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Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
This Bill Would Give Deer Breeders a Free Pass to Ignore Alabama's CWD Laws
A handful of Alabama lawmakers are pushing a bill that could totally upend whitetail deer management there. Introduced in the state House Thursday, the proposed legislation would make all of the state's high-fence deer private property, and it would make deer breeders immune to the CWD regulations that have been imposed in Alabama, as in other states, to protect wild deer herds. State wildlife officials are not mincing words about the bill, which they view as a direct threat to Alabama's wildlife and hunting traditions. The National Deer Association is also speaking out against it. If passed, HB509 would revise the laws that allow Alabamians to raise and propagate designated game birds, game animals, and fur-bearers. Under current law, licensed individuals can breed not only whitetails, but also elk, fallow deer, and any other nonnative species that was brought into Alabama prior to 2006. Although they're defined as livestock under the legal code, pen-raised whitetail deer are still considered a public resource in the state. But HB509 would make all of those captive critters the personal property of the breeders themselves. It would also prohibit state agencies from euthanizing, testing, or prohibiting the transfer of 'certain cervids' (notably whitetails) due to disease 'except under certain circumstances.' Read Next: Texas Officials Kill Off Deer Breeder's Entire Herd, Ending Yearslong Legal War Over CWD Management According to the current language of the bill, those circumstances would only apply if the specific disease had already been detected in another one of the breeder's deer, or in a deer that was transferred from another breeder. It's unclear how those detections could occur, however, if breeders aren't required to test their animals and if the state isn't allowed to. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said it is 'strongly opposed' to these proposed changes in a statement shared Monday. 'This bill should be disturbing to all ethical sportsmen, hunters, and citizens in Alabama,' Chris Blankenship, the Commissioner of the ADCNR, said in the written statement. 'Alabamians have a constitutional right to hunt and fish in this state. HB 509 would jeopardize that right.' Blankenship said the proposed law would also 'drastically increase the risk of the spread of CWD or other diseases to all parts of Alabama.' The commissioner had a few other choice adjectives to describe the bill — among them: 'reckless, disturbing, and unfathomable.' Hunters must currently obey CWD carcass movement and transportation restrictions on deer carcasses in the state. While not quite as brazen as another recent bill, introduced in Texas, that would have abolished the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for the benefit of deer breeders, the proposed legislation in Alabama is still staggering in terms of what it would mean for wildlife and hunters. The notion that deer and other wild game are resources to be conserved and held in the public trust for all state citizens is sacrosanct under the North American Model of Wildlife Management. Turning the pen-raised ones into privately owned pets is not only a depressing idea but a dangerous one. As Blankenship points out, it would allow deer farmers to bypass state hunting regulations and put their animals in small pens or fences, where 'they could be shot by individuals for a large fee paid to the breeder.' What's even scarier, though, at least for wild deer, is that the legislation would severely limit the ADCNR's ability to inspect and test for CWD and other diseases at high-fence breeding operations. By tying the state's hands this way, the bill's proponents seem to be purposefully ignoring the evidence at hand; several breeders have been linked to CWD outbreaks in other deer-farming states, and experts say the transfer of infected deer from captive herds remains a very real risk. Read Next: In the War Against CWD, Deer Breeders in Texas Are Being Cast as Both the Enemy and the Answer By preventing the ADCNR 'or any other agency of the state' from testing, euthanizing, or even restricting the transfer of farmed deer, HB 509 not only encourages deer breeders to go about their business without considering the implications of CWD. It shields them from the pesky regulations that could otherwise impact their profitability. Alabama's CWD regs increased in scope in 2022, when wildlife officials confirmed the state's first CWD case and implemented its strategic surveillance and response plan. This plan is similar to the ones that are underway in other CWD-positive states. It establishes high-risk CWD zones and buffer zones, and it requires hunters to submit any deer killed in those zones for postmortem testing. The plan limits the movement of deer carcasses and parts, and it prohibits the transfer of any deer (alive or dead) in counties that fall within the zones. It also prohibits baiting and supplemental feeding in those zones. From Blankenship's perspective, giving licensed breeders carte blanche to transfer their pet deer wherever they like, without any sort of testing, is the 'most concerning' piece of all this, as it would allow for the 'reckless transfer of diseased deer' all across the state. 'This is totally unacceptable,' Blankenship said.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
5 Rivers Delta Resource Center set for auction — what to know
SPANISH FORT, Ala. (WKRG) — In 2008, 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center was opened as a conservation education facility and a hub for outdoor recreation. Now, all that will go to the highest bidder. It is just over 70 acres where five rivers, the Mobile, Spanish, Tensaw, Apalachee and Blakeley flow into Mobile Bay. The property is full of trails, meeting spaces, and kayak launches — teeming with wildlife from the feathery to the leathery. FIRST LOOK inside the building bringing commercial flights to Gulf Shores International Airport Now, all of it is on the auction block with the starting bid at half a million dollars. In a statement to WKRG News 5, Conservation and Natural Resource Commissioner Chris Blankenship said, 'The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has been approached by an entity that is interested in expanding their offerings for outdoor education, outdoor recreation and other associated uses in Coastal Alabama. Pursuant to Code of Alabama 1975, Section 9-15-70 et seq. (The Alabama Land Sales and Leasing Act), ADCNR will conduct a public auction for a lease with an option to purchase said property, under certain conditions, on April 17, 2025.' Blankenship confirmed to News 5 that the property will remain open to the public, but the new operator may charge a fee for admission. The lease agreement would last for 10 years. The price tag to buy the property — $8.5 million for a piece of nature unique to this area. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Billy Goat Hole Boat Ramp to temporarily close: ADCNR
MOBILE COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) — Billy Goat Hole Boat Ramp will be temporarily closing for 'additional renovations' starting Sunday, Feb. 23, according to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Fundraiser benefitting law enforcement, veterans happening at USS Alabama Saturday According to officials with the ADCNR Marine Patrol Division, the renovations began at the ramp with a parking lot update in 2023. During this round of renovations, the boat ramp and docks will be replaced and will be installed 30 feet farther from Bienville Boulevard, according to the ADCNR release. Part of the new decks will be completed with material that will make them certified by the Americans with Disabilities Act. An ADA-compliant lift and new wheelchair ramp, which are expected to improve access to the restrooms and concession areas, will be part of the renovations. 'This facility is an important asset to local boaters and anglers on Dauphin Island and to those who come here to enjoy Alabama's coastal waters,' said ADCNR Commissioner Chris Blankenship. 'This is the most used boat ramp in Coastal Alabama.' The construction is expected to be completed within four months. 'The Billy Goat Hole Boat Ramp renovation is a joint project between MRD and the Town of Dauphin Island,' read the release. The funds for the project are being provided through the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act. What Chickasaw residents say about the police department's changes For more information visit the ADCNR website or call the MRD Dauphin Island office at 251-861-2882. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
