Attendees
Present: Emma Ellsworth/Chair, Malcolm Haith/Secretary, Sasha Dyer, Kyla Hastie, John Hitt, Deborah Rocque, Matthew Sisk, Eve Schlüter/Director (Acting), Tom O’Shea/Commissioner/DFG, Nicole McSweeney/Assistant Director of Outreach and Education, Todd Richards/Assistant Director of Fisheries, Jesse Leddick/Assistant Director of Natural Heritage and Endangered Species, Michael Huguenin/Assistant Director of Wildlife, Emily Myron/Assistant Director of Land and Habitat Conservation, Trina Moruzzi/Assistant Director of Operations, Joe Rogers/Conn. Valley Wildlife District Manager, Jason Zimmer/Southeast Wildlife District Manager, Todd Olanyk/Central Wildlife District Manager, Andrew Madden/Western Wildlife District Manager, Christine Smith/Assistant General Counsel/DFG; Daniel Bove/Restoration Ecologist, Michelle Collins/Outreach and Marketing Coordinator; Public: David Morin
Introduction of new Fisheries and Wildlife Board member John Hitt of Scituate; Southeast District (Commissioner O’Shea)
Commissioner O’Shea introduced John Hitt as the Fisheries and Wildlife Board member appointed from the Southeast District. Commissioner O’Shea provided an overview of Mr. Hitt’s professional and personal background. Mr. Hitt spoke briefly about his personal background in conservation, volunteerism, and advocacy.
Acceptance of the minutes of the April monthly business meeting
Ms. Dyer moved to accept the minutes of the April business meeting as presented. The motion was seconded by Ms. Hastie. The vote in favor was unanimous.
Chair's comments
Chair Ellsworth provided comments on Ernie Foster and his leadership in the sporting and conservation community and as a board member. She added examples of wildlife activities they shared together and his contributions to increasing the outreach and education to the public for outdoor activities. She additionally read a statement from Mr. Foster in which he stated he appreciated his work on the Board and the work done in collaboration with staff and wished the Board and new member Mr. Hitt great success.
Chair Ellsworth provided information about her attendance at the legislative briefing on the modernization of hunting laws. She went on to encourage members to continue their work advocating for the changes with state senators and representatives and encouraged them to address how hunting seasons work and correct the misinformation that is out there.
Chair Ellsworth provided personal anecdotes about spring turkey hunting and the opportunities for new female hunters she knows. She described the experiences turkey hunting on opening day.
Director’s updates
Director Schlüter also welcomed Mr. Hitt to the board and stated she is looking forward to working with him and the rest of the board members on advancing the agency’s mission alongside MassWildlife’s very talented and professional staff, noting that there is a lot of important work ahead.
She thanked Ernie Foster for his years of service on the Board and stated that she had a nice call with him the previous week. He had assured her he will remain active as a volunteer. Director Schlüter looks forward to Mr. Foster’s continued collaboration, especially on Hunter Education.
Director Schlüter reported that spring turkey hunting season opened on April 27. Over 100 youth participated in the Youth Turkey Hunt on April 25, and 10 women participated in MassWildlife’s Becoming an Outdoors Woman mentored turkey hunt on May 4. She extended her thanks to all the volunteers who take the time to mentor new hunters, including Board member Sasha Dyer, who helped both of her mentees harvest two birds each.
On April 30, the Director reported that DFG had hosted the first Habitat Management Grant webinar, which covered grant eligibility, the types of projects the program supports, allowable costs and activities, and the application and review process. The webinar is now posted on the DFG website, and the hope is to be able to open the grant period later this spring. This is a change in timeline as DFG is seeking to accept proposals much earlier in the year in hopes of being to award grants early in FY 2027 and maximize the time grantees have to complete projects.
The Director reported that on April 25, Nate Buckhout, Western District Wildlife Biologist, was awarded the Sportsman’s Appreciation Award by the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen at the Annual Silvio Conte Banquet. Mr. Buckhout was chosen for the award for his service to Western District hunters, his scientific contributions to understanding the region’s wildlife resources, and his outreach efforts in the community.
On May 4, the Director was able to attend the trout stocking event at Jamaica Pond. It is a wonderful event that MassWildlife holds every year in partnership with Boston Public Schools. She reported that they had wonderful weather and the kids were all excited to stock fish. As of the meeting date, across the state almost fifty thousand trout had been stocked. The Southeast District had reached its allocation, with the other districts close to having released almost 80% of their stock.
