Attendees
PRESENT: Steve Sears/Chair, Emma Ellsworth/Vice Chair, Ernie Foster/Secretary, Bob Durand, Sasha Dyer, Matthew Sisk, Mark S. Tisa/Director, Tom O’Shea/Commissioner/DFG, Eve Schlüter/Deputy Director, Mike Huguenin/ Assistant Director/Wildlife, Nicole McSweeney/Assistant Director/Outreach and Education, Emily Myron/Assistant Director/Land and Habitat, Andrew Madden/Western Wildlife District Manager, Pat Huckery/Northeast Wildlife District Manager, Joe Rogers/Conn. Valley Wildlife District Manager, Jason Zimmer/Southeast Wildlife District Manager, Todd Olanyk/Central Wildlife District Manager, Susan Langlois/Hunter Education Program Administrator, Astrid Huseby/R3 Coordinator, Jennifer Sulla/ General Counsel/DFG, Christine Smith/Assistant General Counsel/DFG, , Colonel Chris Mason/MEP, Captain Bill Woytek/MEP; PUBLIC: Dave Morin, Steve LaRivee
Acceptance of minutes
A motion was made by Mr. Durand to accept the minutes from the February business meeting. The motion was seconded by Mr. Sisk; the vote in favor was unanimous.
Chair's updates
Chair Sears discussed the cancellation of his planned discussion meeting. The reason he called the meeting was for a discussion of the Board members’ potential actions to help MassWildlife secure funding for major projects under the upcoming Environmental Bond bill. He reported having instead a meeting with Ms. Ellsworth, Mr. Durand, Director Tisa, and Commissioner O’Shea, noting that he is concerned about funding and thinks it may be an ongoing topic.
The Chair also expressed concerns over Berkshire towns’ handling of the effort to control zebra mussels in the county. He stated that there is not a clear chain of command for authorizing treatments and there appears to be a lack of public notification about the timing of treatments, which would keep people and animals safe from possible effects of those treatments.
He reiterated the timing of the upcoming annual Berkshire County League of Sportsmen’s Silvio O. Conte dinner, which is being held on April 5, 2025, beginning at 5:00 p.m., at the Cheshire Rod and Gun Club. He invited anyone interested in attending who didn’t yet have tickets to see him after the meeting.
Chair Sears reported on correspondence he had received, including a letter from a constituent about the changes to the Deerfield stocking. He reported that one letter, from a constituent asking for crossbows to be universally authorized for hunting, and his reply were in the Board’s packet for the day’s meeting, and that he had forwarded the other correspondence to staff for the Board’s records.
Director's updates
Director Tisa reported that the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) had just awarded another grant to Assistant Director McSweeney and MassWildlife’s O&E Program, which is highly respected nationally for its innovative outreach and marketing campaigns. He reported that the O&E Program is very actively engaged with RBFF, and that the grant supports a targeted campaign and additional fishing clinics in Worcester, which has a metro area population of 200,000. Director Tisa applauded the O&E’s work to engage new audiences and noted that the grant is a great opportunity to continue that outreach.
Regarding the migratory bird hearing, Director Tisa reported that staff will need a special Board meeting the last week of April for the purpose of voting after the hearing, which will take place within the same meeting. After some discussion, the Board members chose April 29, 2025, at 1:00 p.m., on Zoom, with no in-person option.
Commissioner’s updates
Commissioner O’Shea reported his delight with the 2024 freshwater sport fishing awards ceremony, which he and Deputy Director Schlüter participated in on March 15. Many children and adults attended, there were many plaques to give out, and a lot of excitement and enjoyment among all the participants. He also reported attending the Worcester County League annual banquet and stated that he had enjoyed seeing all the people he knows in the Worcester area.
Commissioner O'Shea reported that he and his staff are holding an agencywide town hall to update employees on what is happening with the plan to execute the biodiversity executive order, stating that his message will be that the Department and divisions are still committed to the mission and ready to continue all the work that has been started and planned for the future. He hopes to hold update meetings quarterly because it is important to give staff a chance to recommit and get reenergized as the work continues.
Law Enforcement updates
Colonel Chris Mason provided the Environmental Police (MEP) report. On the staffing front, he reported that MEP has 104 sworn officers and is in the process of onboard three new recruits starting in July.
