Todd, I understand yours and Lance's views on this. I'm just tossing out some ideas of things that might (or might not) work better in the future. Possibly it could be the non-game stamp thing without incorporating possession limits. While we would all rather not have to pay for anything more, I would much rather buy a non-game stamp for $25 every year instead of always having to battle issues like the current one and possibly be forking out even more money at times to help pay some lobbyist to wine and dine some politicans to see things our way. At least I know where my $25 is going when I buy a non-game/wildlife diversity stamp. Also, TP&W wardens are much more accustomed to working with hunting licenses and the various stamps that go with them than they are with permits. I'll lay you odds that the majority of wardens in Texas have never even seen one of the present permits.



I think we need to be looking at some long range resolution to the conflicts that we seem to be having with TP&W. These issues have been occuring since back in 1974 that I can recall. That was the year that they (TP&W) went through a bunch of price lists from reptile dealers and they added every Texas species that sold for more than about $30 to a protected list of herps that you could not collect, possess, sell or trade. There was no biological science or study involved in those decisions...just simply if it could be sold for more than $30 it got protected automatically. It took several years to get that mess undone. Similiar issues with TP&W have continued to crop up from time to time since then.



After the dust settles on this matter, I think we need to try to find a system that will work for both us and them that both sides can agre to commit to sipporting. For TP&W, if the non-game stamps are putting money into their wildlife diversity program I would think they would step up and support such a system. When you buy a hunting license that money goes into game programs not the wildlife diversity program. Perhaps we could find a way to do away with the bureaucratic record keeping associated with the current peremit system that is a pain for us and for them...we might not be able to do away with it for the commerical collectors, I dont know.



Anyway just brainstorming.
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Gerald Keown

Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research

www.southwesternherp.com

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