Wildlife fund loan could cost state millions in federal money
Matt Weiser
Sacramento Bee
02/12/2009
State officials have been warned that California could lose millions in federal funds if they shift revenues out of the Department of Fish and Game to ease the state budget crisis.
The Schwarzenegger administration has proposed borrowing $30 million from the Fish and Game Preservation Fund, which comes from hunting and fishing license fees, as one of many measures to balance a huge state budget deficit. The money would be paid back to the fund by 2013, with interest.
That money is supposed to be used for wildlife and law enforcement programs at the Department of Fish and Game, not the state general fund.
In a Jan. 27 letter to the state, the regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said California could lose another $30 million in federal matching funds for wildlife programs if such a loan takes place.
"We are deeply concerned about any proposal to remove hunting and fishing license revenues from the Department of Fish and Game Preservation Fund," Ren Lohoefener wrote in the letter, which was triggered by The Bee's Jan. 17 story on the issue.
Lohoefener's letter was addressed to California Department of Fish and Game Director Don Koch.
He explained that California's ability to receive federal wildlife matching funds depends on honoring legal agreements between the two agencies. Those agreements forbid using state and federal hunting and fishing license money for non-wildlife expenses.
H.D. Palmer, deputy director of the state Department of Finance, said the administration has not yet responded to the letter and hopes to discuss it with the Fish and Wildlife Service.
He said the administration believes that because the money would be paid back and because it is claimed to have no immediate impact on Fish and Game programs, it would not violate the legal agreements.
"It's not a diminution of any program, and that's why we want to talk to the Fish and Wildlife Service," Palmer said.
The money is a relatively small sum compared with the state's overall deficit, about $40 billion by June 2010 without major revenue and spending fixes.
Yet it's a lot of money for state wildlife programs, which have suffered regular program cuts for many years.
The subject came up at last week's meeting in Sacramento of the Fish and Game Commission, a panel appointed by the governor.
Game wardens, who number just 200 in the field for the entire state, were not given the same exemption to furloughs that the governor granted to California Highway Patrol officers.
The commission called this unacceptable and voted to write a letter to the governor urging him to exempt wardens from furloughs.
"We desperately need to protect our wild environment and our critters out there, and I would be very disappointed if our wardens were cut in any way," said Commissioner Richard Rogers of Carpinteria.
The commission also took steps to trim its own expenses.
Monthly meetings normally rotate around the state so people in different regions can attend. The two-day meetings normally occur on Thursday and Friday...
