M-118-4
Pressured with Job Loss or Transfer for Doing One's Job
Tim Unterwegner
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Retired
John Day, Oregon
Pressured with Job Loss or Transfer for Doing One’s Job
As the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), District Fisheries Biologist for the John Day District, I was tasked with all aspects of freshwater fish management. These responsibilities included participating in interagency field trips to monitor compliance with federal land management plans and ESA consultations―specifically, a 2002 multi-agency mid-season grazing tour. During this tour NOAA Fisheries and the USFWS requested that, as the local biologist, I document my concerns regarding livestock grazing on the Malheur National Forest (MNF). Two years later, the document I wrote to MNF resulted in letters to the ODFW Director signed by four local ranchers and another signed by the local state Senator questioning my authority to comment on federal land livestock grazing issues. This presentation will include photographs depicting what prompted my concerns, a discussion of ODFW Administration’s reactions to the public and legislative letters, and additional outside actions, including a federal lawsuit initiated by the Oregon Natural Desert Association, that added to the controversy.