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Show WILDLIFE REPORT By Jon Leatham J "1 J KJ Conservation Officer The 41st Utah State Legislature acted on several se-veral bills that will affect af-fect Utah's wildlife during dur-ing the session which ended March 13. Of primary importance import-ance was Senate Bill 292 which provides for an increase in-crease in hunting and fishing license fees and a general fundappropri-ation. fundappropri-ation. The bill passed both houses but has not yet been acted on by Govern Calvin L. Ramp-ton. Ramp-ton. License fee changes provided in the bill would affect residents and nonresidents non-residents alike. First, resident fee changes: Persons age 12-15 would pay $3.50 for a fishing license, up from $2; anglers ang-lers age 16-64 would pay $8, up from $5; and licenses for persons 65 and over would be $4, an increase of $2. The big game license would go from $5 to $7. Small game licenses for persons age 16 and over would cost $6, compared to the present $4.50. while those for persons age 12-15 would cost $3, up from $2.50. Combination Combi-nation licenses would increase in-crease from $10 to $18. Additionally, trapping licenses would cost $10, up from $6; and guide's licenses would go from $20 to $40. License agents' ag-ents' fees would increase in-crease from 15 cents to 30 cents. Falconers will not see an increase in fees but will now purchase a $10 license instead of a $10 certificate of registration. registra-tion. Among non-residents, only fishermen would be affected by the increase. The season fishing li cense would go to $25, while the five-day license li-cense would be $7.50. The $2.50 two-day license li-cense would be modified modi-fied to a $2 one-day license. li-cense. The bill includes a recommendation that "future appropriations from the (ieneral Fund be based on studies of needs of the Division and not past years' appropriations." ap-propriations." The general gen-eral fund appropriation in the bill is for $1.2 million. Other important changes chan-ges made in the bill include in-clude a license year of January 1 to December 31. It has been February ' 1 to January 31 the last several years. If signed by the Governor, Gov-ernor, the increase would up the Division's license revenue by an estimated 26 per cent. The revenue increase would be the Division's second since 1953, the last one being in 1967. In other action, the Legislature passed and the Governor signed House Bill 26, which provides amendments to the Wildlife Resources Code of Utah. The bill grants the Wildlife Board authority to add to the protected list any-endangered any-endangered or threatened threaten-ed species of wildlife as defined by the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973. The Board's action, however, must be confirmed by the Legislature Legis-lature in its next general session. The bill adds the Canada Can-ada ly nx and snow shoe hare to Utah's list of protected species. It also provides the illegal taking of big game be changed from a Class B misdemeanor to a Class A misdemeanor. Assault upon a Division of Wildlife Wild-life Resources law enforcement en-forcement officer is also reclassified as a Class A misdemeanor. Finally, the bill allows the Wildlife Board to permit paraplegics to hunt from vehicles but under strict rules and regulations to be specified speci-fied by the Board. A provision to regulate regu-late taxidermists was removed from the bill. |