RESOLUTIONS
Each year the board of directors and general membership of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation vote and pass resolutions to express a stance on a particular issue.
RESOLUTIONS: 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003
2011 Resolutions
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers Proposed Clean Water Act Guidance/Rulemaking
WHEREAS, the Clean Water Act was enacted in 1972 in order to protect the nation’s waters from pollution, filling and destruction; and
WHEREAS, the scope of the Act was limited by the U.S. Supreme Court’s SWANCC (2001) and Rapanos (2006) decisions, resulting in loss of protection for millions of acres of previously covered wetlands and other waters; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers have issued Draft Guidance on Identifying Waters Protected by the Clean Water Act; and
WHEREAS, the draft guidance maintains protection for traditional navigable waters and interstate waters, wetlands adjacent to those waters, relatively permanent non-navigable tributaries to traditional navigable waters and wetlands that directly abut relatively permanent waters; and
WHEREAS, the draft guidance also offers protection for other tributaries and wetlands within a watershed that individually or collectively affect the chemical, physical or biological integrity of traditional navigable waters or interstate waters; and
WHEREAS, the draft guidance recognizes the importance of adjacent wetlands that do not have a hydrologic connection with covered waters in that these unconnected wetlands store floodwaters, pollutants and sediment that would otherwise degrade adjacent covered waters; and
WHEREAS, unconnected adjacent wetlands provide critical habitats for intermediate life history stages of some species inhabiting covered waters, thereby maintaining the biological integrity of covered waters; and
WHEREAS, the draft guidance recognizes that isolated, intrastate, non-navigable waters and wetlands that are not physically proximate to covered waters may in fact have a “significant nexus” to such covered waters and, if so, would receive protection as if they were proximate to the covered waters; and
WHEREAS, the draft guidance is based on well-established scientific principles that should promote consistent, timely and defensible decisions regarding the protection of our nation’s waters and the biological communities they support.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the North Carolina Wildlife Federation through affirmative action of its Board of Directors on July 13, 2011 commends the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers for proposing Draft Guidance on Identifying Waters Protected by the Clean Water Act that provide critical protection for our nation’s waters consistent with the provisions of the 1972 Clean Water Act and subsequent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, and that the agencies should finalize said Guidance and proceed with rulemaking to solidify water resources protections for wildlife and humans alike; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the North Carolina Wildlife Federation urges the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers to maintain and strengthen the protection of individual and collective waters not physically proximate to covered waters by ensuring that the determination of a “significant nexus” includes all aspects of hydrological and biological interactions between the waters.
Proposed Legislation for Consideration by the North Carolina General Assembly in the 2013 – 14 Session Related to Wanton Waste of Fisheries and Wildlife Resources and Fisherman Harassment in Coastal Waters
WHEREAS, the North Carolina Wildlife Federation has adopted a Sportsman Responsibility Doctrine that advances the principles of sportsmanship, fair chase, adherence to rules governing hunting and fishing, and responsible behavior toward our natural resources, other sportsmen, and landowners; and
WHEREAS, two bills, both of which have long term impact and merit on subject areas within the Sportsman Responsibility Doctrine, one on Wanton Waste of Fisheries and Wildlife Resources and the other on Harassment of Fishermen in Coastal Waters, were drafted but never introduced into the 2011-12 Session of the North Carolina General Assembly; and
WHEREAS, the first bill, entitled “Wanton Waste of Fisheries and Wildlife Resources”, would prohibit:
- Destroying or discarding fisheries or wildlife resources taken lawfully or unlawfully to:
- Avoid detection of the taking;
- Continue a harvesting activity beyond established bag limits; or
- “High-grade” the bag or creel limit by substituting one individual for another less desirable one already taken; and
- Dumping fisheries or wildlife resources or its remains on public lands or private lands when permission has not been obtained; and
WHEREAS, the second bill, entitled “Fisherman Harassment in Coastal Waters”, which is patterned after a similar law prohibiting interference with the taking of wildlife resources, would prohibit intentional interference with the lawful taking of marine or estuarine resources; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the North Carolina Wildlife Federation gathered at its Annual Meeting August 27, 2011 remains committed to these two bills and will work to have them reintroduced into the next session of the North Carolina General Assembly as part of the legislative agenda of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation. Copies of the draft bills are attached and made a part of this resolution.
Support for Science Based Management of Fox and Coyote
WHEREAS, the North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF) supports science-based management of all wildlife resources under the auspices of the WRC; and
WHEREAS, hunting of foxes is currently controlled on a county by county basis by local laws and coyotes are unprotected as a non-native and unwelcome nuisance animal detrimental to native species, neither of which situations facilitate the coordinated or effective management of either species; and
WHEREAS, the 2011-12 North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA) enacted a law (HB 775 / SL2011-380) requiring the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) to study fox and coyote populations in the state and to recommend measures to conserve fox populations while addressing the adverse effects of coyote populations; and
WHEREAS, said law states “The Wildlife Resources Commission shall undertake a study of fox and coyote populations in the State and recommend management methods and controls designed to ensure statewide conservation of fox populations while managing adverse effects of coyote populations.”
