My 2 Cents
One of the privileges of authoring a column is the chance to write about many topics. Oftentimes, my focus is on the variety of things just floating around in my head. Seems like this column might fall into that category.
As many of you are aware, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department has eight advisory board members appointed by the governor who serve as liaisons between the public and the Department. The advisory board consists of four landowners and four sportsmen and women representatives with affiliations with organizations that have an interest in the Department’s form and function. This board has existed since the 1960s and has served the public and the Department well by providing various forms of input into the management of the state’s fish and wildlife resources and those who are impacted, either positively or negatively, by the decisions made.
The bi-annual public meetings hosted by each advisory board member, one in fall and one in spring, provides the opportunity for the public to interact with both the advisory board members and Department staff. While this fall’s meeting process is the same, the range of the meeting dates is much longer than typical. Normally, the meetings take place after the deer gun season and end in early December. A fairly short window. In an attempt to spread out the meeting dates and to experiment with hosting them earlier in fall, this year’s meetings began in late October.
Another thought was by scheduling some of the meetings earlier it would take away any hazardous travel concerns associated with winter weather. A good thought, but we were once again reminded that North Dakota winter weather is never predictable. As I write this, out of the four meetings scheduled, two have been impacted by weather, and one of those had to be postponed.
Long story short, the opportunities to attend an advisory board meeting this fall are spread over an approximate six-week period instead of a two- or three-week window. We hope that increases the opportunity for those interested in attending one of the eight public meetings across the state.
Our public is passionate about North Dakota’s fish and wildlife resources and the opportunity to share discussions with interested individuals is a very important aspect of what we do. As we have just about hit the meeting halfway mark, that has indeed been the case. Topics covering electronic posting, fishing access, deer numbers, chronic wasting disease, winter feeding, deer season dates, disability permits for hunters, and many more wide-ranging issues that allow Department staff the opportunity to discuss our thought process on any issue.
While there are many reasons to celebrate why we live where we live, good people like Rex Cook is at the top of a long list of why we call North Dakota home. Earlier this fall I attended a memorial service in western North Dakota for Rex, who passed away at age 95. To shorten a long story, Rex and his family have been close family friends of ours for many years. While Rex had closer ties to my grandparents and my mother’s generation, I always felt like he was someone I had known for much longer than I actually had. He was a great example for anyone who knew him when comes to how to work with people and how to treat them. Based on the turnout at his service, many people, both old and young, felt that way as well.