Bill Cochran of the Roanoke (Virginia) Times gives some deserved ink to Project Healing Waters, an effort spawned in the D.C. area to get injured U.S. soldiers fishing as a form of therapy. The Project is trying to get Virginia, where many of its programs happen, to drop the fishing license fee for participants in its programs.
Apparently in Virginia the process is cumbersome but the legislature is taking up the effort.
According to Cochran: “Del. Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, has agreed to introduce legislation to accomplish this in the 2008 Virginia General Assembly. About 30 legislators have signed on as co-sponsors.” Cochran, in eschewing his own hard line on free licenses, is urging the state to do so.
I told [volunteer PHW instructor Dan] Genest that I am hardnosed when it comes to giving away licenses. It appears that just about every General Assembly session someone come[s] along with a bill that would provide free fishing or hunting license for a certain segment of society. This leaves an increasingly smaller group to pay the bills. But Genest has my support on this one. The cost of a fishing license should not be a stumbling block for a would-be participant who has given so much for his or her country. Genest said we aren’t talking about large numbers of free licenses, and the exemptions would be short-termed.“Once they leave the hospital, we hope they will go out and buy a license and continue to improve as fly fishermen,” he said.
Here in New Jersey, active duty servicemembers can fish with a resident license and injured veterans are eligible for a free license. Yes, the Fish and Wildlife budgets are hurting, and yes, revenue needs to be maximized. But whatever you think about this war, the guys fighting it deserve every break we can give them.
Posted by gjhaze 
