[rap]

from ndgf website:
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2002 Fall Game and Fish Advisory Board Meetings Set (11/13/02)
Anglers, hunters, trappers, and landowners are invited to attend this fall's North Dakota Game and Fish Department advisory board meeting in their area. These public meetings, held twice each year, provide citizens with an opportunity to discuss wildlife issues and ask questions of their district advisors and game and fish personnel.

There are eight game and fish department advisors, each representing a multi-county section of the state. The governor appoints them to four-year terms to serve as a liaison between the department and public.

District 1 - Counties: Divide, McKenzie and Williams.
Date: November 25 - 7 p.m.
Location: American Legion, Tioga.
Host: Tioga Sportsmen Club.
Contact: Hilmer Backhaus, 664-3528.
Advisory board member: Merle Jost, Grassy Butte, 863-6727.

District 2 - Counties: Bottineau, Burke, McHenry, Mountrail, Pierce, Renville and Ward.
Date: December 10 - 7 p.m.
Location: Dakota Bank, Bowbells.
Host: Dakota Bank.
Advisory board member and contact: Gary Melby, Bowbells, 377-2803.

District 3 - Counties: Benson, Cavalier, Eddy, Ramsey, Rolette and Towner.
Date: December 9 - 7 p.m.
Location: Leeds Community Center.
Host: Leeds/York Wildlife Club.
Contact: Rick Darling, 662-8681.
Advisory board member: Barbara Ash, Devils Lake, 662-3989.

District 4 - Counties: Grand Forks, Nelson, Pembina and Walsh.
Date: December 5 - 7 p.m.
Location: Pekin Community Building.
Host: Pekin Rod & Gun Club.
Contact: Jerald Enstad, 322-5656.
Advisory board member: Dan Mikkelson, Grand Forks, 775-4338.

District 5 - Counties: Cass, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, Steele and Traill.
Date: December 3 - 7 p.m.
Location: Kindred City Hall.
Host: Kindred Wildlife Club.
Contact: Craig Roe, 428-3157.
Advisory board member: Kenneth Toop, Casselton; home 347-4960; work 347-4045.

District 6 - Counties: Barnes, Dickey, Foster, Griggs, Logan, LaMoure, McIntosh, Stutsman and Wells.
Date: December 2 - 7 p.m.
Location: Jamestown Eagles Club.
Host: Dakota Anglers.
Contact: Ken Widmer, 251-1412.
Advisory board member: Rita Greer, Marion, 669-2315.

District 7 - Counties: Burleigh, Emmons, Grant, Kidder, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, Sheridan and Sioux.
Date: December 11 - 7 p.m.
Location: Lone Steer Restaurant & Lounge, Steele.
Host: To be announced.
Contact: To be announced.
Advisory Board member: Ray Gruby, Bismarck, 258-2635.

District 8 - Counties: Adams, Billings, Bowman, Dunn, Golden Valley, Hettinger, Slope and Stark.
Date: November 26 - 7 p.m. MT.
Location: City Hall, Bowman.
Host: Bowman-Haley Anglers.
Contact: Neil Hoffland, 523-5849.
Advisory board member: Jerry D. Jeffers, Rhame, 279-5885.

Any person who requires an auxiliary aid or service must notify the contact person at least five days prior to the scheduled meeting date.

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[Fetch]

How much influence do these regional people really have ???

If alot - how much blame do they deserve for where were at ???

Is this the best system to get these reps. ???

Are they truely regular ND Freelance hunters ??? what percentage is from urban - rural - farmers/ landowners - the rest of us - other sportsmans clubs ???

Do they really hunt ???

only 8 zones for reps. & 3 for waterfowl :roll: what was the science behind 8 zones for reps. ???

How many of these things have outlived their usefulness ??? & are they like most other boards & commissions - loaded with respectable yes people ??? A honorary plum for what ???

what do they do the other 6 months as a regional rep. ??? Do they mainly listen to the complainers in their regions ??? or do they get out & find out what folks think & how do they do this ??? Two times a year at some of the locations is not cutting it :roll:

Or am I wrong & just being Cynical again ???

