Subject: Re: John River viewing area
Date: Nov 13 20:52:57 1996
From: Kelly Mcallister - mcallkrm at dfw.wa.gov


On Wed, 13 Nov 1996 rhm at ms.washington.edu wrote:

> Is it something like at Spencer Island, where the hunters get most of
> the island, and where the birds get scared off?

Johns River, like virtually all of the Department of Fish and Wildlife
managed Wildlife Areas, is open to hunting throughout its extent (during
the season of course). However, in practice, there are often large areas
that receive little attention by hunters. There are also slack periods when,
despite the season being open, hunters simply are not out in appreciable
numbers. These things vary a lot from one Wildlife Area to another so you
just about have to spend time getting to know the patterns at a particular
area.

> Just in passing, this might be interesting: I phoned the Washington State
> Department of Fish and Wildlife to try to obtain the above information, and
> to find out the general availability of such information for all wildlife
> viewing areas. I got passed through to three or four different departments
> and finally ended up at the "habitat" department.
(snip)

I am embarassed for the Department. I presume you called the Olympia office??
Our front line people who answer phones are sadly under-trained for the job of
responding to calls on the vast number of subjects that people call about.
My perception is that calls about where to hunt or fish, or what permits are
needed, or when is a permit drawing, or what to do about the deer that eat the
roses - these are the common calls that our support staff are used to dealing
with.

Your call would probably have been more satisfactorily answered by someone in
the Wildlife Diversity Division (my division), the Lands Division (the folks
who deal with management of our state's Wildlife Areas), or perhaps, the
Watchable Wildlife coordinator, Chuck Gibilisco, who is ever so busy trying
to implement a Watchable Wildlife Program that will help get people out to
places like John's River.

> So I told her I was a birdWATCHER, she finally realized what I was
> requesting, and she told me to contact the corresponding US department
> with respect to John River. It just seemed strange that someone who is
> concerned with "habitat" wouldn't have any idea what a birder is.

Wow, I would like to know who you talked to.

There is no U.S. government agency that has significant involvement with
the John's River Wildlife Area so I guess you had a bad experience with a
medium-sized government agency. I must admit that if you called Olympia, you
may have gotten one of the office people who are a step or two removed from the
outdoors (I think some of them have to read project descriptions all day, you
know, State Environmental Policy Act stuff).

John's River is in Region 6 and the regional office is in Montesano.
I would hope that you would have gotten good, knowledgeable help by calling
that office. I think the person who initially answered the call would have
done you a favor by immediately transferring your call there.

Boy, I hate it when that happens.

Kelly McAllister
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife