Figured I’d share this here from CWS,
CWS has it factually documented and confirmed that a private enterprise located proximal to one of our CLOSED SCDNR CAT 1 waterfowl management areas has produced a near bumper crop of rice this year. In doing so this private enterprise has also successfully left a large ratoon crop of rice for South Carolinas wintering waterfowl in the 2020-2021 season!! That's the great news!
The bad, the sad and the redundant news - SCDNR recently announced that this very important CAT 1 waterfowl management area, which is located almost right beside this private enterprise and on the same river with the same weather conditions, would again be closed to the public. It would seem that after only two ducks were killed on the premises this past season that they will just keep it closed another year. Over five million dollars has been spent by SCDNR on this waterfowl management area in the last five years and it is still it is non operable condition. Where is that money going? This closure negatively effects South Carolinas economics, our trust of SCDNR and more importantly South Carolina's ability to imprint and benefit wintering waterfowl. Of course this also detrimentally effects the public waterfowl hunter and thus hunter recruitment as well.
Over the last five to ten years SCDNR has given the waterfowl hunters of South Carolina every failing excuse in the books as to why they can't manage our valuable CAT 1 waterfowl management areas successfully. I have personally heard excuses such as : it is very hard, it floods , weather trends are bad, global warming, sea level rise, we don't have dike dirt available and we are waiting on FEMA monies etc etc. Worse yet, we have been told that even when this CAT 1 is open and operable, as it better be by 2021 season, that it would not be planted for rice or any other desirable food crop for waterfowl. That is simply unacceptable !
Ironically, as mentioned, right daggum beside this CAT 1, a private enterprise that experienced the identical conditions and on the same river will not only be providing valuable beneficial habitat and nutrition for our wintering waterfowl flights but in doing so will also be providing success to it's waterfowl hunters and imprinting waterfowl for years to come. More outstanding even yet, this private enterprise will soon be realizing a monetary profit from their efforts!!!!
GET IN THE GAME #SCDNR UPPER LEVEL MANAGEMENT, THIS IS YOUR JOB! NO MORE EXCUSES!
THE TAXPAYING, LISCENSE BUYING HUNTERS OF SOUTH CAROLINA DESERVE FAR FAR BETTER!
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