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M/CLOUDY Temp: 42 °F Wind: WNW at 3 mph Monday, March 3, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend February 13, 2003 Commission meeting was not a big draw By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune A state agency learned Friday in Portland that watching fish and wildlife policy in motion is less exciting than big-game trophies hanging stagnant on a wall. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting Friday was not a big draw, despite the meeting occurring amid the Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s Show at the Portland Expo Center, where thousands of people fingered the latest outdoor gadgets and viewed trophy big-game heads of record deer and elk. "There weren’t any strange faces in the audience that I saw," ODFW Director Lindsay Ball said. "There may have been a few people who walked in and out, but I don’t think it attracted many people." The commission held its regular monthly meeting within the sportsmen’s show in an attempt to increase its visibility among hunters and anglers — the commission’s traditional constituency — and the sportsmen’s show is the largest congregation of this group annually in Oregon. Commission members and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff had hoped that those attending the show would wander in and out of the meeting and get a taste for how the commission sets fish and wildlife policies. "I didn’t see (Friday’s) meeting being any more well-attended, even though it was pretty convenient to drop by," commission spokeswoman Anne Pressentin Young said. "Maybe they were more interested in seeing the wares of the sportsmen’s show." The commission normally holds meetings at its Portland headquarters office, but it does hold meetings on the road about every other month under a requirement that it visit each of the state’s five Congressional districts annually. The commission rented a room at the Expo for $900, and that accounted for most of the cost of holding Friday’s meeting across town. There was no talk among agency officials or commission members on whether to meet at next year’s Expo, Pressentin Young said. The commission sets its 2004 meeting schedule next fall, and the possibility of returning likely will be raised at that time, she said. Bandon’s police chief will await a May trial on 10 misdemeanor hunting violations for allegedly running an unlicensed hunting-guide service and illegally using trained hounds to hunt a cougar. Chief Bob McBride, the self-described "Andy of Mayberry" in this small Coos County town, pleaded innocent Monday to the charges. The charges stem from an Oregon State Police undercover investigation during which two agents posed as would-be poachers and captured McBride taking part in, or freely discussing, wildlife violations — and even using city-owned equipment during the illegal expeditions, according to police affidavits. McBride, 53, has not denied that he committed some of the misdemeanors but has said he did not know he was violating wildlife laws. If convicted on all charges, he faces as much as nine years in jail and close to $5,000 in fines. McBride said last month that he was offered a plea agreement from state prosecutors, but he would not risk losing his job by accepting a $5,000 fine and probation but no jail time. McBride is scheduled for a May 13 jury trial in the Coos County Courthouse in Coquille. McBride has received public support in Bandon by people who believe the OSP went overboard in its investigation of McBride. More than a dozen supporters traveled 20 miles from Bandon to Coquille to watch the 10-minute hearing. Survival in the woods will be the main topic during tonight’s meeting of the Rogue Valley Chapter of the Oregon Hunters Association in Medford. Robert York, the recently retired director and founder of Jackson County Search and Rescue, will make a presentation on survival in the outdoors. The chapter meets the second Thursday of every month at J.J. North’s Grand Buffet, 1016 N. Riverside Ave., Medford. The 800-member chapter also will take nominations for several offices for the upcoming year. President-elect Mel Sherbourne has resigned because of business commitments, so his position is open. Also open are secretary and two chapter director positions. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S