The Golden Eagle Passport includes BLM, USFWS, TVA, NPS, USFS, and USBR as honoring the annual pass. I paid $65. That may be as close as we get to coverage of federal areas. A federal duck stamp also can be used for entrance to National Wildlife Refuges that charge an entry fee. And there are many refuges that charge a fee and do not allow hunting.

The State areas are split up, especially now that some of the former State Parks are operated by private vendors and do not accept the State Parks pass. A single State fee would certainly be welcomed as well.

Merry Christmas all.

Randy Hill
Othello
----- Original Message -----
From: Gary Bletsch
To: Tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2003 9:25 PM
Subject: Re: Birding Stamp


Dear Tweeters,

I cannot decide whether I agree or disagree with the notion of fee-paying to watch birds. However, assuming that birders must pay, I do wish that they could pay a single fee, say a hundred bucks a year or so, and get access to state wildlife areas, state parks, and national parks and forests.

Most birders make a lot of short visits to these places. Many of us tend to ignore things like giant stone carvings of presidents, gift shoppes, picnic areas, interpretive signs, and the like. We tend to search for the Blue-wattled Sparrowlet, make a note about whatever other birds (and other animals and plants) are present, and then move on. I suspect that this sort of activity is different from that of most other users--most non-birders would not make a ten-minute stop at a state park.

Right now I have a ten-dollar yellow sticker for game department lands, a fifty-dollar green plastic windshield sticker for state parks, and a seldom-used cardboard mirror-dangler (the price of which I cannot remember) for certain USFS lands. I'd rather have just one sticker (or dangler) --a "birding license!" The monies could be divvied up among the various agencies that recognize it. Plus, some artist could be commissioned each year to design it.

Good birding and Happy Holidays!







Yours truly,

Gary Bletsch

near Lyman (Skagit County), Washington

garybletsch at yahoo.com



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