Established in January 1993, the Council includes 18 members who are appointed for 2-year terms and advises the Interior Secretary through the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service. A list of the newly appointed members and their qualifications is attached.
"In just 3 years, the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council already boasts an impressive record of accomplishments on several issues affecting the sound stewardship of fisheries and aquatic resources," said Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. "I am confident the new members will continue the extraordinary progress this blue-ribbon panel has already made on behalf of America's anglers and boaters."
At its December meeting, Helen B. Sevier, president and corporate executive officer of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, Inc., was elected council chair. The world's largest fishing organization, B.A.S.S. has more than 650,000 members. The hottest item currently on the council's agenda is to help the Fish and Wildlife Service define its appropriate role in working to ensure abundant and healthy fishery resources. The council will serve as a catalyst for constituent input concerning the Service's appropriate responsibilities and role in recreational fisheries and will produce a recommended strategic plan for fulfilling that role.
Other council accomplishments have included recommendations to President Clinton that culminated in an Executive Order on Recreational Fisheries that was issued in June 1995. This order requires Federal agencies to strengthen recreational fisheries conservation and provide for more and better angling opportunities.
At the meeting, the new council members also learned of Federal agencies' progress on a consolidated 5-year conservation plan for recreational fisheries, another requirement of the Executive Order. The plan, scheduled for completion by National Fishing Week, June 1996, will identify measures Federal agencies will take to improve recreational fishery resources and increased angling opportunities. The Executive Order directs the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council to monitor and evaluate how effectively the plan is carried out.
In response to another requirement of the order, in December 1995, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service announced a draft policy designed to improve the administration of the Endangered Species Act as it relates to recreational fisheries. The joint policy is the culmination of efforts begun by the council in 1994 to balance implementation of the Endangered Species Act with traditional fisheries management. This balance allows recreational fisheries to continue while species listed under the Endangered Species Act are protected and restored.
In 1994, the council and the BOAT/U.S. Clean Water Trust launched campaigns called "Boat Smart/Fish Smart," toll-free phone services to inform anglers and boaters of recreational opportunities and other useful information. Currently, anglers in 15 states can find out weekly fishing reports and information about fishing license requirements and other regulations by calling 1-800-ASK-FISH. Boaters can receive information on boating safety courses available in their communities by calling 1-800-336-BOAT.
Tom Bedell (membership renewed), chairman and CEO of Outdoor Technologies Group, the holding company for Berkley and Fenwick fishing tackle brands and Fenwick Golf. Bedell is chairman of the American Sportfishing Association's Freshwater Governmental Affairs subcommittee, and has served on that organization's Board of Directors.
Earl Bentz is vice president of Outboard Marine Corporation, the world's largest marine manufacturing company. In addition, he is president of both the OMC Fishing Boat Group and OMC Aluminum Boat Group. A former boat racer, Bentz serves on the Board of Directors of the National Marine Manufacturers Association and the National Association of Boat Manufacturers.
John Charvat is the former executive vice president of Brunswick Corporation and former president of the Brunswick Marine Group. Charvat also served as the president/general manager for Brunswick's Zebco Division for many years. He also championed the development of the FishAmerica Foundation, which has been instrumental in restoring and enhancing hundreds of fisheries across North America.
David Hall is senior vice president of Cable Networks for Gaylord Entertainment Company with responsibilities for The Nashville Network and Country Music Television. He is a founding member and governor of the National Academy of Television Programming. Hall received an award from the Department of the Interior in 1991 for his outstanding commitment to the stewardship of public lands and natural and cultural resources.
Ray Hobbs is senior vice president and general merchandise manager for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Arva Jackson was director of Educational Affairs Division at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration before retiring in 1994. Jackson currently serves as chair of the Environmental Protection Agency's National Environmental Education Council and as a member of the ProjectWILD Program Committee (ProjectWILD is a program developed by the Western Regional Environmental Education Council to incorporate environmental and conservation topics into all areas of teaching.)
William A. Miller is chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Sportfishing Association. A Certified Public Accountant since 1957, Miller has served as president, vice chairman, and treasurer of the Board of the Wright & McGill Company/Eagle Claw Fishing Tackle.
Roy T. Montgomery is vice president of Government and Industry Relations for the Mercury Marine Company and is on the Board of Directors of the National Marine Manufacturers Association where he served as immediate past chairman. Montgomery also served on the boards of two marine standards development organizations, the American Boat and Yacht Council and the ICOMIA Marine Environment Committee, as well as on the National Boating Safety Advisory Council.
Jerry J. Presley is president of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Presley has worked for the Missouri Department of Conservation since 1958, primarily in forestry positions until becoming director in 1988. Presley has served as president of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and as president of the National Association of State Foresters.
Michael G. Sciulla (membership renewed) is vice president of Boat Owners Association of The United States, a 500,000-member organization, and is editor of BOAT/U.S. Reports. Sciulla served two terms as president of the American League of Anglers and Boaters, a coalition of national boating and sportfishing organizations. He has been a member of Boating Writers International for 10 years.
Helen B. Sevier (membership renewed) is president and corporate executive officer of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, Inc., the world's largest fishing organization with more than 650,000 members. B.A.S.S. is a major event marketer conducting the world's most prestigious fishing tournament circuit. In addition, the company administers 2,500 local fishing clubs throughout the United States and other countries.
James A. Timmerman, Jr. is director of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, where he has worked since 1970. Timmerman is past president of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, past president of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, past chairman of the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, and a member of the North American Wetlands Conservation Council.
Henry R. (Hank) Todd is vice president for Government and Tourism at the Carlson Companies, the leading travel, hospitality, and marketing company in the United States. He was formerly director of Minnesota's Office of Tourism and deputy commissioner for that state's Department of Trade and Economic Development. Todd is a member of the Board of Directors of the Travel Industry Association of America.
Sharon Borg Wall is chairperson of the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation. Wall also is board director of the U.S. Shooting Team Foundation and director-at-large of Safari Club International. She is a member of the Women's Shooting Sports Foundation and the Grand National Waterfowl Association. Prior to her current position, Wall spent 16 years working on Capitol Hill.
Steve N. Wilson (membership renewed) is director of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, a position he has held since 1979. The former chairman of the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council, Wilson has served as president of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, The Wildlife Society, the Ozark Society, and the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. He also is currently serving as chairman of the North American Wetlands Conservation Council.
Paul J. (Jack) Wingate is fisheries research manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, where he has served since 1982. Prior to that, he worked for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission for several years. Wingate is president of the American Fisheries Society and has served on a number of the Society's committees over the last 15 years.
Rebecca R. Wodder is president of American Rivers, the Nation's leading river conservation and stewardship organization. Wodder was formerly vice president for Organizational Development, and for Membership, Marketing, and Development, for The Wilderness Society.