MLD - New proposed fees for MLD properties

[M16]

It’s to hire biologists to help people that need/want assistance.

The program is way bigger than it used to be and it stretches the existing staff to the limit.

Then charge a fee for using a state biologist. Why should those who don’t use one have to pay?

[lovemylegacy]

Whats gonna be neat is when TPWD deems it mandatory for all leased property to be MLD, thus forcing whatever fee they charge on the hunters. If a lot of leases opt out, like ours has, wouldn't surprise me if they will make it mandatory.

[Encinal]

Then charge a fee for using a state biologist. Why should those who don’t use one have to pay?

Because you’re going to get a browse survey more regularly now and you still have custom Tailored harvest recommendations... oh and you get extra privileges over the harvest option.

Your presence in the program requires the eyes of a biologist to approve your use of the state resource.

Another way to look at it is, Why should everyone else’s sporting good tax have to pay for your free access to consultation and extra season privileges?

[lovemylegacy]

It’s to hire biologists to help people that need/want assistance.

The program is way bigger than it used to be and it stretches the existing staff to the limit.

We haven't seen our biologist since the initial year we started

[rut-ro]

Then charge a fee for using a state biologist. Why should those who don’t use one have to pay?

The same reason the people with no kids in school have to pay school taxes. Ya BS

[Montec man]

Because you’re going to get a browse survey more regularly now and you still have custom Tailored harvest recommendations... oh and you get extra privileges over the harvest option.

Your presence in the program requires the eyes of a biologist to approve your use of the state resource.

Another way to look at it is, Why should everyone else’s sporting good tax have to pay for your free access to consultation and extra season privileges?

Because we as MLD participants (on average), already spend substantially more than anyone else taking great care of deer that belong to the state. Those extra priveliges come at a price, which we already pay in our time and money spent taking care of the state's resource. Free access? Hardly

[BrokenJ]

Bunch of cry babies. It’s 300 bucks for a good program. Tpw biologists are stretched thin will allow for more hires in the future.

[Tye]

If they want to charge a fee, it should be a one time charge for ranches that are starting the program. There will be more time spent educating the landowner on habitat management, survey methods, setting up the info in the Twims site etc. Once that is done, there is usually little input needed from the biologist. Like most places,especially those that are HFed, the property owner will know more than a biologist that doesn’t frequent the property. Managing property for deer/habitat isn’t rocket science. If a rancher needs more help,than he can hire a private biologist/consultant.

On a side note, they can bring back the option to buy extra tags to help remove excess deer. The main reason why we are in the program is for the ease of removing numbers with fewer shooters and pushing up the rifle season to get a start on removing those numbers before the rut starts. We don’t use the “extended” season. We are usually done by the start of the next year.

[Hoss163]

Don’t most big ranches have there own biologist any way . That they pay out of there own pocket ? If that’s what the money is for to hire more biologists for the state .

[mmlreiner]

Yes! And this is basically what I told them when I sent in a response.

This.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[BrandonA]

Our biologist makes it an effort to come out to the ranch at least once a yr. She is always available to answer questions. $300 doesn't seem to bad for what we receive

[gingib]

We were told because we are in a WMA, the fee is $30 and not $300. This makes me happy.

[Shurshot]

I always wondered why the do the MLD for free.

[GalvestonWader]

This is my 12th year in the program. My biologist came out the first year and hasnt been back since...

The way I see it, is that we already spend a countless amount of time and money improving the habitat for wildlife. In return, we get state issued tags and an extended season to manage the deer herd. The program is technically free, but not really once you add up all the costs for the habitat improvements and management practices they require in order to get the tags and extended season.

I am against the proposed fee.

[SaltwaterSlick]

Our ranch has our own full time biologist. We fly the ranch (each individual lease out pasture), do our own surveys, turn in the numbers then have print our own tags... Our biologist takes our data, and inputs it into the TPWD computer system.... And last year was our first year in the Conservation program level of MLDP... So we got exactly ZERO help from the State's biologist other than an approval of our plan... which I guarantee you they never even reviewed... They just issues our tag numbers and we had to print them...


