R657-41-7. Awarding Multi-Year Conservation Permits

  (1)(a) Distribution of multi-year conservation permits will be based on a sequential selection process where each eligible conservation organization is assigned a position or positions in the selection order among the other participating organizations and awarded credits with which to purchase multi-year permits at an assigned value.

  (b) Conservation organizations may not consult or coordinate with other conservation organizations regarding which conservation permits they intend to acquire prior to the permit selection process.

  (2) Multi-year permits will be awarded to eligible conservation organizations for no more than three years.

  (3) The division will determine the number of permits available as multi-year permits after subtracting the proposed number of single year permits.

  (a) Season types for multi-year area conservation permits for elk on any given hunt unit will be designated and assigned in the following order:

  (i) first permit -- multi-season;

  (ii) second permit -- any-weapon;

  (iii) third permit -- any-weapon;

  (iv) fourth permit -- archery;

  (v) fifth permit -- muzzleloader;

  (vi) sixth permit -- multi-season;

  (vii) seventh permit -- any-weapon; and

  (viii) eighth permit -- any-weapon.

  (b) Season types for multi-year area conservation permits for deer on any given hunt unit will be designated and assigned in the following order:

  (i) first permit -- hunter's choice of season;

  (ii) second permit -- hunter's choice of season;

  (iii) third permit -- muzzleloader;

  (iv) fourth permit -- archery;

  (v) fifth permit -- any-weapon;

  (vi) sixth permit -- any-weapon;

  (vii) seventh permit -- muzzleloader; and

  (viii) eighth permit -- archery.

  (c) Notwithstanding the availability of multiple seasons, an any-weapon permit opportunity offered in Subsections (3)(a) and (b) is restricted to a single season, which the recipient of the permit must designate prior to receiving the permit.

  (4) The division will assign a credit amount for each multi-year permit based on the average return for the permit during the previous three-year period. If a history is not available, the value will be estimated.

  (5) The division will calculate the market total for the permit draft by summing all credit amounts from available conservation permits.

  (6)(a) The division will calculate a market share for each eligible conservation organization applying for multi-year permits.

  (b) Market share will be calculated and determined based on:

  (i) the conservation organization's previous three years performance;

  (ii) all conservation permits (single and multi-year) issued to a conservation organization;

  (iii) the percent of conservation permit revenue raised by a conservation organization during the three-year period relative to all conservation permit revenue raised during the same period by all conservation organizations applying for multi-year permits.

  (7) The division will determine the credits available to spend by each group in the selection process based on their market share multiplied by the total annual value of all multi-year permits.

  (8) The division will establish a selection order for the participating conservation organizations based on the relative value of each groups market share as follows:

  (a) groups will be ordered based on their percent of market share;

  (b) each selection position will cost a group 10% of the total market share except the last selection by a group will cost whatever percent a group has remaining;

  (c) no group can have more than three positions in the selection order; and

  (d) the selection order will be established as follows:

  (i) the group with the highest market share will be assigned the first position and 10% will be subtracted from their total market share;

  (ii) the group with the highest remaining market share will be assigned the second position and 10% will be subtracted from their market share; and

  (iii) this procedure will continue until all groups have three positions or their market share is exhausted.

  (9) At least one week prior to the multi-year permit selection meeting, the division will provide each conservation organization applying for multi-year permits the following items:

  (a) a list of multi-year permits available with assigned value;

  (b) documentation of the calculation of market share;

  (c) credits available to each conservation group to use in the selection process;

  (d) the selection order; and

  (e) date, time and location of the selection meeting.

  (10) Between establishing the selection order and the selection meeting, groups may trade or assign selection positions, but once the selection meeting begins selection order cannot be changed.

  (11) At the selection meeting, conservation organizations will select permits from the available pool according to their respective positions in the selection order. For each permit selected, the value of that permit will be deducted from the conservation organization's available credits. The selection order will repeat itself until all available credits are used or all available permits are selected.

  (12) Conservation organizations may continue to select a single permit each time their turn comes up in the selection order until all available credits are used or all available permits are selected.

  (13) A conservation organization may not exceed its available credits, except a group may select their last permit for up to 10% of the permit credit amount above their remaining credits.

  (14) Upon completion of the selection process, but prior to the Wildlife Board meeting where the final assignment of permits is made, conservation organizations may trade or assign permits to other conservation organizations eligible to receive multi-year permits. The group receiving a permit retains the permit for the purposes of marketing and determination of market share for the entire multi-year period.

  (15) Variances for an extended season or legal weapon choice may be obtained only on area conservation permits and must be presented to the Wildlife Board prior to the final assignment of the permit to the conservation organization.

  (16) Conservation organizations may not trade or transfer multi-year permits to other organizations once assigned by the Wildlife Board.

  (17) Conservation organizations failing to comply with the reporting requirements in any given year during the multi-year period may lose the multi-year conservation permits for the balance of the multi-year award period.

  (18) If a conservation organization is unable to complete the terms of auctioning or otherwise selling assigned permits, the permits will be returned to the regular public drawing process for the duration of the multi-year allocation period.