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ADLA Volunteers Meet the Game & Fish Commission
Thanks to ADLA volunteers who attended the Arizona Game & Fish
Commission "Meet the Commission" Banquet on January 19 in Phoenix. ADLA had a
full table displaying the ADLA name and logo, paid for by an anonymous
donor.
Our presence is a small statement, and part of ADLA's larger campaign to
remind the Game & Fish Commission and Department that many of their
constituents do not hunt and fish. Their interests and the interests of wildlife
must be balanced in Game and Fish decision-making.
Stephanie Nichols-Young
The
Problem with the Game & Fish Commission
BY
STEPHANIE NICHOLS-YOUNG
SUMMER
2002 -- As I listened to Commissioner Sue Chilton’s comments
during the night hunting portion of the May 18 Game and Fish
Commission meeting, I thought her attitude epitomized what’s
wrong with the commission. First of all, I had read the Game
and Fish Department’s reports and recommendations. Based
on her comments, I’m not sure she did. If she read them,
she didn’t seem to understand them, or she wasn’t
going to let them get in the way of her agenda. Some department
biologists said that they didn’t think night hunting
had a biologic justification; others said the justification
was weak at best. Nonetheless, Commissioner Chilton said the
goal of night hunting was to preserve antelope fawns. She
didn’t even seem to know that the department had found
that there was no biologic evidence that night hunting would
be a good management tool. In light of Commissioner Chilton’s
position as a Game and Fish Commissioner, this apparent lack
of understanding of the issues and of her duties is quite
troubling.
What’s
more troubling is the disdain that Chilton shows for members
of the environmental and animal protection community, both
of whom are supposed to be part of her constituency. At the
October 2001 meeting, when the commission voted not to approve
the department’s recommendation to adopt a black-tailed
prairie dog management plan, she took the opportunity to attack
people whom she described as “ranch-hating, rattlesnake-loving,
rural-cleansing activists.” Her lack of knowledge and
interest in wildlife is inconsistent with her duties as a
Game and Fish Commissioner. Her repeated public statements
of disdain for citizens who take the time to participate in
public, governmental process is inappropriate and unforgivable.
As citizens in this country, we all have a duty to inform
ourselves and get involved in issues of the day. Whether Commissioner
Chilton agrees or disagrees with our opinions, she should
thank us for participating. It’s what the founders of
our country expected of us. It’s too bad Commissioner
Chilton doesn’t respect our rights in the democratic
process, any more than she understands what good wildlife
management should be in Arizona.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
ADLA is working with several other groups to kick off a campaign
to expose the Game and Fish Commission’s general failure
to follow its mission to manage wildlife in public trust for
the benefit of all citizens and “be well-informed on
the subject of wildlife and requirements for its conservation.”
If you can help by attending and/or videotaping commission
meetings, tabling, or circulating petitions, please contact
us at (520) 623-3101 or adla@adlaz.org.
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