Exactly WHO is running the show (fish and wildlife decisions) in Oregon versus in CA

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE VERSUS CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME COMMISSION MEMBERS.

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ODFW COMMISSION MEMBERS:

Michael Finley
1521 Nottingham Circle
Medford, OR 97504
odfw.commission@state.or.us
Chair of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission

Western Oregon
Appointment Effective: June 30, 2011
Term Expires 6/30/3019 – Extended
Michael Finley is the former President of the Turner Foundation, a private grant-making foundation that supports hundreds of grassroots, national and international organizations. Before joining the Turner Foundation, he spent 32 years with the National Park Service. During his career, Finley was Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park for 6.5 years and also served as Superintendent of Yosemite and Everglades National Parks and Assateague Island National Seashore. He directly managed hunting and fishing activities on National Park Service lands and waters in Alaska, Florida, Maryland, Virginia, California, Montana and Wyoming. He was also a commissioned law enforcement ranger and investigator for 10 years. Finley hunts and fishes, and is passionate about public recreation.

Bruce Buckmaster
PO Box 238
Astoria, OR 97103
odfw.commission@state.or.us

Congressional District 1
Appointment Effective: June 1, 2015
Term Expires: Aug. 31, 2019
Bruce Buckmaster is the retired owner and CEO of Bio-Oregon, Inc. Bio-Oregon introduced low phosphorus (less polluting) hatchery feeds to ensure compliance with clean water statutes and initiated fish-based nutrient supplementation to aid wild salmon recovery in Oregon rivers and streams. Bio-Oregon was one of Oregon’s largest secondary recyclers reclaiming value from 35-40 million pounds of on-shore fish processing waste annually. Now active as a community advocate and avid fly fisher, Bruce spends much of his time working on issues of stewardship and equitable use of natural resources.

Jill E. Zarnowitz
Sisters, OR
East of the Cascades
Appointment Effect: July 1, 2019
Term Expires: June 30, 2023

Congressional District 1

In 1988, Jill came to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), and over the next 21 years she held prominent positions as the Agency’s lead on water policy (program manager), assistant division administrator and nine years as Assistant Director (Administrator) in its Habitat Division. Accomplishments during her career include developing the first ODFW instream water right rules, applying for instream water rights, overseeing ODFW’s involvement in removing Savage Rapids Dam, reviewing major hydroelectric relicensing, wind energy, State Forest plans, and mining projects, among others. Jill retired from ODFW in 2009. Jill and her husband, Mark, raised a daughter, now age 23. They currently operate a vineyard and wine business in Yamhill, Oregon.

Jim Bittle
3248 Green Acres Dr.
Central Point OR 97502
odfw.commission@state.or.us

Congressional District 2
Appointment Effective: Dec. 19, 2016
Term Expires: Dec. 18, 2020
James Bittle is the President and current owner of Willie Boats Inc., a custom all-welded aluminum boat manufacturer, located in Southern Oregon. For over 32 years, Jim has actively managed Willie Boats Inc., which is dedicated to provide sound employment for more than 25 employees. Jim’s vast knowledge of the outdoor industry has influenced numerous habitat conservation projects and allowed him to support associations such as the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF), who are devoted to improving the management of our natural resources throughout the western states and Alaska. Raised in the Rogue Valley, Jim has continued to serve his community through efforts benefiting children and veterans, with organizations such as, Hearts With A Mission and Interfaith Care Community. Jim is committed to sharing his passion for the outdoors and ensuring its preservation for his grandchildren and future generations to come.

