Senate Natural Resources committee recommends Kurt Kerr to Arizona Game and Fish Commission

Kurt Kerr, of Pinetop, was recommended by the Senate Natural Resources Committee on a voice/roll-call recommendation to the full Senate after a confirmation hearing on his appointment to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission.

Kerr told the committee he is a lifelong Arizona resident with 27 years in education who has taught earth science, ecology, biology and hunter education. “I wish to be a member of the Arizona State Game and Fish Commission,” he said, adding he wants to “be a voice for all Arizonans” while preserving the commission’s mission of wildlife conservation.

The commission the committee described in the hearing is a five-member body that oversees the Arizona Game and Fish Department, appoints the director, sets wildlife-management policy and supervises facilities including propagation sites and public shooting ranges. Kerr said he has attended several commission meetings and is prepared for the learning curve the role requires.

Committee members asked about how Kerr’s teaching experience would inform his service. Kerr said his work in public education prepared him to work with diverse viewpoints and to pursue “win‑win” outcomes. He told senators public safety and youth programs are priorities: “Anything that we do ... you gotta look at public safety first,” and he noted his 25 years as a hunter-education instructor and support for scholastic clay-target programs and fishing derbies that introduce youth to outdoor activities.

Kerr also identified several commission issues he has followed, including wolf management and a crossbow rule under commission consideration. “I think there’s a middle ground there that we could reach,” he said about wolves, and he expressed support for compensating ranchers for losses. On the crossbow issue he said stakeholders felt it potentially provided an unfair advantage in hunts and that “people are definitely passionate about their positions.”

After questions and brief public recognition of two sitting commissioners who had signed in, a committee member moved to recommend Kerr’s confirmation to the full Senate. The committee proceeded to a roll call and recommended the nomination to the full Senate for confirmation.

Kerr’s nomination will next be considered by the full Senate; the committee advanced the recommendation without amending the nomination or imposing conditions.