Board holding final meeting

By Andy Brown

Published: May 13, 2008

The Alabama Conservation board is giving hunters the chance to fire away.

Saturday, the board will hold its third and final public meeting of 2008 at the Eufaula Community Center.

“This is a chance for the public to come out and air any concerns they have about hunting or fishing in the state,” Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Barnett Lawley said.

“We hold three a year in different areas of the state to try and give everyone in the state who wants to come out a chance to come and meet with the board.”

The Conservation Advisory Board assists and advises on matters relating to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

“These meetings are important because we generally go with their suggestions as far as policy governing hunting and fishing in the state,” Lawley said. “They do a great job of researching the issues and coming up with the best possible solutions.”

Last year, the board was instrumental in implementing the three-buck limit throughout the state. A move that Lawley said received mixed reviews from hunters.

“There were some people that were unhappy about the change, but the more we looked at the more sense it made,” he said. “It was well researched, and it’s going to pay off down the road.

“The deer population as a whole is going to be healthier because of the change.”

Lawley said he wouldn’t be surprised to hear some talk about the three-buck limit at Saturday’s meeting, but he expects much of the conversation to focus on deer hunting with dogs.

“That’s usually the hot topic,” he said. “We get a lot of complaints about dog hunting and the dogs chasing deer onto someone else’s land and messing up their hunting.

“I’m sure that will be addressed at the meeting, and it’s something the board will look at it.”

The Board is composed of 10 members appointed by the governor for alternating terms of six years, and three ex-officio members in the persons of the Governor, the Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, and the Director of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

The Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources serves as the ex-officio secretary of the Board.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries.

To learn more about ADCNR visit http://www.outdooralabama.com.

Registration for those wishing to address the board at Saturday’s meeting will be from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

The meeting will begin promptly at 9 a.m.