On May 5, the Director attended the Annual Cooperator's Meeting for the U.S. Geological Survey's Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. The event included 12 short research talks from graduate students and postdoctoral scientists, a poster session with 10 posters, and a panel discussion about meeting Massachusetts’ Biodiversity Goals that included Assistant Director Jesse Leddick from NHESP, Beth Lambert from DER, and Bob Glen from DMF.
On May 9, the Director reported, she attended the Eric Tarpinian-Jachym Memorial Family Fishing Festival. Despite the weather, it was a beautifully moving and well-attended event to honor Eric, whose life was cut short in 2025. MassWildlife staff held a fishing clinic, and the Governor was in attendance as well. Eric was also the beloved younger brother of Jeremy Jachym, a Technician at MassWildlife’s McLaughlin Fish Hatchery.
She reminded the Board and audience of an upcoming public hearing the following Monday, May 18, at 6:00 p.m., on the regulatory amendments to 321 CMR 4.01 Taking of Certain Fish in Massachusetts, via Zoom. The proposed regulations were voted on by the Board to move to public hearing in March of 2025, and they will simplify trout fishing regulations, revise American Eel regulations, and refine the definition of possession.
Director Schlüter closed her updates by providing a list of the next of several spring bird walks being offered by the agency:
- A salt marsh walk at Belle Isle Marsh Reservation (Revere), May 23, 8:00-10:00 a.m.
- A whip-poor-will walk at Montague Plains WMA(Montague), May 29, 7:15-9:15 p.m.
- A whip-poor-will walk at Muddy Brook WMA (Hardwick), May 30, 7:15-9:15 p.m.
- A whip-poor-will walk at Herman Covey WMA (Belchertown), June 28, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Chair Ellsworth moved to dedicate the Board’s May meeting to Eric Tarpinian-Jachym and Mr. Sisk seconded. The vote in favor was unanimous.
Commissioner’s updates
Commissioner O’Shea reported on his attendance at the Eric Tarpinian-Jachym memorial, shared a history of Mr. Tarpinian-Jachym’s professional and personal interests, and thanked the MassWildlife team for their participation and organization of the event. He also thanked Eileen Garcia-Smith and Julia Hopkins of the Department of Fish and Game for their coordination of the event across the agencies.
He provided an overview of the legislative briefing and complimented Director Schlüter on her work advocating for the pending hunting legislation. The matter is waiting to be heard by the full State House and State Senate. As this is of interest to constituents, the Commissioner stated that people should reach out to their legislative delegation to make their voices heard.
Commissioner O’Shea thanked the Energy Facilities and Sighting Board, reporting that the Department has been invited to have representation on the board related to large energy projects and issuing permits for these projects to make sure they meet environmental standards. This includes clean energy infrastructure, renewable energy storage facilities, intra-state gas pipelines, natural gas storage tanks, and fossil fuel generating facilities. He noted that this board works independently of the Department of Public Utilities.
Commissioner O’Shea announced that Massachusetts and California are the newest members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This is a global network of over 1,400 governments and organizations that are working to project biodiversity across the globe. The 25-year plan outlined in the Commonwealth’s Biodiversity Conservation Goals outlines a whole-of-government approach to invest in nature, sustainability as it relates to economic growth, public health, and food security. Joining this network gives the Commonwealth access to a global network of resources and expertise.
The Commissioner described his participation in the inaugural Right Whale Day in the Commonwealth. He stated that Massachusetts is making strides in the conservation of right whales and the state has a responsibility to protect these species as they inhabit the waters off our coast during their lifespan. He also reported that an error in the House Ways and Means Committee’s budget related to saltwater and freshwater/wildlife funds has been corrected.
Update on the progress of the Preliminary Screening Committee for the Director of MassWildlife position and vote to fill the vacant seat on the committee (Emma Ellsworth)
Chair Ellsworth nominated Mr. Sisk to be on the Preliminary Screening Committee to fill the space vacated by Mr. Foster’s departure from the Fisheries and Wildlife Board. Ms. Hastie seconded the motion, and Mr. Sisk accepted the nomination. The vote was unanimous in favor.
Chair Ellsworth reported that there were 15 applicants for the Director position and 4 have been invited for interviews. Those interviews would take place over the following week with callbacks the week after that.
Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow (Emily Myron and Michelle Collins)
Assistant Director of Land and Habitat Emily Myron and Outreach and Marketing Coordinator Michelle Collins addressed the board. They had both participated in a professional development experience called Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow (CLfT) which was held in the state of Georgia. They shared a brief slide presentation on what the program is; the goals of the CLfT program; the goals and objectives of the week-long workshop they participated in; current and past MassWildlife participants; the types of activities they engaged in, in the classrooms and the field components; and their experience on a hunt, processing harvested bobwhite quail, and hunting with dogs and falcons. They reported that all were experiences they were able to bring back to add to their professional development and personal life, and that the networking opportunities they had with other professionals from across the country was especially valuable.
After a brief discussion, the members thanked Ms. Myron and Ms. Collins for their report.
MassWildlife’s aeronautics program (Daniel Bove)
Restoration Ecologist Dan Bove reported that MassWildlife’s Habitat team began its use of drones in 2020-2022 under an EEA interim drone policy in partnership with MassDOT [the Massachusetts Department of Transportation] to conduct eight approved projects, including some prescribed fire activities. In May of 2022, MassWildlife drafted a proposal for an in-house drone program and was given permission to proceed by the EEA drone committee following MassDOT’s policies, which comply with the FAA’s Part 107 overarching regulations, while MassWildlife’s standard operating procedures are being developed.
Mr. Bove reported that MassWildlife has seven drones and seven Part 107-licensed pilots, in Westborough and at least one in all the district offices except Central, with additional staff currently studying for the license exam. Current projects where drones are being used include non-intrusive reconnaissance of black bear hibernation and eagle nest identification and oversight of timber management activities. Mr. Bove reported that staff are also working on new projects that will employ drone technology. For prescribed fire activities, a policy and requirements are being developed in coordination with the Prescribed Fire Manager. He also anticipates habitat management applications such as southern pine beetle and Natural Community mapping, aerial surveys before and after habitat management activities, and investigations of habitat impacts from natural events; species-specific projects for nesting turtle identification and salt marsh sparrow restoration (with UMass); and boundary and encroachment oversight for land stewardship.
After a brief discussion, the members thanked Mr. Bove for his work and his informative presentation.
Set the June, July, and August business meeting dates and times, at the MassWildlife Field Headquarters and on Zoom
After a brief discussion, the members confirmed the following dates and times for upcoming business meetings: June 17, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. [subsequently moved to 10:00 a.m.]; July 8, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.; and August 5, 2026, at 1:30 p.m., all being held at the Field Headquarters and in a Zoom webinar.
Members’ comments
Mr. Sisk thanked the MassWildlife staff at the trout stocking events at Sunset Lake in Braintree and Jamaica Pond in Boston. He appreciated the efforts in the Monadic Restoration Project, which is in the middle of a housing unit project and will highlight the state’s biodiversity goals. He urged that people reach out to their legislative representatives for the proposed legislative changes related to hunting and that the Governor’s administration is supporting this legislation.
Ms. Dyer reported on her experiences in the Becoming an Outdoors Woman mentored hunts and how she was paired up with mentees. She described the logistics involved and the importance of volunteerism and mentorship.
Mr. Haith reported on his attendance at the trout stocking events at Sunset Lake in Braintree and Jamaica Pond in Boston. He stated that people approached him about how to volunteer for MassWildlife. He shared his appreciation for the teaching staff that supports students with diverse learning needs. He described his experiences in various canine training opportunities and what locations might be feasible in the future.
Executive session
Mr. Haith moved that the Board go into executive session for the purpose of discussing potential land acquisition projects whose negotiations might be compromised by discussion in open session and not return to open session afterward. Mr. Sisk seconded the motion. A roll-call vote was taken.
Ms. Ellsworth: Yes
Mr. Sisk: Yes
Ms. Dyer: Yes
Mr. Haith: Yes
Ms. Hastie: Yes
Dr. Rocque: Yes
Mr. Hitt: Yes
The vote in favor was unanimous.
The Board was presented with the details of four proposed acquisitions. All four were unanimously approved in roll-call votes of the members.
Adjourn
There being no further business, Mr. Haith moved to adjourn. Ms. Hastie seconded the motion. The vote in favor was unanimous, and the meeting adjourned at 11:55 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Malcolm Haith
Secretary
List of documents presented to the Board in its May business meeting packets
May agenda
Draft April meeting minutes
May report from the Massachusetts Environmental Police
Confidential executive session packet