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the North Carolina Wildlife Federation gathered at its Annual Meeting August 27, 2011 hereby supports the designated study of fox and coyote populations and will follow closely the conduct and findings of the study with a view toward influencing the results to place the management of the fox and coyote under the control of the NCWRC the same as it is for all other game animals to be based upon sound and proven wildlife management and scientific principles and information to ensure that a native, healthy, and stable fox population continues to exist in the state.
Game Fish Status for Speckled Sea Trout, Red Drum, and Striped Bass
WHEREAS, the North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF) on May 8, 2010 enacted a Resolution entitled, “Marine Wildlife Conservation”, which places paramount importance on the proper and successful protection and management of North Carolina’s marine resources, and in this regard, calls upon marine resource management agencies at the state and national level to incorporate strong action plans and agendas in their management, regulatory, and enforcement policies and to develop and implement proactive and remedial management programs to ensure long-term sustainability of marine fauna and their habitats; and
WHEREAS, the speckled sea trout, red drum, and striped bass are superior sport fish in coastal waters of North Carolina and provide the majority of recreational angling in our state while bringing enormous value to local and state economies through expenditures of recreational anglers and creation of service and supply jobs to support the recreational fishing industry; and
WHEREAS, these three species of marine fish need special regulation and management to reach and maintain sustainable population levels, which can best be provided through management as game fish where commercialization is prohibited and taking is limited to hook and line; and
WHEREAS, these fish comprise less than two percent of the commercial fisheries landing annually in North Carolina and the total annual landing value of these fish is less than $2 million and great difficulty is encountered enforcing rules and maintaining sustainability of these fisheries when managed as commercial fish; and
WHEREAS, legislation to classify speckled sea trout, red drum, and striped bass as game fish in coastal waters was introduced into the 2011-12 North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA) as House Bill 353 and received strong support among legislators and from anglers across the state, but did not pass due to extraneous political factors unrelated to the merits of or support for the proposal; and
WHEREAS, the issue of classification of speckled sea trout, red drum, and striped bass as coastal game fish is among the several topics related to improved management and administration of our marine resources identified for study by the NCGA during the interim before the 2012 Session convenes in May, 2012;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the North Carolina Wildlife Federation gathered at its Annual Meeting this 27th day of August, 2011 will continue to strongly support strong, sound, and scientifically based regulation and management of our marine resources, especially those fisheries that are below sustainability levels and those marine habitats that are stressed. In this regard, the organization focuses upon the speckled sea trout, red drum, and striped bass and calls for their designation as coastal game fish as the most effective means of sustaining and managing these fish and recognizing the immense potential for creating a productive and attractive recreational fishery in eastern NC for the benefit of that region and the state as a whole and for the creation of jobs and stimulation of the economy; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the organization supports the Legislative Study of Marine Fisheries commissioned by the NCGA and plans to follow developments during and following this Study to identify issues and solutions coming from the Study for legislative change in the 2012 Session.
Management and control of feral swine in North Carolina
WHEREAS, the feral swine has been officially designated by the NC General Assembly as a troublesome animal in need of control and management by passage of House Bill 432 / SL 2011-369; and
WHEREAS, SL2011-369 provides for a $5,000 civil penalty to transport live swine without an official identification from the State Veterinarian and each illegally transported swine constitutes a separate offense and any swine transported without proper identification is presumed to be a feral swine subject to regulations by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC); and
WHEREAS, SL 2011-369 repeals the definition of wild boar as a game animal and replaces it with a definition for feral swine as a wild animal that includes all free-ranging members of the species Sus scrofa and requires a NC hunting license and wearing blaze orange to hunt feral swine and allows the use of bait to take feral swine; and
WHEREAS, SL 2100-369 prohibits removing live feral swine from any trap or transporting any live feral swine that has been unlawfully removed from a trap; and
WHEREAS, SL 2011-369 directs the WRC and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to develop plans and implement actions to reduce the growth and spread of feral swine populations and commensurate harm attributable to the presence and activities of feral swine; and
WHEREAS, feral swine present significant threats to the statewide port production industry through the transmission of harmful diseases to livestock, especially swine brucellosis and pseudo rabies, and the considerable financial investments that supports control of diseases; and
WHEREAS, feral swine compete with native wildlife and forage upon native plants and native wildlife, such as amphibians and ground nesting birds, causing damage to these resources and polluting streams, wetlands, and watersheds from their rooting feeding tactics; and
WHEREAS, the WRC has proposed rules to allow hunting feral swine as nongame animals without closed season or bag limits in an effort to control their numbers and spread.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the North Carolina Wildlife Federation in official session this 27th day of August, 2011, that the organization fully supports implementation and enforcement of the new law (SL 2011-369) with regulation by the Wildlife Resources Commission and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to strongly address the potential harm to the agriculture industry and the native biota and its habitats through the growth and spread of feral swine populations in NC.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the North Carolina Wildlife Federation will use its media resources and educational programs to highlight the destructive activities of feral swine and the degradation to native wildlife and plants from the introduction of this intrusive exotic species and encourage all landowners and sportsmen organizations to report any violations of this new law. |
