Friday — May 14, 2004

Wildlife compass gives management direction

Fish and Game releases 15-year strategic plan

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By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

It may not point to magnetic north, but the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s new compass is designed to give the state agency direction in managing fish and wildlife over the next 15 years.

The 17-page plan, called The Compass, is ready for its final public review.

According to Fish and Game, a broad slice of Idaho’s citizenry helped guide Fish and Game strategic planning efforts, now written into the document. The Compass is the product of three years of work, involving hundreds of Idaho citizens, including 35 focus groups, seven strategic planning workshops and a survey of the opinions of more than 3,000 Idahoans.

The Compass "will guide us toward excellence in maintaining our fish and wildlife heritage and providing services to people," wrote Fish and Game Director Steve Huffaker in the document’s introduction. "This plan establishes the major directions for the future and describes what successful fish and wildlife management looks like."

The Compass identifies the major issues facing the department over the next 15 years and proposes ways to address them. It outlines what the department will do and how Fish and Game will do it. It also describes how the plan will be used and modified as circumstances and priorities change.

As its base, it describes Fish and Game’s core values as public service, science, sustainability, ecosystem management and credibility.

It stresses the importance of habitat, hunting and fishing, communication and recreation and sets benchmarks that could help determine whether goals are being met.

"Often I hear the comment, ‘Fish and Game doesn’t listen,’" Huffaker said. "This plan has and will continue to be an important forum for Idahoans to help direct the department. I hope they will take advantage of the opportunity."

According to Huffaker, the Fish and Game Commission—a seven-member board that dictates policy decisions for the state agency—carried through The Compass planning process for several reasons:

• To align department programs and actions with the values, needs and expectations of Idaho citizens.
  
   
• To communicate clearly what the department will attempt to accomplish in the next 15 years.
  
   
• To enable the department to respond to anticipated changes in the physical, biological and social environment.
  
   
• To initiate a way of doing business that involves stakeholders in establishing goals, measures, performance and that adjusts programs to achieve desired outcomes.

"After all," Huffaker wrote, "the same thing can be said for a good strategic plan as for a rewarding life: It is not the destination, but the manner of traveling."

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To get involved

To peruse the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s new strategic plan, called The Compass, visit a Fish and Game office or log on to http://fishandgame.idaho.gov.

Mail comments to Michele Beucler, Idaho Fish and Game, PO Box 25, Boise, ID 83707.

The comment period will extend through May.

Call Gregg Servheen at (208) 287-2713 or Michele Beucler at (208) 287-2717 with questions.

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