The Federal government, specifically the Secretary of the Interior and the Director of the US Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), have been the sole and absolute authority over all migratory birds in the US for over 30 years and the absolute authority over the ducks, geese and most migratory birds in this country for over 80 years. All hunting (ducks, geese, swans, cranes, doves, rails, snipe, woodcock, band-tailed pigeons, and coots) occurs only where and when the Federal government designates.

The Migratory Bird management programs of FWS were long the core function of the FWS mission. Refuges were funded by Congress, permits were needed for Federal water management schemes, law enforcement funding was justified, and much damage control was conducted to preserve and manage migratory birds, especially those that were hunted and generated millions of dollars and immense public support annually. Today the FWS Migratory Bird program is in disarray and crumbling before our eyes. No, it will not disappear. Even worse, it is steadily being changed into a hostage of the environmental and animal rights agendas of nouveau radical managers and employees. The agenda and resources of 80 years worth of Migratory Bird management are being revamped, employees are being reeducated, and the legal power of the Bird Treaties is being repositioned to support Endangered Species expansions and the control and acquisition of more private property and land by the Federal government.

The 1990's were bad years for FWS Migratory Bird management programs. Interestingly, several of those years were great duck years due to rain and snow filling potholes and not due to central government plans or bureaucrats. During the 90's, FWS top managers were mostly stealth-radicals committed to redesigning parts of FWS while destroying others. Over $45 million was "nicked" (as the British say) from funds intended for State fish and wildlife agencies to be used for things prohibited by Congress (i.e. wolf reintroduction) to bigger offices and bonuses for cooperative managers.

Also during this period, Clinton's Secretary of the Interior, Bruce Babbitt, asked Congress for millions to form a new environmental investigative arm (actually quasi eco-warriors) to be loosed on the unsuspecting public to discover all manner of heretofore unknown threats. When Congress refused, the Secretary took the Research program of FWS and transferred it, lock, stock, and barrel, to the US Geological Survey (USGS) with great fanfare and a whiff of "in-your-eye" to Congress. Most of those dollars and employees were originally justified and funded annually by Congress for Migratory Bird related matters. When the Secretary waved his wand, "Voila!" they became eco-probers with geological but not biological credibility. Migratory Bird record keeping, forecasting, and inquiry slipped precipitously.

Migratory Bird employees left in FWS represented a greatly diminished program. They were combined with the Federal Aid program (the ones who managed and looked the other way when millions of State dollars were taken by FWS managers.) State dollars from Federal Aid began being used to pay for Migratory Bird secretaries and administrative support. As bad as all that was, more is happening today. Enter the Cost Allocation Methodology (CAM.)

The last few years have seen FWS pay for space (offices) and telecommunications (computers, phones, faxes, etc.) and other general expenses out of an unmanaged fund (CAM) composed of assessments of up to 3% from all programs. Considering that FWS now gets over a Billion dollars per year CAM is not chump change. Absent any oversight, the result today was to be expected. The fund has been exhausted for luxury offices and telecommunications (paradoxically, periodically shut down by judges because the systems are not up to par.) I would add another caution here. The majority of FWS top managers today were in the same or equivalent positions when the +$45 million was filched in the mid 90's. I don't know if that is at play again but I believe it bears looking into. But there is NO ONE who can look into it. Oversight of agency money mismanagement begins with the Department Inspector General (IG.) This appointee, however, is given millions of dollars by FWS to "audit" State fish and wildlife agencies. First of all the IG is working with FWS and the States to whitewash and minimize documented mismanagement of some funds by certain states. Second, the Department Solicitor (lawyer) specifically and in writing declared it illegal for an agency to supplement IG funding with agency funds. Third and most important, corporate bigwigs are going to prison for collusion between their officers and the supposed auditors, why is this similar collusion covered up and tolerated by "our" government officials? It is like your banker contracting work with your County sheriff. When you suspect a problem with your banker, who do you turn to?