|
The year was 1965 and the place
was the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Trimble Wildlife
Area. I was a 16 year old temporary summer employee that was living
a dream, a dream to work for the MDC. I had collected Missouri
Conservationist magazines like some kids collected baseball cards.
I remember the goose roundups and getting to meet a lot of employees
that were an important part of MDC history. Some of them, like Ted
Shanks who was in charge of waterfowl areas, now have Conservation
Areas named after them.
I remember one evening when Ted
Shanks, along with Mike Milonski, the Chief of the Wildlife
Division, was talking with several other employees. They were
drinking adult beverages and eating fried fish and discussing the
MDC, conservation and other related topics. Mr. Shanks made the
comment that many things were changing, some for the best and some
for the worst. One thing he said stuck with me all these years. He
said that the typical MDC employee was changing. Many of the
employees in 1965 did not have college degrees, many had military
experience, and most had direct ties to the land through an
agricultural background. Mr. Shanks said that someday the MDC would
begin to change as more and more non-hunters and non-fisherman were
hired. Mike Milonski and others said that would not happen. Mr.
Shanks just smiled and said it was already happening. He said the
real changes would come when people like that were there long enough
to be elevated into leadership positions where policy and direction
decisions were made. Several argued that the Conservation
Commission and Director would never allow that to happen. The
Conservation Commissioners loved hunting and fishing as much as the
rank and file employees did. Mr. Shanks pointed out that this would
no longer be the case when Commissioners are appointed that don’t
share our passion for hunting and fishing. Several said that will
never happen.
Mr. Shanks may or may not have
realized how true his predictions would become. I was fortunate to
get a permanent job with the MDC in 1978, just after the 1/8th of 1%
sales tax was passed. This was a tax that Mr. Shanks probably
didn’t foresee, but one that probably helped make his prediction
come true even sooner. I had the privilege of working for almost 30
years for the MDC.
I got to see a lot of great
things happen and some not so good things. I got to see a hunter
education program grow and utilize some outstanding volunteers, as
well as lead the charge to reduce hunting accidents in Missouri from
well over a hundred per year to around 30. I got to see F.E. “Bud”
Eyman lead the charge to expand hunter education into a broad based
outdoor skills program and also promote the shooting sports and the
development of more public shooting ranges. Bud was later elected
to the National Rifle Association’s Board of Directors, and the MDC
and NRA worked together on several joint projects that benefitted
hunters and shooters in Missouri. Missouri was the first recipient
of the NRA national award on shooting range development.
Move forward to today and there
have been a lot of changes. The NRA national meeting held in St.
Louis last year had little MDC involvement or participation. This
was the same year that Missouri certified its 1,000,000th hunter
education student, as well as celebrated the 50th anniversary of
hunter education in Missouri. A great opportunity was missed for a
national recognition of the work the Missouri hunter education
volunteers had been able to accomplish. I heard that some of the
MDC leaders said they didn’t realize the NRA meeting was going to be
in Missouri. However, a year earlier, prior to my retirement, I
made mention of this in an “expanded staff” meeting at the Jefferson
City headquarters. In addition to this, any NRA member would have
received notice of the meeting. However, many of the people in MDC
leadership do not belong to the NRA. In fact, following Mr. Shanks
predictions, how many of them hunt and fish?
About a year prior to my
retirement, Bryan Bethel and I attended a committee put together to
discuss hunter recruitment. I remember that for the entire first
hour of our first meeting we discussed whether we really needed more
hunters or even hunters at all in the future. When we got back to
my office, Bryan and I discussed how unbelievable it was that the
meeting started that way.
I remember another meeting with
the Outreach and Education Division leadership and the leadership of
Fisheries Division. We met to discuss ways to expand the number of
fisherman. Lorna Domke, Outreach and Education Division Chief, said
and I quote, “It offends me that the MDC would spend my tax dollars
to recruit new hunting and fishing permit buyers.” She also said,
“Why do we need more hunters? With less hunters we can spend more
money on activities like bird watching.” One of the Fisheries
Division leaders argued with her about this. He said if we let our
base erode, that base being hunters, fisherman, and trappers, what
will the MDC do if they ever lose the 1/8th of 1% sales tax? Then
the main source of income will be from the sale of permits. Lorna
just rolled her eyes and said that we are never going to lose the
sales tax.