He reported that MEP was recently involved in an interstate investigation. He stated that the warden service from Maine found that two individuals who illegally took a bull moose were Massachusetts residents. MEP assisted in logistics and evidence gathering and the Colonel was very pleased with the resulting cooperative effort.
The Colonel also reported that MEP is maintaining a visible presence at Wachusett, Whalom Lake, and the Quabbin on their respective opening days for fishing, noting that these events provide many opportunities for positive interactions with anglers. His staff is working with MassWildlife and will have operations plans and enforcement strategies to discourage overfishing of stocked trout.
Colonel Mason noted that the Board members may not know that MEP has a K9 program. He explained that they are detection canines that have demonstrated a special facility with gunpowder, so they are used at potential crime scenes to find shotgun shells, wadding, etc., in the field, as well as for tracking people in search-and-rescue operations. He reported that the units are also called upon to help with explosives sweeps and to assist police in other related investigations. He stated with obvious pride that he views the canine teams as a Commonwealth asset to be shared when possible.
The Colonel reported on MEP’s work with the Connecticut River Task Force in Hadley and stated that the members discussed public-safely planning around patrolling the Connecticut River at the most recent meeting. MEP officers continue to assist MassWildlife with Basic Hunter Education classes, answering questions and giving the law module. MEP is also busy with the newly mandated boating safety classes. And the Colonel reported two imminent retirements, Officer Phil (Philip) Smits was retiring after 17 years of service, and Captain Wil (Wilton) Gray will retire after 31 years of service. He thanked and congratulated both men and wished them well in their retirement.
Personnel report
Chief Fiscal Officer Kris McCarthy presented highlights from the resumes of two candidates for the Board’s approval.
New Hire
Employee Position Location
Erin Carpenter Central District Wildlife Technician West Boylston
Wildlife Technician II
Promotion
Employee Position Location
Cynthia Pratt Procurement and Contracting Supervisor Westborough
Accountant V
Mr. Durand moved acceptance of the personnel report as presented; Ms. Dyer seconded the motion; the vote in favor was unanimous.
Hitting the mark: MassWildlife’s temporary archery ranges (Astrid Huseby and Todd Olanyk)
Central Wildlife District Manager Todd Olanyk reported that as part of the larger R3 Plan, a large group of staff worked on providing public access to shooting ranges. There are few or no options for free public ranges, most of which are commercial or at private clubs, and not everyone has space in their backyard or can belong to a club.
He explained that MassWildlife has had an interest in providing public ranges for some time. Staff decided to start with temporary archery ranges, as a pilot program to gauge interest. The lead team started small, with the idea of two locations at a time, in June-July and again in August-September, to have the ranges in four locations during the season. They identified the locations based in fee-owned WMAs that are in relative proximity to higher-population urban areas and that could meet site and safety requirements. They looked at the available literature to assess existing knowledge about what works and what doesn’t, met with the range coordinator from Alabama to learn about their experience, and then met to develop the layout and rules for the temporary ranges. After studying all available resources and materials, the team decided on MassWildlife’s design, and Mr. Olanyk showed a graphic to illustrate it for the Board.
- Four targets at 10, 20, 30 and 40 yards
- Developed range rules for safe use that incorporated not only standard practices but also WMA regulations
- Boundaries were marked off with rope line, and safety considerations included careful site layout, sufficient space, shooting direction, and a cordoned-off area for the entire range.
- Targets could be used for compound and traditional bows and crossbows; broadheads were not allowed.
- Target stands, signs, and bow racks were built by District staff.
- Trail cameras were set up, including to gather data on actual usage.
Staff also developed a range pass and a simple way to distribute it. The ranges were not staffed, so the team wanted ways to monitor and quantify interest in and usage of the ranges, and the trail cameras and range pass allowed them to do that to a degree. The pass was free online but required signing up and providing an email, so the team was able to follow up with passholders and ask questions about their usage and experience.
