no escaping the politics of wildlife, certainly not here in the West anyway. Who manages what, why it’s done a particular way and how it’s all paid for are part of an elaborate government system that has evolved over more than a century and is on the brink of a radical paradigm shift.
Last week, Gov. John Hickenlooper announced his intention to merge Colorado’s 113-year-old Division of Wildlife with the financially frazzled Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation. The July 1 union has been decried by some sportsmen as a shotgun wedding of divergent cultures, personalities and purposes. There’s concern over potential confusion in the identity, funding and mission of each organization, and to some degree, rightfully so.
A smooth transition will take time, effort and intelligence. But that’s not to say nothing positive can emerge from this merger. To the contrary, the reorganization of these two essential outdoors agencies has a greater potential to enhance Colorado wildlife.
First, the details.
In the face of continuing budget cuts and financial shortfall that could lead to the closure of multiple state parks, Gov. Hickenlooper is drafting a bill this week co-sponsored by Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass Village, and Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, that combines the two agencies.
Both agencies fall under the Department of Natural Resources, with a fair amount of administrative overlap. With 39 of 42 state parks offering fishing opportunities and 32 offering some hunting, the notion is that wildlife revenues can be directed to parks for expenditures that primarily benefit wildlife habitat, wildlife viewing or other wildlife-related pursuits.
A second bill will be introduced in 2012 to modify existing statutes and address the more specific measures necessary for the new division to implement its programs. In the meantime, employees will be asked to help develop the new organizational structure, including a single board of commissioners that will establish policy for both agencies.
Several other states operate combined parks and wildlife agencies, most notably our Western and Midwestern neighbors in Nebraska, Kansas, Montana and Texas.
It is also worth noting that Colorado has been down this road as well. In 1963, a similar merger established the now-defunct Game, Fish and Parks Department in an effort to give the fledgling State Parks agency a financial boost. After less than a decade, the two parted ways.
But times have changed. The budget landscape has altered and Colorado state parks now attract some 12 million annual visitors. The current cast of characters, ranging from Gov. Hickenlooper on down to DNR director Mike King and DOW director Tom Remington, is committed to this rekindled union with recognition that those parks are simply too valuable to lose.
With a budget about half that of the DOW’s $101 million this year, certainly the state parks side of the equation stands to reap the greater financial gain in the short term — and which DOW services might be lost in the process are still to be determined.
But perhaps less obvious is the intangible overlap between parks and wildlife that ultimately benefits sportsmen over the long haul. It’s impossible to put a price tag on the “entry-level” experience of a kid catching his or her first fish off the dock of a lake. But multiply that value times 39 and carry the one to infinity.
The future of fishing and field sports begins at places like Cherry Creek and Spinney Mountain state parks. Eventually, those budding outdoorsmen cultivated through a vibrant and diverse park system mature into the next generation of passionate Colorado sportsmen.
Without that opportunity, who knows what will happen?
If this new marriage provides that ability to create a passion in its offspring for all things wild, then it’s surely a success.
Scott Willoughby: 303-954-1993 or swilloughby@denverpost.com