Gregory J. Wolley
City of Portland
1120 SW Fifth Avenue, Room 750
Portland, OR 97201
odfw.commission@state.or.us

Congressional District 3
Appointment Effective: June 1, 2012
Term Expires: 5/31/2020
Gregory Wolley is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, and has lived in Portland for the past for 24 years. He currently manages small business development programs for the City of Portland. Greg has previously worked as a forest planner and conservation education manager for the US Forest Service, a regional open space planner for Metro Regional Parks and Greenspaces, and a preserve manager for The Nature Conservancy. He received his B.A. degree in behavioral biology from UC Berkeley, and an M.S. Degree in natural resource education from Southern Oregon University. Greg has served on numerous boards and advisory committees, including the Northwest Association of Environmental Professionals, the City of Portland Urban Forestry Commission, and parks and natural areas planning committees for Multnomah and Los Angeles counties. Greg’s passion is introducing new audiences to activities and careers in the outdoors. He enjoys many outdoor activities, including fishing, backpacking and kayaking.He lives with his family in the Grant Park neighborhood of Portland.

Mary Wahl
Langlois, OR
Congressional District 4
Appointment Effective: May 15, 2019
Term Expires: May 14, 2023

Congressional District 4

Mary and her siblings are 4th generation ranch owners on Oregon’s south coast. She managed the Watershed Services program for the City of Portland for a decade, and managed toxics cleanup programs for Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality before that. She has a BA in Education from OSU, and a Masters from Harvard University.

Mary retired from her work in Portland to focus on Oregon’s south coast conservation efforts. Her current work is conserving Oregon’s land base for agriculture and habitat, integration of conservation and ranch operations, and protecting one of Oregon’s last coastal old growth forest watersheds. She is currently on the board of the Wild Rivers Land Trust, and served as the Kalmiopsis Audubon Society’s representative on ODFW’s Conservation and Management Plan advisory group.

Robert (Bob) Spelbrink
Siletz, OR
Congressional District 5
Appointment Effect: May 15, 2019
Term Expires: May 15, 2020

Congressional District 5

Bob Spelbrink is a lifelong Oregonian, recently retired (2015) Dungeness crab fisherman and an active Oregon licensed salmon sport fishing guide. He has fished and crabbed in offshore waters from California to Alaska and also holds a 100-ton Coast Guard license. He received a degree in Business from Oregon State University and was then commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, later serving in both the Oregon National Guard and Army Reserve before his honorable discharge with the rank of Captain. Spelbrink has previously worked in advisory capacities with OFDW on a variety of both commercial and recreational fishery and crabbing issues, including as the Tri-State Dungeness Crab Commission delegate and ODFW Dungeness Crab adviser representing the Newport fleet. He also worked with ODFW on development of the Yaquina Basin Fish Management Plan, Cascade Head Marine Reserve, and the recent Coastal Fish Management Plan (CMP) for the mid coast region.

Mark Labhart
Sisters, OR
East of the Cascades
Appointment Effect: July 1, 2019
Term Expires: June 30, 2023
Mark Labhart is a former Tillamook County Commissioner where he served for 12 years. Prior to that he worked for the Oregon Department of Forestry for 34 years with 20 years as the Manager of a majority of the Tillamook State Forest. He was an Incident Commander on one of Oregon Fire Teams for 11 years. He has served terms on the Fish Restoration & Enhancement Board, the STEP Advisory Committee, the Oregon Hatchery Research Center and the ODF&W External Budget Advisory Committee. He chaired the Legislative Task force to find alternate funding sources for ODF&W. Labhart sits on the OSU Sea Grant Advisory Committee as well as the OSU Extension Statewide Advisory Committee. He was a founding member of the Salmon Super Highway Project that looks to restore salmon access to tributaries in Tillamook County. He was chosen as Tillamook County’s Citizen of the Year and volunteer of the year previously and Forester of the Year for Oregon by the Society of American Foresters. His passion is fly fishing in the central Oregon lakes and deer and elk hunting. He and his wife moved to Sisters to be closer to children and especially their grandchildren.

NOW, THESE ARE FOLKS WITH SOLID ACADEMIC AND VOCATIONAL BACKGROUNDS IN THE FIELD OF FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE BIOLOGY WHO ARE *****QUALIFIED***** TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT, DUH... FISH AND F***ING WILDLIFE!

