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| "COHA - fighting to expand hunting opportunity throughout California." |
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| COHA was established in response to the rapidly mounting political and social threats to hunting and science-based wildlife management in California.
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| Call to Arms Join the COHA Action Team to help on issues critical to you. |
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| Answers to your Questions |
| Q. |
Why form the California Outdoor Heritage Alliance? |
| A. |
Anti-hunting groups dedicated to taking our outdoor heritage away are better funded and organized than ever, while politics now plays the most important role in determining whether or not Californians can hunt and shoot recreationally. Recognizing these facts, the California Waterfowl Association (CWA) formed a separated lobbying organization, the California Outdoor Heritage Alliance (COHA). Strategically created as a 501 (c) 4 nonprofit, COHA has the enhanced ability to fund political campaigns, support or oppose statewide ballot initiatives and endorse pro-hunting candidates for office. As a member-based association, COHA can also coordinate and unite the diverse constituencies of California’s hunting community. |
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| Q. |
What does COHA offer California’s hunting community? |
| A. |
COHA’s registered lobbyists have a proven track record in getting things done at the State Legislature. However, COHA’s work does not end at the State Capitol. We also regularly lobby the California Fish and Game Commission, the state regulatory body which sets hunting seasons and bag limits. We work very closely with the California Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other public resource agencies on public hunting and wildlife conservation issues. In addition, we partner with the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and national hunting and fishing interests on federal legislation, including the Farm Bill and other conservation funding measures. COHA also works at the local government level, which has played an increasingly active role on firearms issues in recent years.
Unlike many other legislative advocates, COHA operates on a nonprofit basis only while concentrating solely on hunting, recreational shooting and wildlife conservation issues. All COHA staff hunt on a regular basis and shoot recreationally, and therefore have an in-depth knowledge of, and personal stake in, the issues they lobby. |
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| Q. |
What is COHA’s approach to politics? |
| A. |
Bipartisanship. COHA works with any legislator who is willing to support our goals, whether he or she is a Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative. Building coalitions with other lobbying groups is also key to passing or defeating any legislation. COHA routinely partners with such diverse interests as environmental groups, agricultural/landowner representatives, water associations, public agencies, fishing groups, etc. COHA also believes that the hunting community must be proactive in defending “our way of life,” rather than constantly being on the defensive. That is why we always sponsor at least one or two bills per legislative session. |
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| Q. |
What does hunting have to do with wildlife conservation? |
| A. |
Hunting is the original basis for wildlife conservation in the United States. The first game laws were passed at the behest of hunters, while the work of concerned sportsmen was integral to the establishment of early national parks and wildlife refuges. Today, hunting license and associated stamp fees generate about $19 million for the Department of Fish and Game’s wildlife conservation efforts, while excise taxes on sporting firearms and ammunition (via the federal Pittman-Robertson Act) contribute $7 million more per year for related purposes here.
