Bill's column turned my self-deluded placid world upside down when I read about the funding abuse and how we fared in the national ranking of resource protection. DGIF's effort to get ahead of their workload on a beer wallet for years, aided by vigilant citizen, put me at ease. I thought that Bill and his team were on the road to financial independence, removed from politics & hidden agendas. Then, to compound my dissolution on January 21, you could imagine my surprise when Tayloe Murphy (Sec. Natural Resources, Bill's boss) confirmed with vigor everything Bill has been trying to tell us, in his gentleman's way, for years.

Hear me out: Tayloe is responsible for 8 agencies concerned with environmental & resource management. The recent budget reduction efforts have shaved over 22% of its funding, including over 50% from the General Fund. He, like Bill said in his column, is distressed by the fact that Virginia ranked dead-last, at 50, of all the states in the amount of money it spends on management of natural resources.

So get this: in support of his concern, Tayloe cited that 69% of the voters in the November election were in favor of the general obligation bond referendum for parks. This was a higher percentage vote of confidence than any other question to the voters of all time. He then stated that the only 2 areas of substantive law covered in our Constitution are natural resource conservation & education (referring to the Articles which set forth the policy to protect its air, land & resources from degradation). Why bother asking us voters for advice and direction if the answer, which may as well have been on the Goodyear blimp, is ignored?

Tayloe & Bill need our help. They are trying to build a coalition of support to bring funding to higher level. His goal is to have that support by the time the April Governor's Natural Resource Summit convenes. That summit will bring together people from all across the Commonwealth with varying perspectives on natural resource protection. I was moved when he bluntly said, "we are tied to the land". That simple statement has been used & forgotten for centuries.

For the purpose of the April Summit, one good start is to support efforts aimed at restoring incentive programs to a workable level. These incentive programs reimburse users for the extra money they spend to conform to regulations. Incredible cutbacks in Soil & Water Conservation Districts have seriously wounded these programs. There was a farmer in the group at Tayloe's presentation who said he has been planting protective cover for years at the direction of the DCR. There is not a dime left to reimburse him for the $6,000 it will cost him. You can see where this is going.

Citizen support groups spent months to aid and influence legislators to protect license fees (boating, fishing & hunting) from the grubby hands of the Great Unwashed 2 years ago. We did a pretty good job on that one. We were all instrumental in convincing Congress, the Senate and the White House to approve the landmark Farm Bill this year. The will of the people was heard across the country, with Virginia, Richmond excluded I guess, way out in front of the class.

One question keeps raising it’s head: What about raising fees to help the deficit? Tayloe said that legislators typically view fee increases as substitutes, not a supplement. The ripple effect on that idea would probably reduce an agency's share of the General Fund even further.

Finally, my request: we have done this before. I cannot believe we have to elevate the consciences of our legislature, but we do. This problem is so easy to fix. How? Get on your PC or write a simple letter to your delegate, senator & Mark Warner. The Governor needs to hear the 69% scream at him for a second time. He understands numbers & that, as I said, percentage represents the biggest confidence vote on record. Mark also understands investments. Especially early stage, grass roots investments. What other investment is there that is more important than our habitat and education? Our Forefathers figured this out a long time ago. Habitat investments will always be an early stage investment, no matter how much we commit to. The investment is a hedge on a bet that we made for our families, tied to the land.
Write TODAY, “If a deed is worth doing, it is best done quickly.” Macbeth.

Gov. Mark Warner
P.O. Box 1475
Richmond, VA 23218-1475

Senator John H. Chichester
P.O. Box 904
Fredericksburg, VA 22404-0904

Delegate Albert C. Pollard, Jr.
P.O. Box 277
Irvington, VA 22480-0277