FIFTY-SEVENTH WYOMING LEGISLATURE

APPROVED INTERIM COMMITTEE STUDIES

2004 INTERIM

JOINT TRAVEL, RECREATION, WILDLIFE AND CULTURAL RESOURCES INTERIM COMMITTEE

Initial Approved Budget: $20,000

Topic #1:            Alternative funding

(a)      Alternative funding for game and fish.  The department depends heavily on revenues generated from license and permit sales to fund its operations.  The Committee will review the possibility of alternative funding mechanisms to fund game and fish operations.

(b)      Alternative funding for state parks and cultural resources.  Again, the funding of department operations will be studied.  The Committee will review possible funding mechanisms including fees collected for admissions to and activities at state parks and sites.

Topic #2:            Recreational opportunities-increasing game populations

Concerns have been raised that lack of habitat and management of habitat areas have resulted in a decrease in recreational opportunities, especially with regard to hunting and fishing.  The Committee will study the issue of increasing game population through a variety of ways, including predator control and better management of habitat.

Topic #3:            Care and maintenance of state collections

The department of state parks and cultural resources, through the state museum and archives and the historical sites division, is in possession of millions of artifacts, documents and the like.  In addition, the department serves as a repository for federal documents and other collections.  The Committee will examine the possibility of expanding the facilities designed to house these items and the catalog process not only to protect the items but also to allow for public access to these important parts of Wyoming history.

Topic #4:            Enforcement of off-road recreational vehicle limitations

The Committee has been presented with testimony that the illegal use of off-road recreational vehicles has had a negative impact on land used for hunting and other recreational purposes.  Currently, game and fish personnel do not have the authority to enforce certain regulations relating to the use of off-road recreational vehicles.  The Committee will review the possibility of authorizing game and fish personnel to enforce these regulations while acting within the scope of their current duties and without expanding any authority to further regulate.