FWP communications and education seeks more staff and equipment as program demand outpaces capacity

Greg Lemon, administrator of the Communication and Education Division (ComEd) at the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, told the committee the division is constrained by staffing and cannot meet current demand for educational programs and outreach.

ComEd asked the committee for new recurring regional staff to help deliver and coordinate education programs and customer service, an annual equipment budget, and one‑time funding for a publications specialist to modernize printed materials and support a transition at Montana Outdoors magazine. The division also requested authority to apply extra subscription revenue toward higher printing and mailing costs.

The request matters because ComEd said interest in programs such as Archery in Schools, Becoming an Outdoor Woman, hunter/bowhunter/trapper education and Montana Wild visits far outstrips staff capacity. Greg Lemon said Montana Wild attracts about 25,000 visitors a year and that the department receives hundreds of education requests a year that regional staff cannot fully meet.

Lemon said the education suite “inspires and motivates people to enjoy and protect Montana’s outdoor resources through timely, accurate, relevant, and engaging communication and education.” He told the committee the primary constraints are limited regional staff (one ComEd manager per seven regions) and volunteer reliance for required hunter education courses.

Specific items presented:

- New proposal 801 (resources): Requests additional personnel at regional offices to coordinate education programs and to provide customer service functions (license sales, boat inspections, harvest checks and CWD sampling) so front desks are not pulled away from other duties. The positions would support volunteer coordination for hunter, bowhunter and trapper education, including training, materials and field day logistics.

- New proposal 802 (equipment budget): Establish an annual ComEd equipment budget for items such as a mobile x‑ray for the wildlife rehab center, cargo trailers to transport education materials, and digital video cameras for communications work.

- New proposal 805 (publication specialist): One‑time request to fund a modified position to consolidate and modernize printed material and support a magazine editor transition.

- Montana Outdoors magazine: The division raised subscription revenue by increasing the annual subscription price from $12 to $15; Lemon said subscription revenue covers printing and mailing but not the magazine’s personal services component. He said the magazine has about 50,000 subscribers, of which roughly 21,000 are in‑state.

Lemon and committee members gave examples of unmet demand: region 3’s ComEd manager received 83 program requests in one year, delivered 24 personally, used volunteers for 21 programs and declined 41 due to capacity constraints. ComEd reported nearly 10,000 students participate in Archery in Schools across 200 schools; hunter/bowhunter/trapper education serves about 10,000 students supported by roughly 1,000 volunteers. Lemon said some programs charge fees and others do not; hunter education has an online component but continues to rely heavily on volunteer‑led in‑person instruction for under‑18 students.

Committee members asked about funding sources; Lemon said many ComEd requests would be covered from the general license account. Representative Albus and others asked whether the existing magazine editor could absorb publication work; Lemon said the editor role is full time and the publication specialist request is intended to catch up and modernize a large body of materials.

No formal committee action or votes were recorded in the transcript. Members asked for additional detail on cost and staffing; those materials were not included in the session record.