The NDG&F dept. needs to get with the times & have a interactive web page & have townhall meetings on-line somehow.

 

[redlabel]

Does anyone know how these people are chosen?

I see region 4 has a new representative in a place of Rick Price from Tolna. I don't ever recall seeing Dan Mikkelson at any of the other advisory meetings.

 

[muzzy]

they are political appointments by the governor

 

[Fetch]

to serve as a liaison between the department and public.

By having two poorly attended meetings a year ???

It's not working & hasn't for years - if ever ???

& believe me to sit thru 2 hours of deer hunters complaining about the sameol sameol stuff - is not my idea of the best way to

provide citizens with an opportunity to discuss wildlife issues and ask questions of their district advisors and game and fish personnel.

It may have been fine 10 - 20 yrs ago ??? But it is not effective today.

Now that I have got that Rant off my chest :roll: It is important under the circumstances to have concerned bird hunters attend & express their ideas. You see the commercial people have always been in attendance. (maybe not vocal as a for profit enity) but they see to it their ideas (seeds) get planted & feritlized & cultivated at any opportunity. Freelance hunters & sportmans groups would be politically wise to do the same.

The powers that be use these things as a gauge - tuning fork for what they want to see happen -

I just wish there were better ways for input to be heard & discussed ??? Do any State G&FD's have forums ???

 

[muzzy]

Sportsmen can do what they wish with the advisory board set up. It is mandated by law through the legislature. If you don't like it, it can always be changed. You just have to have someone willing to get the ball rolling. I can guarantee it won't change unless someone does so. However, to take some of the blame off of the process, they don't work unless people attend them, and until the last year hardly anyone attended them. People typically don't put much effort into anything until they are really ****** off. I think the happenings in the last year prove that point pretty well. I think the open house forum that they did last spring was a breath of fresh air.

 

[Fetch]

Couldn't the Dept. (Director) be more pro-active in some of these things ??? (Not just talking to muzzy or tsodak) As far as changes to how things are done ??? How to Improve things ??? Solve problems ???

I wonder, do they brain storm these things /issues ??? Or do they have bigger fish to fry ???

This is one of the worst misconceptions - people think the G&FD are pro-active in sportmans issues & also think they will always say & do things in sportsmen & womens best interest. (As in they are the watchdogs / planners & protectors) of all things - for the sake of resident hunters

I do believe, they have to watch their P & Q's and at least on the surface, be neutral, in most of these things (isn't that correct) ???

Do they - The main sportmen (& womens) groups ever get together & conference on these things & try to have a united front in their goals ???

I always wonder what effect, if any, individuals have in this process ??? I'm sure if enough write or call in - But to who ???

What is the most effective ways to make changes ??? & do these groups really know what they are & who does them (the best) ???

:roll: I ask so many questions - I am used to talking to myself

 

[muzzy]

Fetch, there has always been a misconception on what the game and fish departments role is or should be. At the current time, their job is to manage fish and wildlife populations. Typically, if there are enough animals to shoot and enough fish to catch, their mission has been accomplished. The rest of the problems are just social issues. They set seasons to manage wildlife populations, not hunters. The social issue of how we divvy up all the extra's typically fall into the legislature or publics hands. I am not saying this is right or the way I like it myself, but the way that it is. People have to get over the idea that the department has any power or influence in government. It is the exact opposite, the department is the one taking the orders. I am sure in quite a few instances the politicians probably don't even want to hear the opinion of someone in the G&F Dept. No one is going to fix our (resident hunters) problems but ourselves. Once again, no matter what kind of heat or flack wildlife organizations get, they certainly have some clout and do make a difference. Money spent to join wildlife clubs whereever I live if they have one is some of the best money I have spent, it is just a stronger voice than one person.

By the way, before I am hammered on the above post, I am not stating that I am in agreement with how the system works. I am just trying to bring the reality of how it really works to everyone.

