Upland Bird Dog: Pointing bird dogs and upland birds

Several people who read my "Ill Wind Blowing"article in the January 29, 2000 American Field issue have contacted me for advice on how this affects them and how best to defeat the FWS action. Similar articles or letters-to-the-editor have appeared or will shortly appear in Pointing Dog Journal, Retriever Journal, Field Trial Magazine and elsewhere. If you don't subscribe to The Field, the "Ill Wind Blowing" piece is a more polished version of a memo sent to Michigan sportsmen on January 10, 2000 and also to several message boards. Check your archives for copy. I've reproduced below a private memo sent to Virginia field trialers last week, updating them on the Michigan situation. Without going into detail here, accept my experienced word that whatever happens in Michigan sets a binding precedent for the rest of the country's Pittman-Robertson WMAs. USFWS picked Michigan for this trial ban because virtually no horseback trials are held on its P-R areas. All Michigan horseback trials are held on park grounds, leading FWS to believe that no one in Michigan would care enough to organize an effective fight against them. They may be right. First hand information from Michigan is included in Virginia update. I'm sorry to say that, as bad as this is, it's the best news that I can share with you.

As you are aware, the USFWS in December 1999 forced the cancellation of all field trials at four Michigan WMAs which had received Pittman-Robertson funds. This followed the similar closure of Green River WMA, Illinois in 1998. As an update, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is encouraging its state's sportsmen to politically support a compromise which would trade other state land to the USFWS's control for the continued trial use of the disputed lands. I am doing everything I can to kill this "deal." The four Mi. units are relatively small acreages compared to Michigan's Ionia, Gladwin and Highland trial grounds which have never received P-R funding. In addition, no horseback trials are held on the four in dispute. Michigan also seems to feel it has a surplus of state park land. My chief concern is that Virginia and other states can't live with this precedent even if those in Michigan feel they can. USFWS has conceded Ohio's Killdeer is next and I'd bet even money today that by next year this anti-trialing measure will have spread to USFWS Region 5 controlling Maryland/Virginia.

For us in Virginia, in order to continue to field trial at Amelia 2,217 acres Chickahominy 5,218 Dick Cross 1,400 Phelps 4,540 We'd have to get 13,375 acres of other state land transferred to the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries for USFWS's ultimate control, while getting USFWS to accept that the substitute acreage has the wildlife habitat and recreational equivalent of our four field trial WMAs. A strict accounting system would then be required to see that no P-R funds were used to maintain Amelia, Chickahominy, et al. I don't see that trialers have the muscle to push this though Richmond and consider the whole scheme a pipe-dream. MDNR is asking for a year's postponement of the P-R death order to get this accomplished there. My gut instinct and 25 years in Washington says fight, don't take this deal.

1) As you field trial, test, or go to banquets during this next trial season, post my Field article and this note on your club house's wall for others to read.

2) Follow the Field article's advice, i.e. Write, E-mail and call your state delegate, Governor, Congressman and Senators.

b) It's your money USFWS is threatening to withhold from your state's game department.

c) Your state's game department knows what's best for its wildlife, not some federal bureaucracy.

d) Most importantly, you want your firearm, ammo and archery equipment excise states held in your state, not sent to Washington. At the very least you'll save the 8% that USFWS skims as its administrative fee.

3) If you are truly concerned about this USFWS action and its movement towards you and your sport you can get more involved in the fight to kill it before it spreads further. A small group of dedicated sportsmen, inside and outside of Michigan are attempting to influence what happens there. The group cuts across breed lines, representing AKC and AFTCA trialers, riders and walkers, AKC and NAVHDA testers and just plain bird hunters. Currently, we under-represent UKC dog owners, working retriever people and beaglers. Our efforts to date, to be frank, have been only minimally successful. This is a tough nut to crack; fighting the federal government always is. People, who think they have everything under control, tend to resent outsiders unsolicited input, much like families struggling with a problem that they don't want discussed outside the house. That's the situation in Michigan today. I'm retired from a job that gave me expertise to understand what needs doing here. I've taken this on full- time; I'm not getting paid or even having my expenses covered. Our group's only dues are your willingness to work and support the response most likely to defeat USFWS. We don't need watchers, but workers. Membership roles are open.

Those with the contacts, please cross-post to other pointing breed, working retriever and general field dog message boards.