ElkHunter
Life Member
Iowa Conservation Alliance Member Organizations –
The Dove bill (SF83) passed the Senate Natural Resources Committee last Thursday and now is eligible for debate in the Iowa Senate (the bill still must be placed on the debate calendar). The legislation is very simple--the bill simply grants the DNR the same authority to set a season for doves, as it currently does for every other game species in the state of Iowa (view SF83 at http://coolice.legis.state.ia.us/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=billinfo&Service=Billbook&hbill=SF83 ). This may be an opportune moment to achieve the passage of this legislation.
In a conference call on Monday evening, a majority of ICA organizations voted unanimously (with no abstentions) to support rapid debate and passage of the bill by the Senate, with the same action in the House. We need all ICA organizations to activate their grass roots membership, asking them to contact their personal Senators to encourage debate and passage. If your organization agrees, please provide the following information to your members and ask them to contact their own state Senator. Contact information for the Senate follows at the end of this email.
WHAT THIS IS ABOUT – The Dove Bill (SF 83)
The Iowa Conservation Alliance (ICA) encourages the Iowa Senate to quickly debate and pass the Dove Bill (SF 83), recently passed by the Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee. This bill grants the Iowa DNR authority to set a hunting season for mourning doves, just as the agency does for all other game--based on biological data that ensures the species long term welfare. Iowa hunters would welcome a dove season, and the season would provide both increased hunting opportunity and an economic boost for Iowa, particularly for rural economies. Here are dove facts that Senators may be interested in learning:
- <LI style="COLOR: black; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2" class=MsoNormal>This bill simply grants the Iowa DNR authority to set a hunting season for mourning doves, as the agency already does for all other game in the state. <LI style="COLOR: black; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2" class=MsoNormal>Hunting seasons in Iowa are based on biological data that ensures the long term welfare of the game species in question. <LI style="COLOR: black; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2" class=MsoNormal>Mourning doves are abundant. Doves are among the most abundant birds in the US. Iowa’s densities are among the highest reported on the National Breeding Bird Survey. <LI style="COLOR: black; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2" class=MsoNormal>Iowa’s doves can be hunted with virtually no impact to long term populations. Research has shown hunting has little impact on dove numbers. About 1 million U.S hunters annually harvest about 17-20 million birds, representing just 5% to 7% of the fall population. <LI style="COLOR: black; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2" class=MsoNormal>Doves are monitored in Iowa with the Call-Count and Breeding Bird surveys, which indicate Iowa doves have remained stable over the last 4 decades.
- Doves have a high annual mortality, regardless of hunting. Each year 60% of doves die--disease, weather, predators and hunting cause most losses. Doves offset these losses with high reproduction. On average a single pair of doves produces 5 young annually.
· The mourning dove is the #1 US game bird (with annual populations approaching ½ billion).
· Hunters in all states adjoining Iowa can hunt doves (these birds are, in fact, hunted in 40 states nationally)
· The DNR projects that 20,000 Iowa dove hunters would harvest 300,000 birds per year, contributing $6.9M to the Iowa economy
· At those levels, dove hunting would generate $462,000 in sales tax revenue for Iowa
· Here is the link to more information in the Dove FAQ on the Iowa DNR website ( http://www.iowadnr.gov/wildlife/files/files/mdove_qa.pdf ).
How to Contact your Senator—
Get information to contact Senators through this link (http://www.legis.iowa.gov/Legislators/senate.aspx) (find phone and email contacts just by typing in your hometown). Alternately, here is a Senate map ( http://www.legis.state.ia.us/Maps.html ). Senators may be contacted by phone or email, or in person. Ask their assistance in quickly passing this bill, and messaging it to the House of Representatives for debate.
· Call or email early this week in the Legislature (Iowa Senate switchboard is 515-281-3371—just ask for your Senator). It would be best to talk to them in person on the phone, or leave a message.
· Contact Legislators on weekends at home at political forums (listening posts, Eggs and Issues Breakfasts, etc).
Importantly, Senate Leadership should also be contacted and asked to place the Dove Bill on the Senate Calendar for debate this week. Contact Majority Leader Senator Mike Gronstal’s office at 515-281-3901. Simply state that you are in favor of the Dove Bill, and would like the legislation placed on the calendar for debate and passage this week.