R3 Coordinator Astrid Huseby then reported that the team found huge public interest in and universal approval of the ranges. Three hundred and thirty-five people obtained passes in the first 24 hours after they were made available through an online link and short application form. The team made pitches to the local press in towns around the ranges and multiple news outlets picked up the story, while the support on social media, both for MassWildlife’s informational posts and others from users who tagged MassWildlife, was uniformly positive. The response was so good that the team quickly decided to create two additional ranges and kept all of them in place throughout the period, until the start of the archery deer-hunting season. Ms. Huseby reported that 938 access passes were applied for during the season. She also reported on the demographics and other information staff were able to collect from and about the passholders and the results of a post-season survey the team conducted. Ms. Huseby stated that the next steps based on the survey and other feedback are to continue and expand the temporary archery ranges, so there is at least one in each Wildlife District, and to finalize a range maintenance schedule, to keep the ranges in good order, replace targets when needed, etc. She wrapped up by listing and thanking the more than 30 staff members who contributed to the success of the project over the course of the season in various ways.
After a brief discussion, the Board members thanked Ms. Huseby and Mr. Olanyk for their presentation and congratulated them on developing the pilot program and on the success of the effort.
Confirm April business meeting date and time
The members confirmed the April business meeting date and time and the special meeting date and time. After a brief discussion, the members also confirmed the July business meeting, on July 16, and the August business meeting, on August 13. The meeting times will be determined at a later date.
Members’ comments
Matthew Sisk reported that he is hearing good things about the wild trout management plan and that the proposed regulations on trout creel limits were positively received.
Sasha Dyer stated that she had participated in a Learn to Hunt event during the previous month with Ms. Huseby and Mr. Sypek that included turkey calling instructions as well as an NWTF-sanctioned calling contest. There was also a panel discussion for participants to ask turkey-hunting questions in which she participated. She also mentioned a turkey tail mounting seminar that will teach successful youth hunters along with curious adults and children how to preserve the tail from their harvest and is being offered at the Petersham Gun Club on April 27 at 2:00 p.m.
Ms. Dyer also reported seeing information online about the 2024 freshwater sportfishing program awards and mentioned two youngsters, Ryker and Kyler Leslie, who had 314 pins between them; she was very gratified to see that kind of interest and engagement among young people. She also talked in glowing terms about a video that went viral of one of them, Kyler. His excitement when he caught a fish was infectious, and Ms. Dyer remarked what a positive impact such images can have on other kids.
Ms. Dyer commented on the large number of emails that were shared with the Board members that expressed strong support for continuing the rainbow trout stocking on the upper Deerfield River. She noted that many of her coworkers and friends who habitually fish the Deerfield had told her they preferred the stocking over creating an exclusively brown trout area. She has since received emails, texts, and phone calls, herself, and read every email MassWildlife staff had shared with the members. Ms. Dyer relayed her thoughts regarding the process that was followed, when the Board instructed staff to hold listening sessions on the matter. Based on recent feedback, it seemed to her that the message must not have made it to all parties with interest in the upper Deerfield; this appeared to have skewed the comments in favor of the group requesting the change in the stocking routine to begin with.
Ms. Dyer then addressed her concerns to the Board. She reminded everyone that Mr. Madden had been clear in his discussion about the fact that he knew his constituents on the Deerfield, and that many of them love catching robust and beautiful rainbow trout that had been stocked. She also recounted when Todd Richards, Assistant Director of Fisheries, presented to the board that the rainbows were not generally piscivorous, and that the data shows the brown trout continue to thrive under the current stocking management plan. She then stated that while in this case the discussion was about trout, using this method of overlooking data puts all animals at risk moving forward, from deer, to bears, to whales, to butterflies and everything in between. She asked the Board members to recall Dr. Organ presenting early on that one role of the Board was to protect the agency by reducing influence from special interest groups. She added that she has many things she is passionate about, as humans all do, and this can create unintentional bias and potentially contribute to special interests. By not listening to the science collected, she felt that the members jeopardize not just this issue but the integrity of the board in general.
Emma Ellsworth pointed out the importance of federal funding for landscape-scale land conservation in Massachusetts. She stated that the Forest Legacy program is the primary vehicle for large projects in the state and she thought the conservation community is concerned because it was still not clear if Forest Legacy will continue. The other important impact of recent freezes to federal funding that Ms. Ellsworth highlighted is to grant programs for small farmers, who were expecting grant reimbursement payments they had been promised when the grants were awarded. The farmers have paid these bills and now potentially face significant losses if they are not reimbursed.