I remember Lorna saying in
several staff meetings that our field staff were spending way too
much of their time on hunter education, shooting sports, youth
hunts, and shooting ranges. She wanted them to spend more time on
non-consumptive activities like bird watching, backpacking,
canoeing, etc. In other meetings, Lorna stated she didn’t like the
word “recruitment” used with hunters and fisherman. Words were some
how important to Lorna for some reason. I remember the first
meeting that I had with Lorna, along with the other two Assistant
Outreach & Education Division Chiefs. I made the comment that
because of our reorganization we need to make our field staff aware
of our chain-of-command. Lorna immediately said that she hated that
word. I said, “What word?” David and Don, the other two Assistant
Chiefs looked as puzzled as I did. She said, “Chain-of-command. I
hate that word. It is so military.” I said, “Well I guess we
differ, because I like the military.” Then I suggested the term
“line-of-supervision” and she said that was fine, so we proceeded.
I began to hear Mr. Shanks
talking again in my memory.
I remember just prior to my
retirement Lorna put together a committee to plan a Division
Conference. She named a young lady to be chair of that committee.
At one of their meetings the chairperson suggested a main speaker,
and one of the other committee members pointed out that this person
had strong anti-hunting ties. The chairperson said, “So what is
your point?” A main speaker at that conference ended up being a
speaker with an anti-gun and anti-hunting history.
When the MDC decided to create
the “Next Generation” plan, each Division was asked to participate.
Rick Flint and Bryan Bethel were directly under my supervision at
the time. I asked them each to submit to me ideas to include in
parts of the Next Generation Plan. I also wrote several thoughts I
had on the future of the MDC and how we could best serve the
resource and the people. Naturally, a lot of Rick’s, Bryan’s, and
my comments were tied to hunting and hunter education, fishing and
aquatic education, trapping, shooting sports and shooting ranges,
along with ideas on other outdoor activities. I submitted these to
Lorna, who was my supervisor. When the Next Generation plan came
out, I noticed none of Rick’s, Bryan’s, or my comments were
included. I asked Lorna about this and she said she had forgotten
to include our comments. Who would have ever thought that would
happen?
Later Lorna said she wanted us to
create a new education program called “LOS,” Learning Outdoor
Schools. The first part of this program was an aquatic education
program. She had some of her hand-picked folks write this and then
asked me to critique it. I read it and asked her how she could have
an aquatic education program that did not include fishing. She sent
it back and fishing was added as a voluntary alternate.
Another time, I was required to
attend a leadership training course which our current Director was
also attending. When we got to the course, only about half of the
class that was signed up to attend was there. For whatever reason,
the others had decided not to attend. At lunch, the Director asked
several of us for suggestions to stop this from happening so often.
He was concerned about the instructors’ time as well as costs of
materials. I suggested that the supervisors of those employees could
provide a written memo to explain why their employee or employees
didn’t attend or call to cancel. One of the section leaders at the
class looked at me and said that idea was archaic. I began to hear
Mr. Shanks speaking again and began to count the days until my
retirement.
Near the end of the same
leadership training class, the instructor asked us to name a great
leader that we had as a role model. The first name that came to my
mind was President Ronald Regan, not because of his political
affiliation, but because of his leadership qualities. The Director
raised his hand and the rest of us, who were being good
subordinates, waited to hear from him. He stated that President
Jimmy Carter was his leadership role model and I about fell out of
my chair. The President that allowed American hostages to be held
by Iranian terrorists for 444 days. The same hostages that were
released while President Ronald Regan was taking the oath of office
as President. I realized that based on the “archaic” comment and
this one, that I was now a dinosaur (so to speak) and retirement
couldn’t come too soon.
Mr. Shank’s prophecy had come
true. I realized that we now have people in leadership and
direction setting positions with a different kind of agenda. They
lack the emotional attachment to hunting, fishing, and trapping, as
well as any ties to the land. They do not understand why the 2nd
amendment is so important to not just our enjoyment and way of life,
but ultimately to our freedom.
Some have accused me of being a
disgruntled, retired employee and that is fine. If having strong
feelings for the history of the MDC and the many great people who
have and are working there is being disgruntled, then I am
disgruntled. If loving the sights and sounds of the woods coming
alive while I seek game, or watching the swirl of large fish moving
towards my lure is being disgruntled, then I am disgruntled. If
watching a young boy or girl shoot their first quail, or seeing them
feel that familiar tug on the end of their line is being
disgruntled, then I am disgruntled. If loving the familiar smell of
gun powder and Hoppe’s gun oil, or getting goose bumps and a lump in
my throat when I hear the Star Spangled Banner, labels me as archaic
and disgruntled, then so be it. I’ll bet there are a lot of us that
fit that definition and we just want to see future generations have
the opportunity for those same memories.
Mr. Shanks, if you can hear me,
then God Bless you and your words of wisdom that a 16 year old boy
could never forget.
Bob Staton
|
