Next Game and Fish Commission Meeting is Sept. 7-8 in Arizona
Arizona Game and Fish Department 09.05.12
The next meeting of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission will be this Friday and Saturday, Sept. 7 and 8, at the Game and Fish Department headquarters at 5000 W. Carefree Highway in Phoenix (1.5 miles west of I-17). The meeting begins at 8 a.m. both days.
Items on the Friday, Sept. 7 portion of the agenda include:
- Update on state and federal legislation.
- Presentation on a pilot project proposal to evaluate a landowner-departmental compact to manage public access.
- Request for approval of several Memoranda of Understanding with various entities.
- Request for approval of disposal of a portion of commission-owned sovereign lands located along the Gila River.
- Request for approval of a Notice of Docket Opening, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and Economic Impact Statement amending rules within Article 3, addressing taking and handling of wildlife.
- Request for approval of Notices of Docket Opening, Notices of Proposed Rulemaking, and Economic Impact Statements amending rules within Article 7 (addressing Heritage Grants) and rules within Article 9 (addressing Arizona Wildlife Conservation Fund Grants).
- Request for approval of a Notice of Docket Opening, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and Economic Impact Statement amending rules within Article 5, addressing boating and water sports.
- Hearings on license revocations for violations of Game and Fish codes and civil assessments for the illegal taking and/or possession of wildlife (time certain at 2 p.m.).
- Overview of the 2012 Commission Award nominees and request for the commission to vote to select the 2012 Commission Award recipients.
Items on the Saturday, Sept. 8 portion of the agenda include:
- Consideration of Commission Order 40 (Fish) establishing open seasons, open areas, closures, and bag and possession limits for 2013 and 2014. Click here to see the commission memo.
- Consideration of Commission Orders 25 (Raptors), 41 (Amphibians), 42 (Crustaceans and Mollusks), and 43 (Reptiles). The commission orders establish open areas, season dates, possession limits, and annual permit limits for 2013 and 2014. Click here for links to the proposed commission orders.
- Consent agenda items, including updates on various department programs and activities.
The public can view the meeting any of three ways: (1) attending the meeting in person in Phoenix; (2) viewing it via video stream at any of six Game and Fish regional offices; or, (3) viewing it over the Web at www.azgfd.gov/commissioncam.
Members of the public may submit Speaker Cards (Blue Cards) if they wish to speak to the commission at the Phoenix meeting or from any regional Game and Fish office. Public comment is not available for those viewing the webcast online.
The Arizona Game and Fish Commission is the policy-setting board overseeing the Arizona Game and Fish Department. It consists of five members (serving staggered five-year terms) appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. No more than one commissioner may be from any one county. No more than three may be from the same political party. Since its inception in 1929, this organizational structure has served as a buffer for the best interests of science-driven wildlife conservation during eight decades of back-and-forth political change.
For a complete meeting agenda, visit www.azgfd.gov/commission (click on the Commission Agenda link).
