Reaction To Fish And Game Commission’s Changes

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Update: Here’s a little info on the two just appointed members of the five-person commission, Peter Silva and Russell Burns, from the Sacramento Bee.

With the new appointment of Valerie Termini as the California Fish and Game Commission’s executive director,  reaction to the news is starting to trickle in.

Here’s the San Francisco Chronicle, :specifically regarding Termini replacing Jim Kellogg, whose departure seemingly left the commission without an avid hunting advocate:

Termini, who will be the first woman to head the agency when she starts Monday, will not vote on commission issues but will lead the research that is offered to commissioners to make their decisions. She said Tuesday that her only agenda is to provide solid information to the panel and continue along the “same lines” as her predecessor.

“I’m a huge fan of the former executive director,” she said, noting that she similarly supports hunters and fishers. “I want to encourage more people to go out hunting and fishing. You need to get outside to clear your head.”

Termini joined the Ocean Protection Council staff in 2007. She holds a master’s degree in international environmental policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, and once served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the west African nation of Togo.

Tom Raftican, president of the Sportfishing Conservancy, commended Termini’s qualifications but said she didn’t have Mastrup’s record of hunting and fishing advocacy.

“I’m sorry about the loss of institutional knowledge,” he said.

Raftican said Termini’s hiring wasn’t a surprise given California’s changing demographics and the waning interest in the traditions of outdoor sports.