Local wildlife coalition lobbies for sportsmen

Your opinion was successfully recorded. Thank you for participating in your government.”

That acknowledgment came shortly after I submitted my opinion on a bill introduced in the Nevada Legislature that if passed would affect hunting opportunity in the state. All I had to do was click a radio button, and my vote was logged in. This is a new feature for the current legislative session and the means for expressing your view on a particular bill. You also can add comments explaining your position on the bill by following the “Share Your Opinion with Your Legislators” link at leg.state.nv.us.

A good old-fashioned letter probably carries more weight in Carson City, but this route is definitely more convenient.

Why do you outdoor types need to be aware of this? Because the legislative session is just beginning, and at some point during the next few months, your elected officials will consider legislation that might affect your ability to pursue outdoor- or firearm-related interests.

Senate Bill 82, for instance, would designate the black bear as a protected mammal in Nevada and specifically prohibit the State Board of Wildlife Commissioners “from authorizing the hunting of black bears,” which currently is legal.

This bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources, which introduced the bill, on the session’s first day. Not surprisingly, comments from both sides of the opinion page are stacking up on this one.

Though most of the legislation targeting hunting and firearms has yet to be introduced, a list of Bill Draft Requests is available that is indicative of what might be waiting just around the legislative bend. What you see, however, is only a brief description, so it sometimes is difficult to discern the intent behind the request. The full text of the proposed legislation won’t be available to the public until the bill is introduced.

For example, according to its brief description, BDR C-586, submitted by Sen. Scott Hammond, R-Las Vegas, “makes various changes relating to hunting.” BDRs 745 and 746 come from the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources, Agriculture and Mining. The first “revises provisions governing wildlife,” and the latter “revises provisions governing conservation and hunting.” And BDR 45-450 “revises provisions related to trapping of wild animals.” This one is credited to Sen. David Parks, D-Las Vegas.

As you can see, that is not much to go on, so it would behoove those interested in learning the intent of the legislation and following its progress to become familiar with the legislature’s website and all it offers.

Out of concern for what the current and future legislative sessions might hold for hunters, trappers and firearms enthusiasts, numerous outdoor and conservation groups have created the Southern Nevada Coalition for Wildlife. According to Mike Reese, a driving force behind the creation of the SNCW, the organization’s purpose is to provide the avenue through which sportsmen’s groups and individuals can have their voices heard.

As a 501.C4 organization, the coalition has the ability to lobby for wildlife, conservation and sportsmen’s issues, Reese said, but that’s not the organization’s only purpose. Those who belong to it also want to educate and inform political and other interests so they can make informed decisions regarding wildlife and our outdoor heritage. More information is available at southernnevadacoalitionforwildlife.org.

Freelance writer Doug Nielsen is a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His “In the Outdoors” column, published Thursday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NDOW. Any opinions he states in his column are his own. He can be reached at intheoutdoorslv@gmail.com.