DEEP's Misalignment with Connecticut's Wildlife Values

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March 2019: DEEP Commissioner Designee Katie Sykes explicitly supports a hunt, testifying in the environmental committee that it is a "valuable tool to address the growing public safety concern

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January 2021: Annie Hornish outlines the misalignment of DEEP's values with the state and its stated mission.

 

Summary of Misalignment

 

DEEP Mission Statement

DEEP is charged with conserving, improving and protecting the natural resources and the environment of the state of Connecticut as well as making cheaper, cleaner and more reliable energy available for the people and businesses of the state.  The agency is also committed to playing a positive role in rebuilding Connecticut’s economy and creating jobs – and to fostering a sustainable and prosperous economic future for the state.

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Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act

provides federal aid (collected from gun, archery, and ammunition sales) to states for the management and restoration of wildlife. Funding is apportioned on the basis of how many active hunters and fishermen there are in the state in question dependent on hunting revenue generated within the state, which creates a strong financial incentive for agencies (including DEEP) to prioritize the hunting and harvest of game species.

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Hunting doesn't work

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True Nature of our Bears

May 2016:  Jason Hawley, biologist of DEEP's bear team, gets some things right: "bears aren't after you or your children", and "they are not aggressive"

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