TurkeyJoe, after going up the chain and not getting any positive results ... you and others will have to sue the department aboout it, similar to the Alabama class-action about its college funding schitt 15ish years ago.
When the college fund was established and was under current Gov. MeeMaw (she was Treasurer then), the public pamphlets, site and selling points (among several) was that it would always be there. Won't go away. Won't be diminished. Your child's tuition and other eligible costs will be paid IN FULL from start to finish. Will be strong enough to withstand blah blah blah. All the promises.
And then the 2008 financial crisis hit and they said, "Well, schitt. Sorry. Problems! We can't pay for it all so you'll have to make up whatever shortfall." When they got pressed on it and then sued, they claimed all the schitt: We're the state, you can't do that! We have immunity! We didn't see these outside forces coming! Financial markets! You can't plan for these things! Blah blah whiny-ass backstabbing bullchit blah.
But the capper was: We didn't promise anything, and damned sure didn't promise full payment from Day 1 to Graduation.
Well ... yes, you did. People who are smart and kept files had all the goodies. They could prove that yes, indeed, you thievin' MFers promised the tuition payments.
In the end, they paid something like 83 or 87 cents on the dollar. Had to go to court about it, which is terrible and sucks and never should've happened. But the point is, The State promised something and then f'king backtracked and lied and said "Ehhh, we didn't ... times change ... didn't promise that ... oh, well" until the schitt hit the fan.
The conservation departments are doing the same thing. They promised one thing -- hunt-fish with a Lifetime License -- and now are giving their "customers" the big double birds simply because they can. And they should be sued over it.
