Camp Roberts Hunting Program - Bad News For Fishermen.
Will Camp Roberts also stay closed for hunting?
For more than 30 years Camp Roberts was one of the military reservations on Department of Defense land that gave access for fishing and hunting. The program was administered in cooperation with the California Department of Fish and Game.
Two environmental protection groups filed a law suit in 2006 against this and many other stocking program for most of California claiming that the environmental impact of stocking waters on Camp Roberts was not evaluated properly. In late 2008 a Superior Court Judge issued an order preventing DFG from stocking fish until the Environmental Impact Report is completed. Completion of the report is expected to occur in early 2010.
The hunting and fishing program for Camp Roberts is consequently seriously impacted. No fish stocking will take place until the report is completed and the court order rescinded. It is unclear from the official announcement on the Camp Roberts hunting and fishing line whether the hunting program is also closed.
A Press Release does not mention the hunting program. The DFG website makes reference to the stocking program but does not specify whether the hunting program will be in operation during 2009. The full text of the press release with a link to the water still being stocked is here: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/news08/08131.html. I will explore the matter further and report on my findings as soon as possible.
This is another example of how certain interest groups attempt to eliminate fishing and hunting by using environmental concerns or species conservation as an excuse for shutting down entire hunting and fishing opportunities. As one of the results we will see the wild pig population in California grow and expand even faster. That is of course good for business interests in the aviation and pest eradication industries. Let us see whether environmental concerns and law suits will stop the helicopters and the 'shooters' eradicating wild pigs from the air.
PJJ
2 comments:
pjj, you got it wrong entirely. I am familiar with this lawsuit and I am an active pig hunter. I've hunted Camp Roberts specifically for years, even won a draw for opening day last year. And you categorically got it wrong on this issue.
First, the lawsuit had nothing to do with pig or pig hunting, or even fishing for that matter. It had to do with DFG's complete failure, despite having years to do so, to consider the impacts on other wildlife before stocking fish. This is basic conservation: think, plan, and set limits before you start affecting wildlife, so you ensure the next generation will enjoy the bounty we have.
Second, this has NO impact on the hunting program at Camp Roberts. NONE. It also had no impact on Camp Roberts access for fishing: It was Camp Roberts decision alone to cut off access, not a result of DFGs planning failures. The only restriction was on stocking, and if Camp Roberts messed up their streams and reservoirs so much that fish can naturally regenerate there, that should be the source of your outrage.
Third, you are mixing the animal rights movement and the environmental movement. No individual in the environmental movement wants to stop pig hunting. If you want to keep pig hunting alive in CA as I do, you should start building bridges with the environmental and conservation movement, rather than burning them. If you don't I can guarantee you we will all lose our hunting rights in California: that's what the animal rights movement is waiting for, to divide and then conquer us.
Good comment. I am aware that the law suit affects the stocking of fish and not hunting. However, the taped information did not mention hunting. And I was wondering whether there would be a hunting program this year. The announcement could have, and should have, mentioned at least in a short sentence that hunting is not affected.
As for the rest of the comment, I will reply in detail when I have a little more time.
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