Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Rulemaking topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves scope statements for wildlife, beaver and fisheries housekeeping rules and corrects deer-season map
Summary
The Natural Resources Board approved scope statements to begin drafting housekeeping regulation packages for wildlife, beaver management and fisheries code updates, and formally approved a correction to the 2025 deer-season map after staff identified errors in background materials.
The Natural Resources Board on Aug. 13 approved scope statements allowing the Department of Natural Resources to prepare administrative-code changes for three housekeeping rule packages — one for wildlife management, one tied to beaver management planning and one for fisheries — and voted to accept a corrected 2025 deer-season map after staff found county designations were omitted from materials submitted in June.
Scott Carroll, wildlife regulation policy specialist, briefed the board on the wildlife housekeeping scope (board order WM-6-25), describing it as a compilation of small, noncontroversial clarifications and updates to code. The board voted to approve the scope and a conditional public-hearing notice so staff can draft the rule for future board consideration.
Carroll also presented a scope statement for rule changes tied to the Beaver Management Plan (board order WM-5-25). The scope will allow the department to draft code amendments if the Beaver Management Plan process produces recommendations that require administrative-code changes; the board approved the scope and a conditional notice.
Carrie Lee Zimmerman presented a fisheries housekeeping scope (board order FH-19-24) intended to clean up non-substantive code language and align regulatory references with statute and USGS waterbody naming where necessary. The board approved that scope as well; according to the transcript, one board member registered a "no" vote on the fisheries item while the motion still carried.
On deer-season mapping, the State Deer Program specialist, Jeff Bridal, told the board staff had identified errors in the background package presented at the June meeting: two counties (Pierce and Greene) were omitted from a map that shows recommended holiday-hunt and January archery-extension counties. Staff reported they had contacted local CDAC chairs, would email holders of recent deer registrations in the affected counties, and would correct outreach materials. The board formally approved the corrected map to align the background material with the earlier June approval.
Votes and procedural notes: each scope statement was approved by board motion and voice vote; the fisheries housekeeping scope drew one recorded "no" from Board Member Patty Schachner during the voice vote, which otherwise carried. The map-correction motion also carried by voice vote.
Why it matters: scope approval is the formal step that lets department staff draft proposed administrative rules and schedule public hearings; housekeeping rules typically bundle numerous minor clarifications and updates into a single regulatory package. The corrected deer map addresses a communication error that could affect hunters relying on background materials when selecting permits or farm tags.
Next steps: staff will draft the rule packages, publish hearing notices as required by statute and return proposed rules to the board for consideration (staff indicated a target of 2026 for bringing the drafted housekeeping rules back to the board). For the deer map, staff will proceed with outreach and update online resources and Go Wild notifications to affected hunters.
