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Show WILDLIFE -2? REPORT UTAH STATE DIVISION OF jf I VC 4sXJ WILDLIFE RESOURCES Vf&Sr. There was strong indication that the purpose for requiring requir-ing the gap would still be met with the 316 spread and the 30 feet exposed bait rule. Any trapper using bait to take carnivors must set his trap at least 30 feet from any exposed ex-posed bait. Essentially, the rule was established to pro-tion. pro-tion. Utah Seining and Falconry Falcon-ry Proclamations were placed plac-ed on a calendar -year basis. The Board approved a recommendation rec-ommendation that would initiate ini-tiate the first stages of a pheasant habitat improvement improve-ment program in an effort to encourage farmers to produce pro-duce more habitat for the game birds. It was announced that a fee schedule for duplicate permits per-mits and licenses was being studied and would.be finalized final-ized soon. An emergency closure of the old Remington Arms land at 2100 South and 5600 West In Salt Lake County was announced an-nounced to the Board by Division Di-vision of Wildlife Resources Director, John E. Phelps. The area was closed to the discharge of rifles and pistols pis-tols except .22 rifles used under direct supervision of certified hunter safety instructors in-structors in qualifying hunter hunt-er safety classes. It was deemed an emergency conservation con-servation and safety measure. mea-sure. NEW WATERS Baker Reservoir (Wayne County), West Locomotive Pond (Box Elder County), and Oak Creek Reservoir (Millard County) will be open to fishing in 76 after being closed during '75 due to chemical treatment. Fishing Fish-ing In Duchesne County on the Strawberry River from Soldier Creek Dam downstream down-stream to Red Creek will be open from July 15 through September 15 Instead of July 1 through August 1. Lake Canyon Lake (Duchesne County) will be open from January 1 through February 29 and from December 1 through December 31. and wildlife programs to industry $$$ losses. That stopped the movement. Hunters pay more for conservation than any group in the country. Most of the nonhunting public doesn't know this. Until . they do, the sport of hunting hunt-ing is in real danger. You can help to get the word across by sewing a richly embroidered 4-inch 4-inch "HUNTERS PAY FOR CONSERVATION" patch on a favorite jacket and putting a matching decal on your car and also by spreading the facts you'll read in the following brochure. - Order the HUNTERS PAY FOR CONSERVATION CONSERVA-TION kit by sending $2 to NSSF's Literature Department, De-partment, 1075 Post Road, Riverside, Connecticut 06878. WILDLIFE BOARD MEETS The Utah Wildlife Board met in Garden City and established es-tablished the 1976 Aquatic Wildlife regulations. General Gen-eral fishing season will run from May 29 through Novem -ber 30. The May 29 opener coincides with the 1976 Memorial Me-morial Day weekend. Fishing regulations remain re-main essentially the same as in '75. Some changes, however, were made concerning con-cerning the commonly shared waters of Flaming Gorge, Bear Lake and Lake Powell. In addition, other changes were made regulating regulat-ing open and closed waters, the use of motors and the increase in the grayling limit lim-it to eight fish statewide. The Wildlife Board, in response re-sponse to discussion with Utah Trappers' Association representative, TonyKabon-lc, TonyKabon-lc, changed the permissible gap width on all traps used In Utah from 516 of an inch to 316 of an Inch. Utah trapping trap-ping laws require that a spacer be placed between the jaws of any trap using a bait. The spacer keeps the jaws from closing completely. with an option that would allow an individual recipient to assign his portion to a nonprofit corporation to be organized for the development de-velopment of areas for the benefit of all wildlife, game and nongame alike. Sportsmen interested In financially helping the cause of the suit against CBS can send contributions to MUCC Legal Defense Fund, Post Office Box 2235, Lansing, Michigan 48911. Hunters Sue CBS A great deal has been said, both pro and con, about CBS's television "doc-umentary"--"The Guns of Autumn"--and its follow-up "Echoes of the Guns of Autumn." The shows were; the cause for a steady flow of protest letters, including many from Utahns, concerning con-cerning the portrayal of American hunters and hunting in such negative light. Perhaps one of the most significant results of the shows is the action taken by the Michigan United Conservation Con-servation Clubs (MUCC). MUCC has sued CBS for $300 million. The Michigan group contends in its suit that "... each and every sport game hunter within the State of Michigan . . . has been ridiculed and endeavored en-deavored to be placed in dis -repute and has been and is embarrassed" by the contents and portrayal of hunting activities in the film. CBS, according to MUCC originally contacted the club and asked them to cooperate in the filming of a "hunting documentary for use in connection con-nection with the Bicentennial National Celebration," a documentary that was supposed sup-posed to present a portrait of sport hunting in the United States in a factual and fair manner. The members and officers of MUCC did help in the filming of discussions of the positive aspects of sport hunting and the role of man as a natural -born predator footage that was obviously, to those who saw the film, edited. MUCC claimed in its suit that there was a conspiracy between Cleveland Amory--a prominent antihunting figure, television critic and codesigner of the documentary doc-umentary and CBS "to portray por-tray the Michigan hunter in the worst possible light, making htm appear a malicious, unfeeling killer and despoiler of wildlife," resulting in slander and libel with malice. The suit claimed $100 million in actual damages and $200 million in "exemplary "ex-emplary and punitive damages." The petition sought an order to equitably distribut the damages among the state's hunters Tax 'Em All The Wildlife Management Manage-ment Institute has proposed pro-posed to Congress a plan to tax nonhunting non-fishing non-fishing users to public wildlife lands in order to raise funds to protectexpand protectex-pand habitat. Most of the financial burden now rests on hunters, anglers; about 12 million who use lands regularly are unlicensed un-licensed birders, campers, camp-ers, photographers, skiers, ski-ers, hiders, picnickers and touristsvacationers. touristsvacation-ers. The WMI proposal would tax all who enjoy wildlife; potential revenue rev-enue sources include excise ex-cise taxes on recreational vehicles, tents, sleeping bags, lanterns, skis, bird seed, scuba gear, binoculars, binocu-lars, cameras, film. Other possible sources include: strip mine royalties, royal-ties, zoo admissions, non returnable bottles, public land building permits, recreational stamps issued to non-hunters non-hunters and nonflsher-men, nonflsher-men, surcharge on public land timber sales; even, perhaps, a $1 checkoff on federal and state Income In-come taxes. The program could yield $149.6 million annually and fund a $40 million matching grant-in-aid nongame wildlife habitat program. A stop-hunting movement move-ment gained strength in Pennsylvania more than a decade ago. ...until the governor announced he would agree to a hunting ban, provided those who supported it would pay for the financial losses such a move would entail everything from fish |