Wednesday, January 30, 2008

F&G accuses Marvel of physical abuse


By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

Jon Marvel

Conflicting stories emerged Tuesday in the aftermath of a leaked Idaho Department of Fish and Game memo that accuses Hailey environmentalist Jon Marvel of physical and verbal abuse directed at a senior Idaho official following a public meeting in December.

The department alleges that Marvel "pushed, shoved or contacted" Fish and Game Commissioner Wayne Wright. Bystanders outside Fish and Game, however, say such an allegation is ridiculous. All five witnesses interviewed by the Idaho Mountain Express on Tuesday said the two men were having an obviously heated disagreement.

Marvel is executive director of Hailey-based Western Watersheds Project, an organization that has won numerous court battles over public land and wildlife management. The group was founded by Marvel in 1993.

The Dec. 17 meeting in Hailey was held to collect public feedback on Idaho management of reintroduced gray wolves. The alleged altercation occurred after the meeting and after the majority of those who'd attended had left.

Fish and Game Deputy Director Virgil Moore said the reason it took Fish and Game six weeks to respond to the incident was to allow for discussion among agency officials and the Fish and Game Commission, which met earlier in January.

"We chose a mode that we thought would adequately protect the safety of our employees by simply empowering them to remove themselves from this," Moore said.

Moore issued a memo to Fish and Game employees Monday. The press was aware of the memo before Marvel, and Moore said that was not intended.

"All IDFG employees and officials are instructed to politely avoid contact or politely withdraw from contact in person or phone with Mr. Jon Marvel as part of their Fish and Game duties," the memo states. "This is a result of a history of threats and abuse toward Fish and Game employees and most recently the physical contact with a Fish and Game Commissioner at a public meeting last December."

Marvel, Boulder White Clouds Council Executive Director Lynne Stone and Boise resident Brian Ertz said there was absolutely no assault. Moore, Fish and Game Magic Valley Region Director David Parrish and Wright said there was.

"Let me make clear there was no assault, and there is no history of threats against any employees of the Department of Fish and Game by me, ever," Marvel said.

Marvel, Stone and Ertz said it appears to them that Fish and Game officials are attempting to distance the agency from Western Watersheds Project and to cover up a pending decision to remove bighorn sheep from the South Hills.

Moore and Parrish said that is not the case. Moore said it is a simple matter of "empowering our staff to remove themselves from contact with Mr. Marvel."

Among those interviewed, Ertz gave the most detailed account.

"It's patently false, and it's a lie, and I can't believe the department would say these things," Ertz said. "I do know what happened. I was six feet away at most from Jon and Wayne that whole time."

Ertz said he remembers the evening well because Marvel was willing to confront what was happening with the Department of Fish and Game with regard to wolves "in a direct way, and I thought it was an appropriate way."

"Jon asked Wayne Wright, 'Are you going to kill 600 wolves, Wayne?' Wayne Wright got red in the face, raised his voice and said, 'God gave us the responsibility to manage wildlife.'"

Following more discussion between Marvel and Wright, they walked out of the room and into the hallway of Hailey's Community Campus where the meeting was held.

"Right before the turn, they stopped. It was heated all the way down the hall," Ertz said. "Wayne reached his hand around Jon's back and patted him on the back sternly. Jon moved away moving his arm necessarily. It was a loaded pat. It was stern. It was representative of the nature of the confrontation.

"Jon brushed off the arm in moving back. He didn't' remove his arm with his arm or anything. There was no shove, whether it be on the back or the side of Wayne Wright.

"I can definitively say that Jon Marvel did not make contact with Wayne Wright, and more than anything Wayne Wright made initial contact with Jon Marvel."

Parrish, who according to Moore inserted himself between the two arguing men, said "there was physical contact between Dr. Wayne Wright and Jon Marvel. It was a push."

He said, "yes," it was out of line.

"He's (Jon's) had a history," Parrish said. "I know there was an incident with the BLM back six or seven years ago. I know they sent a similar letter to Jon at the time. This is really a matter of the safety of our employees. We don't want to see any physical altercations, and we are just looking out for the safety of the people who work for this agency."

Marvel acknowledged that the Bureau of Land Management banned its staffers from communicating with him for one year after an incident when officials said he orally and physically threatened BLM workers during a public tour of rangeland in Cassia County.

Marvel disputed those allegations, and no charges were filed after a U.S. Attorney's Office investigation.

Moore said he did not specifically see whether there was physical contact between Marvel and Wright. He said, however, that on the way between the classroom where the meeting was held and the front doors of the Community Campus building "Marvel followed us down the corridor."

"That's where he continued to have verbal interactions with Dr. Wright," Moore said. "I could hear profanities and Mr. Marvel continuing to press Dr. Wright with some verbal abuse. At the same time I was in front of them walking down the hall, so I did not see Dr. Wright get physically contacted by Mr. Marvel."

He said that only later, in conversations with Parrish and Wright did it become clear that Marvel had "pushed, shoved or contacted Dr. Wright."

The incident is the classic he-said, she-said.

"It's a total fabrication," Stone said.

Parrish said the option of filing charges "is still being considered."

"We've had other reports. I've documented one other incident," Moore said.

"It's not true," Marvel said.




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