Pawtuckaway Lake Association

This months View From The Trading Post editorial focuses on recent changes in the State's Boater Registration system causing towns and businesses to stop providng boater registration services. In this months column, George talks about the impact of these changes on the local community.

The State of New Hampshire has made it so bureaucratic that it has become impossible for The Mountain Road Trading Post to continue to do boat registrations. The State wants everybody to either mail them in or go to the DMV to have one processed. The driving factor, as I see it, is to eliminate the portion of the registration fee that went to the local communities. All of the registration fee goes to the state in their newly designed plan.
 
Although this was never profitable for us we have always done it as a convenience to the locals and our neighbors. My fear is that these locals and neighbors will be coming in on a busy weekend looking to go boating and will not be able to get their boat registered by us and that the DMV only has hours during midweek and only during everyone's work hours.
 
Another issue being considered, of impact to the area residents, is that of having to register 'paddle craft' (canoes, kayaks, row boats, float tubes, who knows - your kids floaties??......). The NH Fish & Game department is pursuing a $10 fee, with a sticker required for each craft.
 
NHF&G, apparently not operating within budget, has a 5 million shortfall and is looking at this as a method to increase cash flow to the agency.
 
It makes me wonder why Fish & Game has anything to do with paddling a boat around - after all if you fish from it you already pay for a license - otherwise paddling doesn't seem to have anything to do with fish, or game resources. Just seems like another way to tax us.
 
Who's going to pay the Conservation Officers (better known as Game Wardens) to chase us around while we're floating in our 'un-stickered' inner tubes??
 
I think we should just get one big sticker, for our forehead, for breathing.
 
I will be contacting my State Representative in regards to both issues.
 
Any help spreading the word would be greatly appreciated. 
 
George at MRTP.