About Our Institution & Democratic Governance

Historical Foundations: The Intercommunal Fusion

The modern territory of eastern Doubs is characterized by closely interconnected rural and semi-urban communities. Historically, the municipalities of Etupes and Taillecourt operated independent communal hunting associations (ACCA). However, as ecological boundaries do not conform to artificial administrative dividing lines, animal populations—particularly wild boar sounders and roe deer herds—regularly traversed between the communal forests of Taillecourt and the agrarian alluvial plains of Etupes.

During the late 20th and early 21st centuries, agricultural expansion and infrastructure developments, including regional rail links and the A36 motorway corridor, placed unprecedented pressure on wildlife corridors. Farmers on the perimeter of Etupes frequently experienced significant wild boar rooting damage in maize and cereal crops, while the contiguous forest blocks in Taillecourt lacked synchronized management plans. Fragmented management resulted in duplicated administrative costs, inconsistent safety protocols, and fragmented census records that hindered effective population control.

Recognizing the pressing necessity for unified territorial management, the members of both communal associations, with the decisive backing of the municipal councils of Etupes and Taillecourt, voted unanimously to merge their legal entities. This landmark consolidation formed the ASSOCIATION INTERCOMMUNALE DE CHASSE AGREEE ETUPES TAILLECOURT FUSION (AICA Etupes Taillecourt Fusion). Approved formally by decree of the Prefect of the Doubs, this intercommunal structure pooled territorial resources, harmonized hunting safety rules, unified scientific census grids, and established an enduring public-interest governance model.

Official Prefectural Registration & Legal Records

Our association operates within an exacting statutory regime. Unlike unregulated private clubs, an Approved Intercommunal Hunting Association (AICA) is invested with quasi-public administrative duties under the French Environmental Code (Code de l'Environnement, Articles L422-2 et seq.). Our official registrations in the French National Directory of Associations (Répertoire National des Associations - RNA) and the national statistical registry (SIREN) provide transparent institutional verification:

Democratic Governance & Board of Directors Profile

In accordance with our prefectural statutes, the association is governed by an elected Board of Directors (Conseil d'Administration) composed of volunteers representing local landowners, non-landowning communal hunters, agricultural operators, and municipal observers. Elections are held quadrennially during our General Assembly, ensuring transparent democratic accountability.

The Executive Bureau (Bureau Exécutif) is directly accountable for day-to-day operations, financial transparency, safety compliance, and inter-agency coordination:

Organizational Structure & Specialized Committees

To handle its multifaceted civic obligations, our association is structured into four standing operational committees that execute targeted mandates throughout the calendar year:

1. The Technical Game & Cull Plan Commission

This commission is responsible for drafting the annual big-game management proposal submitted each June to the Prefectural Hunting Commission of Doubs. Combining observational census data, agricultural damage reports, and forestry browsing indices, this committee establishes scientifically grounded minimum and maximum harvest quotas for roe deer and wild boar, ensuring neither population collapse nor unmanageable overabundance occurs.

2. The Public Trail Safety & Spatial Cohabitation Taskforce

Recognizing that our communal woods are cherished recreational spaces for hikers, runners, trail riders, and school environmental excursions, this taskforce oversees all physical safety infrastructure. Responsibilities include building and maintaining over 45 elevated shooting stands (miradors), mapping geolocated exclusion perimeters around recreational paths, publishing real-time hunting calendars on municipal display boards, and supervising volunteer trail wardens.

3. The Agricultural Damage Reconciliation Board

Operating in direct partnership with the Doubs Chamber of Agriculture, this board acts as a rapid-response mediation body. Whenever a farmer in Etupes or Taillecourt notices rooting activity in winter cereals or pasture meadows, our reconciliation board inspects the site within 24 hours. The board arranges the immediate deployment of solar-powered electric fencing, scent deterrents, or targeted deterrent interventions, minimizing financial losses and fostering mutual trust between the farming community and countryside stewards.

4. The Youth & Civic Education Taskforce

Education is our most enduring investment in future conservation. This taskforce designs educational workshops for local elementary and secondary schools, conducts public nest-box construction sessions, hosts dawn bird-song walks, and publishes instructional guides on countryside etiquette, tick prevention, and native woodland flora identification.

Civic Credentials & Inter-Agency Partnerships

The Association Intercommunale de Chasse Agréée Etupes Taillecourt Fusion operates in close synergy with state agencies, departmental institutions, and local civic organizations:

• The Prefect of Doubs & Regional Environmental Directorate (DDT 25): Approves our triennial internal regulations, safety charters, and annual hunting plans by official administrative decree.
• Fédération Départementale des Chasseurs du Doubs (FDC 25): Provides accredited technical expertise, game wardens (gardes particuliers assermentés), and financial solidarity mechanisms for wildlife habitat enhancement.
• Office National des Forêts (ONF - Agence de Vesoul/Montbéliard): Manages public forest parcels, defines regeneration targets, and conducts joint silvo-cynégétique evaluations.
• Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB): Conducts national biodiversity policing, game regulation compliance checks, and cross-border migratory tracking programs.
• Municipalities of Etupes and Taillecourt: Provide institutional support, civic meeting rooms, and municipal notice board space, with official council delegates attending our board sessions.

The Sworn Field Wardens: Legal Status & Judicial Mandate

To enforce our internal regulations and ensure that countryside laws are respected across the 940 hectares of our communal jurisdiction, our association appoints accredited and sworn private field wardens (Gardes Particuliers Assermentés). These officers undergo rigorous technical and legal training administered by the Fédération Départementale des Chasseurs du Doubs and the Office Français de la Biodiversité before taking an official judicial oath before the magistrates of the Tribunal Judiciaire of Montbéliard.