Ms. Ellsworth also shared her thoughts on the Deerfield trout stocking issue. She explained that she came late in life to hunting. She found there were so many skills needed to hunt grouse and woodcock, and she had none in the beginning, including how to work with a dog, how to carry loaded firearms, and more. She explained that the pheasants stocking program provided her with opportunities to acquire and improve the skills she lacked; pheasants are stocked in open fields and in public covers where they are so much easier to access and make a start on becoming a hunter. The activity that gave her the initial skills was pheasant hunting. She stated that the trout stocking program serves a similar purpose. Trout anglers can learn how to cast, where to cast, which fly to use, etc., all the things she learned while pursuing stocked fish. She is grateful for these programs, which introduced her to hunting and fishing and gave her the chance to develop her skills.
Ms. Ellsworth then read a letter into the record that she said had been received from a gentleman who was advocating for the continuation of stocking in the Upper Deerfield River.
Good afternoon,
I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed cessation of stocking in the upper Deerfield River. The Fife Brook section is one of only two cold-water trout fisheries available to Massachusetts residents during the summer months for river trout fishing, with the Swift River being the other. Below the Fife Brook section, the Deerfield River becomes too warm to ethically pursue trout during the summer, leaving the upper section as the only viable destination for trout fishing on the Deerfield.
The cessation of stocking in this region will have significant adverse effects on the quality of the fishing experience in the upper Deerfield. Anglers may come to regard the act of catching even a single trout as a rare occurrence, leading to a decline in the attractiveness of the area as a fishing destination. This, in turn, is likely to negatively affect tourism and local businesses that rely on visiting anglers from across Massachusetts and beyond, who expect a high-quality fishing experience. Furthermore, a reduction in the number of anglers could result in decreased fishing license sales at the state level.
This decision appears to cater to a narrow group of individuals, lacking both scientific justification and broader public support. It has the potential to alienate anglers and stakeholders who value the Deerfield River as a thriving trout fishery. By maintaining the current stocking policy, the state can preserve the upper Deerfield as a cherished fishery, offering opportunities to catch stocked rainbow trout and, occasionally, wild brown trout, rather than allowing it to deteriorate into a poor fishery with limited prospects.
As the President of Regal Vise, a distinguished fly-tying vise company based in Orange, Massachusetts, and an avid fisherman with over 65 years of experience fishing in the state of Massachusetts and 20 years on the Deerfield River, I am deeply committed to this issue. I respectfully urge you to reconsider this decision and prioritize the broader interests of anglers, local communities, and the state's fishing heritage. Maintaining the stocking program in the upper Deerfield River is essential to ensure its continued status as a valuable resource for both residents and visitors.
Thank you for considering my perspective.
Don Barnes
Bob Durand said he echoed the comments and concerns of the other members on the Deerfield trout stocking outcome. He also reported that he had attended the Worcester County League annual banquet and had enjoyed it very much. He noted that James Lagacy had received the Mentor Award for his 30 dedicated and hard-working years as the MassWildlife Aquatic Ed Coordinator. He thanked Mr. Lagacy for his service and congratulated him on receiving the award.
Chair Sears reported that he had forgotten to cover one point earlier, which was to convey comments from people in the Berkshire County League that people who don’t hunt should somehow pay their way when they recreate on the WMAs.
Director Tisa reported that a clerk at the Field Headquarters front desk had told him that morning about the large number of people who live both in-state and out-of-state who call and compliment the fishing in Massachusetts. The clerk told him that MassWildlife gets many such compliments, and she thought the Director should know.
Adjourn
There being no further business, Mr. Durand moved to adjourn. Mr. Sisk seconded.
Mr. Sisk: Yes
Ms. Dyer: Yes
Mr. Foster: Yes
Mr. Sears: Yes
Mr. Durand: Yes
Ms. Ellsworth: Yes
The vote in favor was unanimous and the meeting was adjourned at 2:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Ernie Foster
Secretary
List of documents presented to the Board in its March business meeting packets
March agenda
February minutes draft
March personnel report
Copy of letter from Joseph Gomes of Cummington to Steve Sears and the Fisheries and Wildlife Board RE the difficulty of obtaining a crossbow permit
Copy of letter in response from Steve Sears to Joseph Gomes
Copy of petition to increase trout stocking in Western Massachusetts
Email from Jean Public regarding hunting