Safeguarding Minnesota’s Fishing Heritage:
Casting a Line at the Legislature to Protect our Waters and Fish Habitat
By Claire Robling
May 11, 2005
Last Saturday, thousands upon thousands of Minnesotans participated in an annual event that symbolizes the outstanding natural resources and quality of life we enjoy in our state: the annual Minnesota fishing opener.
Year after year we cast our lines, looking for that first walleye of the spring while enjoying the serenity and natural beauty our lakes and rivers offer.
Beyond the recreation and fresh air that fishing offers to so many of us, it is also a crucial element of our state’s economy. Each year, Minnesota over $400 million in retail sales attributable to fishing activities With Minnesota boasting the highest number of state fishing licenses per capita-I already have mine- it is especially crucial for us to protect our water quality and fish habitat that future generations will be able to enjoy their own fishing openers for years to come.
There are a number of initiatives at the Capitol this session to help preserve and enhance our state’s waters and wildlife. Though there are too many proposals to examine each individually, I thought it would be helpful to highlight a few of the most important.
The first, and perhaps the strongest, initiative to help maintain quality lakes and rivers is a proposal commonly referred to as the “3/16ths Amendment.” I have long supported this push to allow voters to amend the state Constitution to establish a dedicated funding stream for natural resources. Different funding levels have been debated, ranging from a fraction of one percent of all sales taxes to a higher percentage of sales taxes on sporting good purchases. If approved, the amendment would permanently earmark this money for outdoor improvements – such as game and fish habitat projects - throughout the state.
Another program with substantial ramifications for our state’s bodies of water is called the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, or CREP. The program, which began in 1998, has been successful in both restoring wetlands and reducing pollution by offering farmers an economic opportunity to retire their land from production. My husband and I enrolled some of our land in this program several years ago, and the seedling trees we planted are starting to grow to provide some nice wildlife habitat adjacent to wetlands. Due to the success of CREP, which began by targeting farmland in the Minnesota River basin, the program will now extend throughout the state to include land along the Red River in the north, as well as shoreline in central Minnesota along the Mississippi River.
Furthermore, as part of our state budget, we are investing additional money into shoreland preservation, lake management and fish stocking projects. Each of these individual proposals has a specific and measurable impact on our waters, wildlife and fishing industry.
The Legislature is also considering the “Clean Water Legacy Act,” a proposal designed to clean up surface water that is considered “impaired.” Since this is a major policy and fiscal initiative, it may take another year to work out the details of the provision, but I believe something should and will emerge to help ensure clean water for future generations.
As we enjoy another summer on the water, we should all do our part to help preserve our precious natural resources, demonstrate good sportsmen behavior and practice safe boating skills. As your State Senator, I will continue doing all I can to ensure that future generations will be able to follow in our footsteps, casting lines into each of the over 3.8 million acres of fishable waters we enjoy today.
Senator Robling is serving her 3rd term in the Minnesota Senate. She encourages and appreciates constituent input, and can be reached at (651)296-4123, by mail at 143 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155, or via e-mail at sen.claire.robling@senate.mn.
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