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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Jackson County assessor signed $28,531 severance pay agreement ... Oregon Senator Bates seeks expansion of dredging moratorium ... Crash snarls I-5 during Monday rush hour ... Jackson County assessor signed $28,531 severance pay agreement ... Oregon Senator Bates seeks expansion of dredging moratorium ... Crash snarls I-5 during Monday rush hour ... OUR VIEW Our View: Take it easy on hunting and fishing fees Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted May. 19, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted May. 19, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife appears to be making a sincere effort to protect hunters and anglers from license fee increases as it struggles to cover a shortfall in its budget. Lawmakers should go at least as far, and should make the increases even smaller if possible. The ODFW is facing a combination of rising costs and declining income as fewer Oregonians have bought hunting and fishing licenses in recent years. That mirrors a nationwide decline in hunting and fishing. License fees make up nearly a third of the agency's budget; the state general fund contributes only 5 percent. Most of the remainder is federal money. The department last increased license fees in 2010. The department has done considerable cost-cutting, eliminating 50 positions already. ODFW officials say they will have to cut an additional 42 positions if license fees are not increased. Lawmakers have said there is not room in the general fund to cover the agency's shortfall without a license fee increase. In an attempt to limit the size of license fee increases, the department also has proposed shifting $9.6 million in costs to the general fund that once came from license revenue. Those shifts include $4.5 million for the salaries of biologists, who spend much of their time on work unrelated to fishing and hunting, and $5 million for Oregon State Police fish and wildlife officers, who do more than just investigate illegal hunting and check licenses. That still leaves a 10 percent increase in license fees starting in 2016. Fishing licenses would go up by $5 and hunting licenses by $4 initially, then increase a bit more every two years until 2020, when a fishing license would be $11 more than it is this year and a hunting license would be $5 more. Hunting tags also would increase by varying amounts: deer from $24.50 to $28.50 over six years, elk from $42.50 to $49.50. While those numbers are not outrageous, they do make it that much more expensive for Oregon residents to hunt and fish as they have done for generations. As lawmakers crunch the numbers, they should remember that by and large, it's not wealthy Oregonians who buy those licenses. It's ordinary working men and women — and their families — who head out into Oregon's forests and waterways to hunt and fish. MailTribune.com Writer Posted May. 19, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501