Hunters express support for hounds
They attend hearing in King William to protect their pastime
Tuesday, Feb 26, 2008 - 12:25 AM
By LAWRENCE LATANE III
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
KING WILLIAM -- Deer hunters unleashed their support for hounds, and residents took another bite at the pros and cons of motocross racing at a packed public hearing last night.
The crowd numbered in the hundreds and overflowed from the meeting room into the hallways of the King William County administration building.
Deer hunters backed the Board of Supervisors' unanimous resolution in support of hunting with dogs.
The county is the 11th to endorse the pastime, which advocates say is under pressure as suburban development spreads into rural outposts such as King William.
"We need to pass this thing to stay the same so we can continue to do what we've always done," said Mike Turner, one of the legion of hunters wearing blaze orange hats and canvas field coats.
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries launched a study late last fall that is examining hunters' use of hounds in the pursuit of white-tailed deer.
The study has fanned fears that the state may be looking for support to outlaw deer hunting with dogs, but Rich Busch, assistant director of the department's wildlife division, disagrees. "We want to find a way to have hound hunting continue into the foreseeable future," he said in an interview. He did not attend the King William meeting.
Residents also continued the furor for the second monthly meeting in a controversy about motocross motorcycle racing.
Developers tabled a proposal for a 327-acre motocross park in January before it reached the Planning Commission after critics overwhelmed an informal presentation of the plan.
At the time, the proposal called for four tracks and a campground about 5 miles west of Central Garage off state Route 30. The developers say they intend to return with a more palatable proposal, but they have not filed anything yet.
Last night, advocates of a track traded places on the podium with opponents who, so far, have dominated the debate.
"We go motocrossing every weekend," Eli Hopkins told the supervisors. "It's the number one family-oriented sport there is."
But Margo El, who lives near the proposed track site, said she fears racing will destroy her peace and quiet. "I'm used to listening to the birds, the crickets," she said.
Contact Lawrence Latané III at (804) 333-3461 or
llatane@timesdispatch.com.