The primary responsibilities of our sworn wardens include:

• Constant Territorial Surveillance: Patrolling woodland edges, wetland boundaries, and agricultural parcel fringes to deter poaching, unauthorized vehicular intrusion, fly-tipping, and illegal habitat destruction.
• Safety Perimeter Monitoring: Verifying that all field participants strictly respect the 150-meter safety zone around habitations, verify valid hunting licenses, and confirm mandatory orange fluorescent safety gear.
• Official Report Drafting (Procès-Verbaux): Under Article 29 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure (Code de Procédure Pénale), our sworn wardens possess legal authority to record environmental infractions and transmit certified reports directly to the Public Prosecutor of the Republic (Procureur de la République) in Montbéliard.
• Civic Mediation & Public Guidance: Interacting courteously with forest visitors, hikers, berry pickers, and equestrian groups, providing navigational assistance, explaining seasonal wildlife rhythms, and disseminating educational pamphlets on respectful countryside cohabitation.

The Ten-Year Institutional Evolution Timeline (2016–2026)

The consolidation and maturation of our intercommunal association is the culmination of a decade of deliberate, community-focused development. The key milestones of our institutional evolution include:

• 2016 – The Initial Feasibility Assessment: Following a steep rise in agricultural damage claims across the cereal borderlands of Etupes, the municipal councils of Etupes and Taillecourt convened a joint commission to evaluate the benefits of a consolidated intercommunal hunting territory.
• 2017 – General Assembly Ratification: The historic general assemblies of ACCA Etupes and ACCA Taillecourt voted by a 94% supermajority to adopt the unified intercommunal statutes under the Law of 1901.
• 2018 – Official Prefectural Decree & RNA Enrolment: The Prefect of Doubs issued the formal administrative approval decree, and the association was officially enrolled in the National Directory of Associations under RNA identifier W252002765.
• 2019 – Implementation of the Unified Safety Grid: Installation of 30 standardized elevated shooting stands (miradors) and establishment of the digital emergency alert channel linking hunt leaders with local emergency responders.
• 2021 – Launch of the Allan River Wetland Conservation Buffer: In partnership with regional environmental agencies, the association designated 45 hectares of riparian meadows as permanent non-hunting biodiversity sanctuaries for migratory waterfowl.
• 2023 – Introduction of Thermal Drone Census Technology: Modernization of species monitoring through calibrated thermal drone flyovers, generating high-precision herd demographics for roe deer and wild boar.
• 2025 – Comprehensive Public Educational Outreach Expansion: Creation of the Youth & Civic Education Taskforce and launch of free countryside ecology seminars for local schools and community clubs.
• 2026 – Digital Transparency Portal & 100% Non-Commercial Reaffirmation: Unveiling of our open public information portal, reaffirming our absolute non-profit status and dedicated service to the community.

The Twelve Articles of Our Governance & Ethics Charter

Every member, officer, and volunteer affiliated with the Association Intercommunale de Chasse Agréée Etupes Taillecourt Fusion pledges adherence to our Twelve Articles of Institutional Governance and Public Interest Ethics:

1. Primordial Public Utility: The association exists primarily to serve the civic community, preserve rural ecosystems, and safeguard agricultural production, operating without commercial intent or private financial distribution.
2. Democratic Inclusivity: Membership rights, permit allocations, and governance representation are distributed transparently without discrimination based on land ownership, origin, or socioeconomic status.
3. Strict Biological Basis for Management: All harvest plans, game regulation targets, and species conservation initiatives must be substantiated by empirical census data and verified by departmental wildlife biologists.
4. Absolute Priority of Human Safety: No operational consideration or recreational pursuit shall ever supersede the paramount requirement to protect human life, residential dwellings, and public thoroughfares.
5. Uncompromising Sobriety: The possession, consumption, or influence of alcoholic beverages, narcotics, or impairing substances during any active field operation is strictly prohibited and subject to immediate permanent expulsion.
6. Rigorous Financial Auditing: All association accounts, receipts, municipal subsidies, and member dues must be meticulously recorded, audited annually by an independent trustee, and made available for public examination.
7. Active Mediation with Farmers: The association maintains continuous communication with agricultural producers, prioritizing rapid preventative response to crop rooting and fair cooperation.
8. Environmental Neutrality: All ammunition cartridges, spent casings, marking ribbons, and provisional materials must be completely collected and recycled; zero environmental littering is tolerated.
9. Humane Welfare Standards: The treatment of all wildlife species must adhere strictly to certified ethical guidelines, minimizing animal suffering and ensuring rapid, clean, and regulated field practices.
10. Open Public Education: The association commits to sharing its ecological data, field observations, and botanical knowledge freely with educational institutions, scientific researchers, and local residents.
11. Respect for Shared Countryside: Association members must demonstrate unfailing courtesy, patience, and assistance toward all rural space users, including walkers, cyclists, foragers, and naturalists.
12. Perpetual Reinvestment: All financial surpluses or statutory reserves must remain dedicated to ecological habitat restoration, safety equipment upgrades, and non-commercial community projects in perpetuity.

Ethical Charter & Transparency Register

Our association is founded on the conviction that ethical countryside management requires absolute transparency. Every resident, landowner, and interested citizen has the right to inspect our statutory records, annual balance sheets, census methodologies, and safety certifications. We maintain open-door consultative policies and welcome constructive civic dialogue at all times.

Through democratic governance, scientific discipline, and deep-seated devotion to the Doubs rural heritage, the Association Intercommunale de Chasse Agréée Etupes Taillecourt Fusion remains steadfast in its dedication to preserving our natural landscape for generations to come.