Maine’s fish and wildlife commissioner: A changing role?

By V. Paul Reynolds

When a recent editorial in the Northwoods Sporting Journal raised the question of whether it was the statutory obligation of Maine’s fish and wildlife commissioner to engage in social activism and “break social barriers” Judy Camuso, the state’s first female commissioner, wrote that her answer was “unequivocally yes.”

The issue was raised when the department held a winter event to attract youngsters to learn about the outdoors. A publicity stunt, the presence of two Portland drag queens, was the apparent “hook” that would supposedly attract young people for instruction in ice fishing, knot tying and so forth. 

Then, just last week, the federal government advised Camuso that one of her “social barrier” initiatives in the hiring process was discriminatory. Significant amounts of grant funding for IF&W from the U.S. Department of the Interior would be terminated, unless the policy was withdrawn.

The policy at the center of the controversy was available publicly on the MDIFW website. It reads: “All hiring panels assembled for the review and selection of IFW employees will be comprised of 50% women. In the event there is an uneven number of panelists, organizers shall make every effort to include more women.”

What has never been reported, or publicly acknowledged, are at least two cases where male supervisory personnel at IF&W have been fired for what some reliable sources have characterized as trumped up charges of sexual harassment from a female employee, who was later installed in the discharged supervisor’s job!

In one case, a seasoned, highly capable career male fisheries manager was turned down for a promotion when a female fisheries biologist with little experience was named to the post by Camuso. As a result of this “good ole girl”  maneuver, retired IF&W employees tell me that morale in the fisheries division is not good. Reportedly, a professional consulting firm hired by IF&W found this to be the case. IF&W spokesmen have not to date responded to my queries on this subject.

The question haunts. Is it the function of Maine’s fish and wildlife commissioner to engage in social activism, and become, in effect, a champion of women to the point where it resembles reverse discrimination or disregards merit and punishes qualified male employees because of their gender?

Historically, the role of Maine’s fish and wildlife commissioner is outlined in statute. The commissioner’s legal and formal mandate is defined by state law and administrative responsibilities. These include:

Managing Maine’s inland fish and wildlife

Enforcing game laws and conservation regulations

Overseeing public safety related to outdoor recreation

Running the department and supervising its divisions (fisheries, wildlife, warden service, etc.)

Nowhere in statute does it say the commissioner is responsible for social activism or breaking social barriers. Her job is technical, managerial and regulatory.

To be fair, Camuso’s hands are not tied solely by statute. She can make choices about her personal leadership style. She has chosen to complement her formal duties by engaging in outreach that supports her vision of inclusivity.. This is not a requirement, but a voluntary extension of her leadership style.

Camuso’s customers, her constituents, those of us who purchase hunting and fishing licenses, also have a right to have opinions about how our fish and wildlife leader conducts herself and her leadership role. Having worked for IF&W and been privy to the unrelenting parade of issues that come across a commissioner’s desk daily, I am at a loss to understand how she can effectively fulfill her statutory role and at the same time undertake all of the extracurricular intrigue and involvement that falls under the broad heading of social activism.  She seems able to chew gum and rub her tummy at the same time!

However, the feds caught her with her hand in the cookie jar, engaging in reverse discrimination. That’s a pretty serious charge for someone who sees herself as a champion of inclusivity. This, combined with the other aforementioned social barrier initiatives, have all the earmarks of a fish and wildlife commissioner hell bent, wittingly or unwittingly, on presiding over the creation of a matriarchy at the once male-dominated Maine Department  of Inland Fisheries  and Wildlife. 

In our unbridled enthusiasm for a cause, most of us, at one time or another get carried away losing perspective amid our passion. In my days at IF&W,  Commissioner Camuso would have been called to the governor’s office for a little chat.

Not likely to happen with this governor, who has her own problems with the feds.

The author is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide and host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network. He has authored three books. Online purchase information is available at www.sportingjournal.com, Outdoor Books.