Staff Report - Spring 2008
Changes in Member Agencies
The following changes in state fish and wildlife agency leadership have occurred since the Association’s Annual Meeting last September:
Duane Shroufe, Director of the Arizona Game and Fish Department has announced his retirement effective March 31, 2008. Larry Voyles has been named as the new director effective April 1st.
Don Koch has been named Director of the California Department of Fish and Game.
Tom Remington has been named Director of the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
Robert Barham has been named Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Glenn Normandeau has been named as Executive Director of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
Carter Smith has been named Executive Director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Robert Duncan has been named Director of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Terry Cleveland has announced his retirement as Director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department effective June 30, 2008.
Among our federal members, Ed Schafer has been confirmed as Secretary of Agriculture. Prior to being appointed Secretary, Schafer served two terms as governor of North Dakota. In addition, Lyle Laverty has been confirmed as Assistant Secretary of Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
Association Staff Updates
Following the birth of her son, Naomi Edelson has elected to not return to her job as Wildlife Diversity Director. The Association is currently in the process of finding a replacement for Naomi and will accept applications until May 15.
Dave Chadwick, Wildlife Diversity Senior Associate and Acting Diversity Director, accepted a job with the Colorado Division of Wildlife and left the Association in May. Both Naomi and Dave have done outstanding work on behalf of state agencies and will be missed.
The Association hired Laura MacLean as the new Director of Communications and Marketing. Laura brings more than 14 years of experience in the field including work with the Department of Interior and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on climate change messaging and outreach. Laura replaces Rachel Brittin who accepted a position as Outreach Program Specialist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for the National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Habitat Conservation - Restoration Center.
Amber Pairis has left her position as the Science and Research Liaison with the Association to accept a new position working on climate change for California Department of Fish and Game starting in February. While we will miss Amber, we are happy that she will still be able to work with the Association in her new position in California. The Association is in the process of finding a replacement.
The Association has hired Ryan Roberts as the first Communications Coordinator for the National Fish Habitat Action Plan. The Association initiated this recruitment at the request of the National Fish Habitat Board, and it is funded with Board dollars. Ryan was most recently employed as the Director of Communications for the Bowie Baysox, a Minor League baseball team in Maryland.
Priya Nanjappa Mitchell officially joined the staff of the Association as the Amphibian and Reptile Coordinator in January of 2008. Previously she was contracted through the Arizona Game and Fish Department as the Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC) National State Agencies Coordinator. She will continue to serve as the State Liaison to PARC in her new capacity with the Association.
Jen Mock Schaeffer, the Association’s Farm Bill Coordinator, is currently on maternity leave following the birth of her daughter Cora Yvonne Schaffer on February 22nd. While Jen is on maternity leave, the Association will be aided by three successive 30 day state details: Sal Palazzolo, from the Arizona Game and Fish Department; Todd Bogenschutz from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources; and Don Larsen from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Special thanks to the three of them and their host agencies.
The Association was also pleased to have Tara Bergeson from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on a 60-day detail working with the Teaming with Wildlife program.
In addition to our state details, the Association has been aided by three detailees from federal agencies. Robert Ashworth from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service completed a 60 day detail that ended in January working on the National Fish Habitat Initiative. Steve Hodapp from the Bureau of Land Management has concluded a 60 day detail working with the Association on our federal budget recommendations. Margaret Connelly from the U.S. Forest Service is currently in the middle of a 60 day detail where she is working on implementation of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan. Special thanks to Bob, Steve, and Margaret and their sponsoring agencies.
Details with the Association are a great benefit to the Association and its staff and a great opportunity for the detailee to get a first hand look at the work of the Association and state fish and wildlife agencies. If you have someone who might be interested in doing a detail with the Association, please email info@fishwildlife.org.
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee met on March 26 and 27 in Phoenix, Arizona at the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference and took the following actions:1) approved changes to the by-laws that will be forwarded to the membership before the Association Annual Meeting in September; 2) approved Contributing Member applications for the National Marine Manufacturers, Trust for Public Land, XONtv, Resource Management Services, LLC, and National Trappers Association; 3) tabled a Contributing Member application for the North American Gamebird Association pending discussions with their new Executive Director; 4) rejected a Contributing Member application for ALL Consulting, Inc.; 5) directed continued work on the Association’s Strategic Plan; 6) established a taskforce to review and make recommendations on future office space needs for the Association; 7) reviewed and approved the future program direction for the Teaming with Wildlife program; and 8) re-chartered the task force reviewing the scheduling and length of the Association’s Annual Meeting.
In addition, the Executive Committee met with Mark Rey , Undersecretary of Agriculture to discuss the status of the Farm Bill and received briefings on the closeout of the Association’s 2007 budget, recent industry summit meeting in Alabama, State Wildlife Grants competitive funding program, 2011 National Survey on Hunting, Fishing, and Wildlife Associated Recreation, the White House Conference on hunting and wildlife conservation, the strategic plan for the Sportfish and Wildlife Restoration programs, the Association’s Conservation Education Initiative, reauthorization of Wallop-Breaux program, and the status of climate change legislation pending before the Congress.
To view the report in its entirety, click here to download the pdf. If you're looking for a previous issue, contact us at 202/624-7890 or info@fishwildlife.org.
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