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NOW COMPARE WITH CALIFORNIA'S APPOINTED COMMITTEE OF PREDOMINANTLY BUSINESS-MEN, POLITICIANS, ENGINEERS, LAWYERS, DEVELOPERS, FARMERS, TRANSPORTATION, LAND-USE AND WATER TREATMENT EXPERTS WHO ASIDE FROM ONE MEMBER (SAMANTHA MURRAY) HAVE ABSOLUTELY ZERO EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS OF THE VERY THING THEIR DEPARTMENT IS IN CHARGE OF... NAMELY, CALIFORNIA'S FISH AND WILDLIFE!


CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME COMMISSION MEMBERS:


President, Eric Sklar, of St. Helena, California, was appointed to the Commission in June 2015 and reappointed in January 2017. A Napa Valley vineyard owner, entrepreneur and former public official, Eric Sklar and his family have been growing grapes in Napa Valley for nearly 40 years.


Eric was co-founder and Managing Partner (2005-2013) of Alpha Omega Winery in Rutherford, California. He was Chairman and CEO of Burrito Brothers, Inc., a restaurant chain he founded in 1989 based in Washington, D.C., and sold in 1999.


From 2003-2010, he served on the St. Helena City Council – the last two years as Vice-Mayor. He is also a retired volunteer for the St. Helena Fire Department. In 2010, he was elected to the Board of the Napa Valley Vintners where he served as Treasurer and Vice-Chair, and, from 2009-2011, he served as chair of the Napa Valley Vintners’ Community and Industry Issues Committee.


Eric received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science at the University of California at Berkeley in 1984, a Diploma in Business Studies at the London School of Economics in 1986, and a Master of Business Administration at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., in 1997. Eric is a sailor and hunter and loves backpacking the trails of California.


He lives in St. Helena with his wife Erica; they have two adult daughters.


His term on the Commission expires January 15, 2023.


Vice President, Jacque Hostler-Carmesin, of McKinleyville, was appointed to the Commission on June 4, 2013. Hostler-Carmesin has been chief executive officer at Cher Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria since 2010 and was director of transportation and land-use planning from 2007 to 2009. She was roads director at the Hoopa Tribal Roads Department from 2003 to 2007. Hostler-Carmesin served in multiple positions at the Redwood Empire Aggregates Inc. from 1990 to 2002, including payroll administrator and contract administrator.


Jacque was appointed to the National Ocean Council Governance Coordinating Committee by President Barack Obama in 2011 as one of three tribal representatives for the United States. She has been the primary California representative to the National Tribal Transportation Program since 2005 and vice chair since 2010. She has been a member of the CalTrans Native American Advisory Committee since 2006.


Term expiration: Her term on the Commission expired January 15, 2019; she can serve until a new appointment is made by the Governor.


Commissioner Russell Burns, of Napa, was appointed to the Commission in May 2016. As a third-generation heavy-equipment operator, Burns grew up in the construction industry and successfully operated cranes on bridges, refineries, high-rises and treatment plants in Northern California. He currently manages the largest construction trades local in the country, Operating Engineers Local 3, and has served five terms since 2006 as its elected leader. Burns has also held several positions within the Local 3 organization since joining its staff in 1994.


Burns has held several state and transportation positions, including an appointment by Assemblymember Karen Bass to the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board in 2009, a commitment he fulfilled until 2012.


He currently serves as the second General Vice President of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), and is a member of the California Labor Federation Executive Council, the California Alliance for Jobs and Sustainable Growth Board of Directors and the Transportation California Board of Directors.


Burns is an avid outdoorsman and looks forward to relying on that perspective in participating in the Commission’s balanced decision making.


Burns graduated from the Harvard Trade Union Program in 2000 and was appointed to the Cal- OSHA Standards Board Subcommittee for the Certification of Crane Operators in 2001.


His term on the Commission expires January 15, 2022.


