Hunters and anglers who bought their Ohio sportsmens' licenses early on perhaps ought to check their documents.
The Ohio Division of Wildlife is saying that it switched to new document paper this year but with 12-year-old printers the ink on some licenses has faded into nothingness.
The paper switch was done to ease hunters and anglers into what is to come starting in 2011. That is when the Wildlife Division will assemble a whole new computer-based license-issuing system.
"The bottom line was we had some unforeseen problems with the new paper and the old printers. We have sold well over one million licences and we are replacing those that we are made aware of that have this problem,” said Kory Brown, Wildlife Division spokesman.
“We don’t know how widespread the problem is but it appears they were issued in February and March. I feel bad about it and we’re trying to correct it."
But that correction could prove costly. If the agency is overwhelmed with requests for replacements it may simply say "no." That would force document holders to pay $3 for each type of license, even if the document contains multiple numbers of actual permit types.
At least the Wildlife Division is attempting to right its wrong with a fix for the near term. It has gone with a thinner piece of paper and has recommended changing the thermal setting.
“It’s a temporary solution, and we believe we’ve found a solution for next year and for 2011 when we go to the new system,” Brown said.
“We’ll make it right."
Let us hope so.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischkorn@News-Herald.com
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