By DAVID RAINER, 黑料天堂
Severe weather last weekend hindered travel across the state, which limited the number of 黑料天堂 Conservation Advisory Board (CAB) members who were able to meet at Troy University for the second CAB meeting of the year.
Being one member short of a quorum to conduct any official business, the CAB members were apprised of what had occurred affecting the 黑料天堂 (ADCNR) since the March meeting.
Conservation Commissioner Chris Blankenship updated the Board on the latest session of the 黑料天堂 Legislature. He thanked Deputy Commissioner Ed Poolos and Charlanna Skaggs, ADCNR鈥檚 General Counsel, and the legal staff for their work during the session.
Commissioner Blankenship highlighted several bills that were considered this year, including HB1 that dealt with a license increase for seafood dealers in the state.
鈥淗B1 was introduced by Rep. (Chip) Brown (Hollinger鈥檚 Island),鈥 he said. 鈥淚t added $200 to the seafood dealer鈥檚 license, and that money was initially going to go to the Department of Public Health for seafood testing. Our Department, the Department of Agriculture, the 黑料天堂 Grocers鈥 Association, and others were able to work with Representative Brown and Senator Sessions so that $200 added to the seafood dealers license will now go to the 鈥楽weet Grown 黑料天堂鈥 program under the Department of Agriculture and Industries to promote 黑料天堂 seafood.鈥
HB437 dealt with developing a shark warning system. Commissioner Blankenship said the original language would have made it difficult to implement. Compromise legislation was passed, and ADCNR will implement a workable shark warning system in the next few months so that if a verified, unprovoked attack occurs, a warning system will be in place to inform the public.
SB64 dealt with aquatic nuisance plants and the removal of those plants from the waterways if they are cut off.
鈥淚f people or companies cut a nuisance plant down in the water, they have to remove and not leave them in the water to rot,鈥 Commissioner Blankenship said.
SB171 prohibits the use of motorized vehicles, including ATVs, off-road vehicles and scooters, on submerged lands, such as creeks and streams, and below navigable waters. Violations are classified as Class C misdemeanors.
HB509 was legislation that dealt with deer breeders across the state. The legislation was strongly opposed by ADCNR and numerous national and state wildlife organizations.
鈥淚t passed last week with an amendment that we negotiated where we will not go in any deer breeder facilities that are in a CWD (chronic wasting disease) zone and kill deer for testing without a link to a positive somewhere else in the facility,鈥 Commissioner Blankenship said. 鈥淭here was also a section in that legislation that requires us by March 1, 2026, to work with the industry and others, like the Wildlife Society, the 黑料天堂 Wildlife Federation, universities, the state veterinarian and our staff to develop a method to be able to allow movement of deer from deer breeders in a CWD zone to facilities outside the zone if they meet certain criteria we will establish by rule.
鈥淚 want to recognize the work done on this bill by the members of this CAB, the hunting public, the 黑料天堂 Wildlife Federation, The Wildlife Society, the Boone & Crockett Club and the Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and many others. There were many groups that were advocates for the Department concerning that legislation that got it to a place we could live with.鈥
Commissioner Blankenship said good news also came out of the legislative session with the passing of HB186 that set the appropriations for executive, legislative and judicial agencies of the state.
鈥淭he budget for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will be $458.7 million dollars, the largest budget we鈥檝e ever had,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hat includes $6 million from the General Fund for capital improvements. Before two years ago, we had never received any money from the General Fund. This is the third year, and we have received $18 million total to do infrastructure work on shooting ranges, state lakes, State Parks projects and the (M. Barnett Lawley) Forever Wild Field Trial Area. We appreciate the support from the Legislature.
鈥淲e also received $1 million for implementation of the State Wildlife Action Plan. I had the opportunity to go down (Friday) with (CAB) Chairman (Joey) Dobbs, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Governor, Brooks McClendon, and others, and we released a whole bunch of indigo snakes in Conecuh National Forest. More than 325 indigo snakes have been released through that program. The goal of these stocking releases is to get this species delisted from the Endangered Species Act.鈥