Hunting is the prime motivation for wildlife habitat enhancement and protection efforts on private land. For instance two-thirds of California’s remaining wetlands are found on privately owned duck clubs, benefiting both game and non-game species alike. Hunting also helps to maintain an ecological balance between wildlife species where native predators have been removed or wildlife habitats significantly altered by mankind. |
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| Q. |
Does hunting provide any other benefits? |
| A. |
Hunting is still an important part of the cultural identity of many individuals and their families, both rural and urban, in California. Wild game is much lower in fat than its domesticated counterparts, and offers a delicious, truly organic and chemical-free source of protein. Hunting-related revenue greatly benefits certain rural businesses such as local motels, gas stations, diners and sporting goods stores. Farmers and ranchers depend on hunting to control wildlife depredation of crops and livestock, while revenue from hunting leases helps landowners maintain their property as open space. |
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| Q. |
What is COHA’s view of using science to guide game regulations and wildlife management? |
| A. |
Science should always be the most important factor driving hunting regulations and other wildlife management decisions. To ensure that science is most fully considered, the Fish and Game Commission or Department of Fish and Game, rather than the State Legislature or the California electorate, should appropriately determine those regulations and decisions. COHA also believes that wildlife must always be managed according to species’ population needs, rather than those of the individual animal, and that ecosystem-based approaches tend to benefit the greatest diversity of wildlife. |
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| Q. |
What is COHA’s position on the use of dogs for hunting? |
| A. |
COHA fully supports the use of dogs for the broadest array of hunting activities. Dogs are not only an excellent conservation tool in tracking and retrieving downed game, but greatly enrich the overall hunting experience. Many breeds of dogs were developed specifically for hunting purposes, and hunting further helps to refine the working lines of those breeds. |
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| Q. |
What is COHA’s view on predator control? |
| A. |
Predator control-is a key, particularly of exotic species, is a key wildlife management tool that can help bolster native wildlife populations. Aleutian geese, for instance, have greatly benefited from the removal of non-native arctic foxes from their breeding grounds in Alaska , rebounding from a low of 790 individual birds in 1975 to about 120,000 today. Predator control is also helpful in areas where natural systems no longer function according to historical conditions, such as California’s Central Valley. Prior to the construction of dams, levees and bypasses, large-scale flooding in the Valley kept skunk, raccoon and other predatory species of waterfowl in check. With flooding now largely curtailed and a limited amount of habitat available, predator control efforts are necessary to improve nesting success for waterfowl and other ground-nesting birds. |
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| Q. |
What role should private landowners play in wildlife conservation? |
| A. |
Most of California’s prime wildlife habitat exists on private land. The state also has a diminished financial ability to acquire and manage new public lands, while local political opposition makes new acquisitions more difficult. Private landowners therefore need to play a more significant role in wildlife conservation. Rather than increase regulations, COHA believes that government should support wildlife conservation on private lands through easement programs and other incentive-based efforts. |
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| Q. |
What is COHA doing about the loss of hunter access to public and private lands? |
| A. |
COHA works closely with the Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the development and implementation of their hunting programs. COHA strives to increase and enhance public hunting opportunities in a manner that takes into consideration the various needs of California’s diverse hunting constituencies. We also work with the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, CA Department of Parks and Recreation and other resource agencies to provide new hunting opportunities on recently acquired public lands. In the last 5 years, we have helped open up thousands of new acres of public land to hunting, including the Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Sacramento River NWR, Don Edwards NWR, Eden Landing Ecological Reserve and Cronan Ranch.
COHA, in cooperation with CWA, Department of Fish and Game, CA Farm Bureau Federation and CA Cattlemen’s Association, is currently administering the “Shared Habitat Alliance for Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Pilot Program,” which was authorized by CWA-sponsored Assembly Bill 396 (Harman). The goal of the program is to provide incentives for private landowners to increase public hunting opportunities on private land. Should the SHARE Pilot Program be successful, the Department of Fish and Game will implement the program statewide in the coming years, as required by AB 396. |
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| Q. |
Besides anti-hunting efforts at the state and local governmental levels, what are some of the other major threats to hunting in California? |
| A. |
Loss of hunter opportunity is a serious problem on both public and private lands. Habitat loss and urbanization continue to threaten many ranches, farms and other lands that are actively hunted, particularly in the fast-growing Central Valley. To address this problem on private lands, COHA strongly supports the use of conservation easements, Williamson Act contracts and other incentive-based programs to encourage landowners to protect their land from development.
The continuing decline in hunter numbers must be reversed. Increasing financial costs of private clubs, hunting equipment, licenses and associated stamps and tags, firearms fees, etc have a negative impact on low and middle income Californians’ ability to hunt. Overly complicated or burdensome game regulations also constitute a major disincentive for people to take up hunting. |
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| Q. |
What are COHA’s long-term goals and objectives? |
| A. |
1. Increased political and public support of hunting, science-based wildlife management and the recreational use of firearms.
2. Development of a significant “war chest” to fight against expected anti-hunting initiatives and support pro-hunting measures on the statewide ballot.
3. Increased hunter opportunity on both public and private lands.
4. Increased protection of lands and waters with high wildlife value from urban development or incompatible uses.
5. Stable or increasing hunting license sales. |
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