 

[Fetch]

I wish these groups would come on here & SPAM the heck out of us ??? I would join if I knew more about them ??? T S A & GF wildlife Assn ??? Landowner /sportsmans group ??? If not for the meetings this last year - I would never have heard of them ??? & even now I don't much about them ???

WHERE ARE YOU & WHAT DO YOU DO & BELIEVE IN ??? WHEN DO YOU MEET & WHERE ??? DO YOU HAVE WEB SITES ??? (I know The Sportsmans Alliance does but it really doesn't sell their ideas & interests very well ???) DO YOU HAVE NEWS LETTERS ??? WHAT ELSE ??? plus I'm too old & wise to get sucked in to being totally involved & in the leadership. BUT I"D SURE JOIN if you could get my attention & the Lord knows I'm trying to listen :roll: ???

 

[muzzy]

I won't claim to be old and wise, only my kids think I am old. But one thing I have learned is if you want to do something you sometimes have to go after it and find out about it yourself. Not everything is going to come to you. If you are interested in joining the Grand Forks County Wildlife Federation, you can contact the President John French at 746-8776.

Another subject that always arises about these things is actually getting out and doing something about what bothers you. I am probably one of the worst ones, because I like to ***** but don't do more about things. Part of this is do to my job, I don't feel like I have the luxury to be stirring the pot publically about game and fish issues I don't like. I would like to believe that if I was in a different line of work, I would be more active vocally with these issues. My way of working with this is to join different wildlife clubs in the area and let them be my voice. I guess what I am saying is that forums and websights are great tools for information dissemination, but if all we ever do is talk about things and never act on them, nothing will ever get changed.

 

[Wally]

That muzzy has a point. If you don't join or get involved there is no reason to sit at a computer screen and complain, complain, and complain.

You are preaching to the chior not the congregation. Typically the only people that use message boards like these are like minded people that use them to vent their frustrations.

 

[Bronco]

Rap-Thanks for the info! This site has proven valuable to me (besides all my ranting/raving & venting). I did not know about these advisory board meetings, but I can assure you I will be in Steele and will try to drag along every hunter I know from the Bismarck area!

 

[Fetch]

Hey!!! walley - Welcome ???

That muzzy has a point. If you don't join or get involved there is no reason to sit at a computer screen and complain, complain, and complain.

You are preaching to the chior not the congregation. Typically the only people that use message boards like these are like minded people that use them to vent their frustrations.

I see my role as moderator, is to keep things rolling - ask questions - start Hot Topics - Debate issues - even give the other side, even if I don't really believe it But I'm sure my true feelings come thru Plus try to make others THINK :huh:

Please continue to give the otherside - I just get tired of some, that are new & have not bothered to look back & see what our issues & concerns are.

I have been on most all the major waterfowl hunting forums, since the internet started & public forums came on the scene. I know, not everyone likes my style & manner & humor - Oh Well :roll: - I don't really care if I'm a moderator or not. I'd be the same - If not even more brutally honest. oke:

I feel this site is just starting to get real. That many are coming out of the lurking stages. & most all of us, have the ability to complain & debate & disagree without getting mad. (win a few - lose a few) some get flushed ??? :******:

Yeah alot of us are like minded & alot of us LOVE ND & hate to see what we have, become spoiled by greed & $$$ & over crowding - There are plenty of other sites to complain about us, or find like minded NR's that will never understand us.

I'm an admitted Cynic & I love Sarcasim & mainly have a Goofball / Fun style. We may disagree - But I think we could :beer: & not have to be back to back at 10 paces ???

PS.......I love Duluth - Plan to go there again soon - that north shore is amazing - alot to see & do (at least during non hunting times)

 

[Bronco]

Fetch- I used to live in Silver Bay Mn for 2 years. It is 60 miles northeast of Duluth on the Northshore. Some of the best people in this good ole country live up in that neck of the woods.

If you ever get to Silver Bay, stop at the local cafe and ask for Mouse! Mrs. Mouse owns the joint and they are great people- just tell em a friend from Bismarck told you they would buy you a beer at the Muni! :beer: