On Wednesday, sources inside Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks revealed that Wildlife Supervisor Ken McDonald has been assigned totally different obligations.
McDonald will now reportedly spearhead a “habitat leasing program.” sureThe sources had been granted anonymity as a result of they risked shedding their jobs.
On Thursday, FWP spokesman Greg Lemon mentioned McDonald would proceed to function chief wildlife officer, nevertheless, “the habitat lease program is his high precedence.”
“Generally that may imply it’s important to usher in different leaders inside the wildlife division that can assist you with different administrative-type duties. Nevertheless, he stays the supervisor of the wildlife division and can be liable for figuring out how greatest to handle the division’s work and workers,” Lemon mentioned in an electronic mail.
McDonald has been the wildlife division chief, or administrator, for at the very least a dozen years. Many have turn out to be acquainted with him from his many appearances earlier than legislative committees, talking for or towards varied payments or just offering data on laws that would have an effect on Montana’s wildlife.
The 2021 Legislature was the primary session during which Director Hank Worsech banned workers from testifying on payments to make McDonald’s much less seen.
Nevertheless, others know him from numerous conferences associated to particular species, such because the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee or the Interagency Bison Administration Plan conferences, the place he represented FWP.
McDonald’s longevity as workplace supervisor has many questioning what prompted the sudden reassignment. Oftentimes, a reassignment signifies FWP management dissatisfaction with a selected worker. Since they can not hearth an worker with out trigger, they’re positioned in a decrease place.
For instance, in 2015, Arnie Dood It was eliminated from his place as coordinator of endangered and threatened species the place he had spent years making an attempt to ascertain a herd of untamed bison in Montana. This was earlier than the Montana tribes began having their very own herds, and the bison had been nonetheless confined to Yellowstone Nationwide Park and the Bison Nationwide Vary.
Dood frequently confronted stiff opposition from Montana ranchers, fearful that bison would switch brucellosis to their cattle, despite the fact that elk are main illness vectors.
After Dood utilized to be the Area 3 supervisor in 2014 however did not get the job, FWP management relegated him to overseeing brucellosis administration in Paradise Valley. Since he had already labored 40 years at FWP, Dood resigned.
Most lately, in December, former Area 2 Wildlife Supervisor Mike Thompson was immediately relieved of his duties whereas making an attempt to rearrange the deer and elk looking seasons. With out warning, Worsech gave him a 20-day suspension.
“My suspension alluded to ‘lack of enough supervision of my direct stories’ and ‘chain of command violations.’ I did not know we had been at struggle. Individuals who know me would acknowledge, and have, that my misdeeds fall inside the norm of my 41 years of FWP service. I’m not troublesome to right. A direct dialog would have sufficed,” Thompson wrote in a Jan. 12 assertion. misoulian letter.
With that, Thompson additionally resigned.
FWP is now struggling the lack of many skilled wildlife biologists and managers. Many have stop or moved in simply the previous 12 months, as Worsech has instituted insurance policies and applications which have little to do with science, making it troublesome for devoted biologists to do their jobs.
Now that the wildlife division has just one part-time chief, some fear that Worsech might make modifications to additional shrink the division. As an alternative of leaving wildlife as his personal division, Worsech is rumored to be contemplating shifting what stays of the Wildlife Division into the brand new Parks and Recreation division as a part of his reorganization of FWP. He has already moved fishing entry websites and wildlife administration areas underneath Parks and Recreation.
That might have detrimental results for a division that was as soon as a nationwide chief in wildlife administration. It might stifle home efforts to protect and defend species that aren’t as in style as large recreation, reminiscent of grizzly bears, wolves and bison.
In the meantime, it stays unclear how a part-time chief can run a wildlife division that manages the widest vary of species within the decrease 48 states. To FWP biologists, it seems that McDonald is the second worker to lose a few of his management place. Equally, former Parks Chief Beth Shumate was demoted an assistant administrator when Worsech employed Hope Stockwell of the Montana Legislature to steer the Division of Parks and Recreation.
The reference to working a “habitat lease program” implies that McDonald will oversee Worsech’s modified model of the Habitat Montana program. The Habitat Montana program used to get a sure allotment of {dollars} from athletes (about $2 million a 12 months) to buy conservation easements or titles for wildlife habitat. Some legislators oppose FWP buying extra land, so some payments have quickly restricted Habitat Montana to buying solely conservation easements.
Now, nevertheless, Worsech is creating a brand new leasing program in order that Habitat Montana’s cash is spent on short-term habitat leases, a program that’s probably dearer and fewer sturdy than conservation easements. Nevertheless it suits with Worsech’s coverage of prioritizing landowners over sportsmen.
Contact reporter Laura Lundquist at [email protected]