Possibly because we live in a mostly rural part of the state, away from the mega-centers, it’s more difficult for us to grasp the mindsets and decisions made by our elected state officials, most of whom hail from or reside in or near one of the mega-centers. When many of us look out of our residence or vehicle’s windows we see hills and trees. Conversely, those in political power look out and usually see towering buildings and traffic congestion. Small wonder that we “rural folks” have trouble grasping the attitudes and decisions of many of our politicians.
A leisurely drive for us takes us out into vistas of woods and fields. One taken by most of our “empowered leaders” takes them into traffic jams, honking horns, sirens, and sidewalks and cross walks filled with pedestrians, all with a backdrop of concrete and steel. Other than pigeons, they probably won’t see wildlife until they’re many miles outside the city limits. About the only times they are actually in our environment is short-lived, either attending political functions or vacationing.
So it really shouldn’t surprise us that they have real problems relating or understanding why legislation that is perfectly compatible for rural areas reads like a foreign language to them. When cost of a proposed bill enters the picture, I suspect their final voting decision will be based on the pure number of friendly votes it will garner them, come election day. And yet some still wonder how our state got itself into the budget and economic mess we’re mired in?
But all of us need to keep in mind that our state budget isn’t the only critical problem we’re facing, or will continue to face in the future. Those who don’t purchase annual sporting licenses or regularly purchase sporting equipment that carries a special tax over and above the mandated sales tax aren’t aware that all this goes into a special fund, the NYS Conservation Fund. This fund is the primary pool that pays for conservation in our state, and right now it’s bleeding red ink all over the place and will only get worse.
It’s no secret that the bulk of the income that flows into the Conservation Fund is being generated by people over 50 years of age since so few under that age now choose to hunt, fish, trap or in other words buy a sporting license to do so. Fast-forward 25 or so years and consider the implications and impact this trend may have.
Lacking sufficient funds, conservation, fish and wildlife programs and personnel would be cut drastically, as the only alternative would be to increase tax income from the general public …and our state already is famous for overtaxing its residents. So most elected officials are going to be reluctant to do that for fear of losing votes. Lacking conservation and management, what will occur in our natural habitat, both land and water based? How will we keep prolific wildlife species’ populations under control and healthy? And how will we manage our fisheries and waters?
I find it amusing that a wild coyote in New York City created near hysteria there, but black bears tearing down bird feeders and destroying property in “upstate rural areas” is looked on as normal. But that pretty much typifies the difference in attitude and mindset of not only residents of each area but also priorities of officials elected from there. When it comes to votes, budgets, and state programs, it is usually the upstate rural areas that receive the least prioritizing while the downstate ones emerge as being dominant. Simply numbers, and the higher ones win.
When the decision was made to close many upstate state parks or the Senate rescinded the $10 marine fishing license that had previously been approved, both reflected the old numbers game being played. The former would prove detrimental to many upstate businesses while the latter would’ve forced primarily downstate anglers to buy a license to fish for marine species, just as upstate fresh water anglers have had to do for decades. Fair? Heck no, but then when a state faces an imbalance in regional legislative power, this is what happens. Want a comparison? Look at California, whose budget, regional population imbalance and political mess pretty much mirrors New York’s and vice versa.

Report any unusual bleeding in fish to DEC in Cortland
There have been recent reports of anglers catching fish from Balsam Pond in Pharsalia that were bleeding from various body orifices, much like would occur if they had VHS disease, To ascertain if it may be VHS, the DEC Cortland office, (607) 753-3095, urges Balsam Pond anglers to keep any bleeding fish caught in the future and put them immediately on ice (do not freeze them because freezing destroys tissue and limits the amount of testing that can be done) and call the office. If a fresh, chilled specimen or two is available, the DEC would be able to pick it up and take it to Cornell for testing. Fisheries biologist Dave Lemon said, “I would like to know more about the location, size, and severity of the hemorrhage on the fish. We had a pretty severe outbreak of a bacterium (Furunculosis) in rock bass and a few smallmouth bass on Skaneateles Lake. We were all convinced, looking at the fish, it was going to be VHS, but they turned out to be negative for the virus. A picture of a bleeding fish would be okay as well, so I have an idea what we are dealing with.”