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62 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, March 18, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 4, 2004 Oregon may avoid federal court requirements on controlled-hunt lottery By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Wildlife officials believe Oregon may sidestep new federal court requirements that require controlled-hunt lottery systems to be more fair to out-of- state hunters. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled in an Arizona case that states like Oregon that place caps on non-resident tags must do so in the "least discriminatory" way. Similar suits are pending in Nevada and Illinois, where outfitters are alleging that the limited out-of-state tags violate interstate commerce protections in the U.S. Constitution. The case centered around the sale of wildlife parts that cross state lines. Terry Crawforth, president of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Association, declared that the new ruling is "now the law of the land" for the eight Western states within the 9th Circuit’s realm. Advertisement States like Nevada now are scrambling to find alternatives to their systems, such as throwing non-residents and residents in the same pot for drawings, or eliminating Internet applications to reduce out-of-state applications. But no changes are planned for Oregon because "we don’t know if it’s a problem for Oregon or not," says Ron Anglin, wildlife division administrator for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. A combination of low out-of-state interest, a technicality in the appeals court case and the state’s tight control of the sale of wildlife parts could allow Oregon to keep its current lottery system intact, Anglin says. Oregon allows the sale of deer and elk parts, such as hides and antlers, but outlaws the sale of most other big-game parts, Anglin says. However, out-of- state hunters rarely meet their quota for controlled deer and elk hunts here, so no hunters get denied because of the non-resident system, he says. Out-of-state hunters are most interested in bighorn sheep and antelope tags, but Oregon has banned the sale of parts of those species so the parts-sale portion of the lawsuit likely does not apply, Anglin says. The state Attorney General’s Office is investigating the suit’s ramifications, Anglin says. In response to the lawsuit, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., introduced a bill in Congress reaffirming states’ rights to manage their own fish and wildlife programs. "The court ruling is a threat to the conservation of wildlife resources in Nevada and a threat to Nevada’s ability to provide recreational opportunities for its own citizens," Reid said. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., one of five co-sponsors of the bill, said the state, not the federal court, "should maintain the rights on deciding fishing and hunting regulations." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Advertisement s