Commissioner, Peter S. Silva, of Jamul, was appointed to the Commission in May 2016, and reappointed in February 2018. Silva currently is President and CEO of Silva-Silva International, an engineering consulting firm specializing in water resources management. He brings over 40 years of professional experience in the water and wastewater fields, including expertise in US-Mexico trans-border water issues. As a licensed Professional Engineer (CA), he has worked in the public sector at the city, local, regional, state, federal and international levels of government. He was appointed by California Governors Davis and Schwarzenegger to the Water Resources Control Board, where he served for two terms as Vice-Chair. He has also received appointments from Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, the latter being a Senate-confirmed position as EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water.


His term on the Commission expires January 15, 2024.


Commissioner, Samantha Murray, of Del Mar, was appointed to the Commission in March 2019. Samantha is the Executive Director of the Master of Advanced Studies Program in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD, where she also teaches graduate courses, including Ocean Law and Policy. Samantha has nearly two decades of professional experience and has directed ocean and water programs at Ocean Conservancy, the Audubon Society and Oregon Environmental Council, in addition to founding a marine policy consulting business. She was appointed to and served on the Marine Protected Area Federal Advisory Committee (2014-2018), the West Coast Governors Alliance Ocean Data Portal Action Coordination Team (2012-2013) and various Marine Life Protection Act Initiative bodies (2007-2012). Samantha is the Vice President of the Board at San Diego Coastkeeper and formerly held board positions at Upstream Public Health (Portland, OR) and Citizens for East Shore Parks (Albany, CA). Samantha holds a J.D. from Lewis and Clark Law School, where she was awarded a Certificate in Natural Resources and Environmental Law. She is committed to diversity, inclusion and equitable impacts of public policy.


Samantha grew up in a small town in Minnesota on the Mississippi River. In her youth she fished from a modest boathouse built by her father, who also hunted for ducks, pheasants and deer. She continues to enjoy fishing as an adult, as well as any time spent outdoors or on the water.


Her term expires January 15, 2021.


AND PEOPLE WONDER WHY OUR SALMON AND STEELHEAD RUNS, AMONG OTHER FISH AND WILDLIFE SPECIES... ARE HEADED TOWARDS EXTINCTION...

Get rid of he fish and you will get rid of the fishermen which are a problem for the Water Barrens in CA.

It seems it takes a lot of lobbying to get folks nominated to even be considered for a position on the DFG Commission. They are looking for a new executive director now too I believe.

Fantastic comparison! What a joke CA is.........

IMO, there are a great many people in the very affluent and influential communities that care and would understand the essence of your comparison, BUT are powerless to do anything about it.

Such "rigged" commissions are entrenched to the point that this is now standard operating business, hence, acceptable.

"Democracy works with accountability"............. as you can see by your list of CA resumes, the accountable are accountable to themselves only.

As an aside, I doubt those on the ODFW would have tolerated the debacle of CA's Davis Lake. Any accountability going on there of late?

While I understand the original point being made, it seems a bit harsh. It might be a good idea to note the differences between the department and the commission. As I recall, the CADF&W has a chief who is responsible to "run" that department and is appointed by the governor. The F&G Commission is a governing/oversight body for CADF&W while the latter actually does the work, conducts research, makes proposals, etc., for commission consideration. Then there's the differences in the amount of land, water, climate and population between the two states. I have no knowledge of the affairs, duties or control that Oregons' commissioners have over or whether the commission is separated from the ORDF&W but those differences or structure of each may have a lot of impact on the conditions of F&W in each state.

I do remember that many years ago, commissioners on the CAF&G Commissioners were caught violating F&G Regulations while hunting and fishing on private lands and were dismissed. So, presumably the current crop is a better group. I would say that the record indicates that each group consists of highly educated, capable individuals. Is it any wonder that some of the commissioners are owners of vineyards?? Our current governor is owner of "PlumpJack" brand/vineyards and at least one OR commissioner runs a vineyard.

In my mind, DWR is the department in this state who are the principle problem for fish/water issues we're now facing by enabling/encouraging water contractors (e.g. Westlands/Kern County Water Agency, etc. & several others).

At any rate, I have at times been a critic of the situation in this state, but I'm not sure anyone in those entities has the authority to over-rule DWR in matters of water for agriculture or development.

That being said, I do understand....