Chapter I - Introduction 



Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission, Private Land/Public Wildlife 

 Council, and sportsman groups, wildlife organizations and gun clubs 

 asking for any comments or concerns. 



While in the regions we reviewed documentation of the approval 

 process used for enrolling landowners in the program, post-season 

 audits and results, and other information on file. We also reviewed 

 compliance with rules, especially criteria for enrolling land currently 

 in the Block Management Program. 



We obtained the 1999 hunting season tabloids and a sample of Block 

 Management Area (BMA) maps to determine how easy it is to obtain 

 the information. We traveled to a number of BMAs to determine if 

 the maps provided enough information to find the BMAs and if signs 

 were installed. 



We attended the annual Block Management Coordinator meeting and 

 regional meetings to determine what information is disseminated to 

 regional Block Management Coordinators and staff. We also 

 obtained the annual regional reports for the 1997 and 1998 hunting 

 seasons to obtain an understanding of how the program operates in 

 each region. We reviewed past legislation concerning the program 

 and reports created as a result of legislation. 



Regional expenditures for the Block Management Program were 

 obtained from the Statewide Budgeting and Accounting System 

 (SBAS). We also obtained regional payments to landowners from 

 SBAS. 



Questionnaires were sent to landowners in the program, to 

 landowners wanting to enroll, to landowners no longer enrolled, and 

 to landowners who did not have an interest in enrolling to determine 

 their opinion of the program. A questionnaire was sent to hunters to 

 determine their knowledge of the Block Management Program and to 

 determine their experiences if they hunted on a BMA in 1998. The 

 appendices contain survey results. 



A number of landowners who participate in the Block Management 

 Program have a conservation easement on their land and/or are 



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