Don't get distracted by such a little piece of a much bigger picture.
Here's a detailed description of what is happening. GET INVOLVED!!!
Copied & pasted from the Facebook page Save the Ohio Division of Wildlife:
I've posted on this page to try and bring awareness of an effort to dismantle and centralize the ODOW into a one size fits all agency under the ODNR by Governor Kasich and the Department of Natural Resource's top brass. I'm just a small spoke in the wheel of concerned insiders trying to prevent that and our message has been met with skepticism and apathy. It has even been called fake news. If you didn't care before, you need to pay attention to what is happening right now. The agenda to destroy the Division of Wildlife financially then use that to sell the idea of dismantling self funded DOW and combining it with other agencies within the ODNR to the legislature is happening right under our noses.
I think a quick lesson on the difference of ODNR and ODOW is in order. The ODNR is a large department that includes divisions of Wildlife, Parks & Watercraft (those 2 have already been combined so right now boat registration fees we pay to fund enforcement, safety programs, etc are being shared with Parks), Forestry, Water, Minerals and Oil, and a few more. Only Watercraft and Wildlife were self funded through license/permit sales and fines. The rest were mostly general fund supported. There is a director of ODNR James Zehringer who has assistants Fred Shimp and Gary Obermiller. Each division has chiefs. Director Zehringer reports directly to the Governor. He and his top people have targeted the DOW and it's revenue we sportsmen generate in the form of user fees...license and permits....to share that money with the non revenue generating divisions within the ODNR.
Step by step the process is in motion right now.
Step 1- Modest license and permit increases for both residents and non-residents in the recently approved bi-annual budget bill would have allowed the DOW to remain self funded and continue to serve sportsmen and women in Ohio. 41 conservation groups pushed for it but were hand cuffed by a direct gag order from ODNR brass to the DOW. Do not discuss license increases or get fired. Meanwhile the director and his people lobbied hard against increases while the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance took the lead and tried to enlist sportsmen and women of Ohio to press their legislators to support it. In the end, the resident increase was removed and the budget was passed with license fee increases for non-residents only to be will be "phased in" over a 3 year period which further delays revenue. Simply put....the people behind this agenda stacked the deck, worked hard, and won. They've openly said more than once "sportsmen don't care enough to stop us". Sadly they were right. Now the door has open to raid the coffers we sportsmen pay into for licenses and permits and share it with other divisions.
Step 2- Last Friday Director Zehringer fired the highly dedicated and tireless DOW Chief Ray Petering, who like the rest of the top DOW brass is a biologist that worked his way through the ranks to become a highly effective visionary. No reason given, just terminated. Zehringer couldn't even communicate the action accurately in his memo to the ODNR staff, his voice mail to me or other Wildlife Council members, or his press release. His message was "Ray has returned to retirement". He is replaced by a former Watercraft Enforcement officer Mike Miller who will likely do exactly what he's told.
Step 3- Mike Miller replaced all but 2 top administrators in the DOW with political appointees. The biologists who worked their way through the ranks for decades to reach those positions have been replaced by political appointments. Neither the new chief or either assistant chiefs have a biology background. 2 are enforcement and one was with the Department of Aging before coming to the ODNR. All the former administrators were offered positions in....guess where???? Yep. The recently combined Division of Parks and Watercraft. Attached is a link to yesterday's press release from U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance.
http://www.sportsmensalliance.org/news/odnr-decimates-leadership-wildlife-division/
This reeks of a pending merger.
Step 4- Terms of 2 members of the Ohio Wildlife Council expired last January. Charlie Franks, who's not missed a single meeting in 31 years of service, and Larry Mixon who's served 16 years, have not been replaced or re-appointed. Most insiders believe this is a move to start the process of eliminating the Council. This has to be done legislatively but this group has shown it's ability to lobby.
We are now headed down the dangerous road of several other states that have allowed their fish and wildlife to be managed through politics rather than science. Ohio will soon be subject to the same disasters those states are experiencing because this group firmly believes the sportsmen and women of Ohio don't care enough to stop them. I am not giving up yet and I sincerely hope the rest of the passionate sportsmen in Ohio stop turning a blind eye to this. Get involved. Support the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance. They are fighting right now for us but they need a loud voice from all of us to send the message that we want Ohios fish and game managed by biologists in a stand alone, self funded Division of Wildlife.
Eric Hirzel
Vice Chairman, Ohio Wildlife Council