Outdoorsman, dairy farmer, and as of yesterday, the next Executive Director of the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department.
Scott Mason (Photo | Governor’s Office)
New Hampshire's Executive Council has confirmed Scott Mason, of Stratford, as the next executive director to head the Department. After being nominated by Governor Chris Sununu in June, the council voted 3-1 to confirm Mason following a well-attended (and at times contentious) public hearing last week. That hearing tallied 17 people speaking in opposition while 29 spoke in support of Mason’s nomination as other citizens sat and listened.
Supporters say Mason’s experiences with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, NH Farm Bureau, University of New Hampshire, and the American Farm Bureau, as well as public dealings while filling these and other roles, are expected to aid Mason in steering the state’s wildlife agency toward a new forward future.
The biggest criticism facing Mason’s appointment circled around his lack of formal wildlife biology background. However, with over 25 certified wildlife biologists on the Department’s current payroll, supporters contend a formidable leader skilled in navigating the political and societal hurdles of modern wildlife management is woefully needed above all else.
Former Fish and Game commissioner Ted Tichy stated during public testimony that Mason has “both the business background and common knowledge” to run the department. Tichy, who has been identified by local media outlets as the person who recruited Mason for the job, was quick to note that a majority of opponents in attendance at the Council hearing were familiar faces who “fight the (NH Fish and Game) department on just about everything”.
Tichy’s county replacement, Fish and Game Commissioner and long-time conservation officer Eric Stohl, testified at the hearing that the first round of applications for the position accumulated around 20 resumes, with a second round bringing about 18.
“Some people will say that Scott Mason does not have a biological degree. I really wasn’t looking for a candidate who was going to be a biologist,” noted Stohl, pointing out that the department currently has exceptional biologist representation.
The Commission’s final list of choices were submitted to the Governor’s office where the Governor made the final decision on Mason as the appointee.
Other notable supporters in attendance of Mason’s public hearing included the NH Timberland Owners Association; whose members own over 1 million acres, the NH Wildlife Federation; which represents 49 outdoor and conservation clubs, the NH Bear Hunters Association, the University System of New Hampshire, Ride-the-Wilds ATV trails in the North Country; which boasts 11 not-for-profit clubs that make up the trail system, the NH Trappers Association, and public citizens with varying backgrounds in the outdoors and conservation.
Almost a year earlier, The New Hampshire Fish and Game Commission established a search committee to find a new head of the Department after news broke that current director Glenn Normadeau would not be reappointed after serving a 12-year term. The commission votes on a director nominee for a four-year term, which is then submitted to the Governor for approval before being brought before the New Hampshire Executive Council for a full vote.
The Commission received a stint of public criticism for not reappointing Normandeau for another term - most of which from the same individuals who now oppose Mason’s appointment. Despite the ire, the Commission maintains they were bound by law (via Executive Session) not to publicly discuss the parameters around Normandeau’s status and the search for a new replacement.
“Any other board I’ve ever served on, if you discuss personnel it has to be in a non-pubic session,” stated David Patch, Vice President of the Commission to media sources back in October 2019. “And that is for the protection of the personnel. And we did it in the manner that you are supposed to do it.”
Normandeau’s ousting comes at the expiration of his third appointment as director, while the Department continues to be embattled with a tug-o-war over the state’s natural resources. Societal clashes between hunters and animal rights activists, frustrated landowners battling nuisance wildlife and ATV trail use, and a strained budget primarily impacted by Department staff tasked with rescuing lost and injured hikers off the state’s tourist-laden trail systems, all plague the agency in the 21st century. As New Hampshire’s housing and tourist industry continue to boom, the topic of people and wildlife will continue to blaze throughout local newspapers and legislative halls.
In addition to the political balancing act, Mason will oversee 200+ employees, and a plethora of departmental divisions which range from focus on game management to conservation of endangered species, to land and habitat management, law enforcement, and landowner relations with regard to public use and nuisance wildlife conflict.
Being a New Hampshire-based entity, the Furbearer Conservation project wishes to congratulate Scott Mason on his appointment. We are relieved to finally lay this chapter to rest, and we look forward to working with Mr. Mason in the future to promote sustainable-use and conservation of the state’s diverse and abundant natural resources.