Search and rescue funds are not keeping pace with New Hampshire's needs to fund emergency efforts in the woods and water.
The fund to pay for such rescues brings in approximately $180,000 annually from boater and off- highway vehicle registrations, but for the last fiscal year that ended June 30, the account was tapped for $237,000, said Col. Martin Garabedian, chief of law enforcement for Fish and Game.
Garabedian said this fiscal year has begun with a lot of search and rescue missions, and he thinks it is likely the department will again outspend that account.
He said there is no plans to seek to increase boater or OHRV registration fees to pay for these missions.
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We're not looking to change the fee structure. We will look to other funding options," he said. Luckily, he said the account structure usually has a delay which allows future funds to pay existing needs.
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Several years ago a decision was made to seek payment from those who have been deemed by their actions by the Attorney General's Office as needing to repay a whole or portion of their rescue.
But Garabedian said that only brings in about $15,000 a year, on average.