I will be voicing my opinion on the link below opposing it. I am pretty soured by our TPWD right now… The current Commission is just horribly run and managed. They are making decisions based on politics and good ol boy deals rather than sound science. Even their motto/mission statement at their headquarters that is painted on the wall of the main entrance in Austin, has been changed to remove the words “sound science” from it. Case in point, the whole gator gar issue, limiting them to one per day, with none from the Trinity River drainage over 4 feet without a lottery drawing… while science does not support it… Another, reducing the Spotted Seatrout recreational bag limit to 5/day while even their own biologists/scientists reported no need for the change… Yet another older one… allowing bowfishing for catfish, then taking it away without cause because not enough fishermen reported liking the ability to take catfish with archery equipment, and the CCA opposing it for no sound reason… (they opposed it because their fear is that Texas would migrate to any game fish with archery equipment like Louisiana has done for many years)…
Yet another older one… when the Commission was petitioned to review the minimum requirements for archery equipment for hunting deer and potentially reduce it because of improved efficiencies of current modern compound bows… they did not study it, support their at the time 40# minimum or produce anything… They just eliminated ALL energy/pound requirements for archery equipment to shoot deer!!! Not how dang stupid is that!!??
Naw, I ain’t for giving those arseholes one more cent. They flat do not deserve it. The money they’re getting is not wisely used now! And now they want to impose this fee not to just help the MLDP, but to cover CWD testing and administer that plan... Just read the email...


No sir, I'm against giving them one more red cent!!


OK , rant over… Return to normal now as I get off my soap box…



Here's the "clarification email some of us got...


Begin forwarded message:
information on MLD fee
From: Mark Lange <Mark.Lange@tpwd.texas.gov>
Date: December 11, 2019 at 11:08:26 AM CST
To: Mark Lange <Mark.Lange@tpwd.texas.gov>
Subject: Additional information on MLD fee
WMA Members,

You should have received an email from TPWD this morning regarding the proposed MLD fee. While it supplied the very basic information, I wanted to be clear on what that means to you as a WMA member. Below is a list of what you need to know about both the fee itself and why it is being proposed. I mentioned this at the fall meetings and we have also had a meeting with TPWD leadership and WMA leadership from here and surrounding counties to gather input on this.

• As a WMA member the proposed fee would be $30 per management unit. While most of you just have one management unit, there are some that have more than one and the fee would apply to each. Your LMA account will show your management units, basically if you log in and only print one set of tags you have 1 management unit. If you have to print different sets of tags for different properties, the fee would apply to each.
• The $300 fee mentioned in the email is for properties enrolled in the conservation option that are NOT in a WMA, so unless that applies to you disregard the $300 fee.
• The fee would be paid online via the LMA site before you print your tags.
• Planned to begin the 2021-2022
• While some think the $25 you pay currently is for the tags that is not at all true, TPWD gets none of that money. That money is used to supply the meals and venue for the meeting and support the WMA.
• The MLD program started in the late 90s with just a few hundred properties being enrolled. Fast forward to 2019 and we have about 12,000 properties enrolled. TPWD leadership has seen a need for more staff to handle the increasing workload on county biologists and when we look at what takes up a lot of our time the MLD program was high on that list. Over the last 20 years biologist have been tasked with more and more responsibilities including the growing MLD program, private lands prescribed fire program, the increasing interest in wildlife tax valuation landowner assistance, increased regulatory surveys, data collection for antler restriction monitoring, chronic wasting disease sampling, and the list goes on. Over that same time there have been NO new biologist positions added to handle the increasing demands for our time so we get stretched thin and that ultimately effects the quality of service we can provide. This area is very high in the number of enrolled properties in MLD so I feel confident that this fee would have an impact locally by getting additional staff here to better serve the area.
• Lastly it is important to keep in mind that the $30 you would pay to participate in the MLD program allows you the 5 months of antlerless harvest with MLD tags, as without you are limited to archery season or the 4 day doe season that began this year. So basically the $30 buys you 5 months of opportunity to harvest your doe.
• I encourage you to use the link to leave your feedback on the proposed fee, now is the time to voice an opinion so please do.

https://www.tpwd.texas.gov/business/feedback/public_comment/

Any other questions let me know.



Mark Lange
Texas Parks and Wildlife
Wildlife Biologist
Colorado/Austin Counties
1117 Travis Street
Columbus, TX 78934
Office 979-732-3458
Cell-979-484-2583
Fax-979-732-2997