Hunting Wife
Well-known member
I added up the years for just the folks I directly interact with that we lost last week. Over 500 years combined experience, and it’s a tiny fraction of the total. Combined with our last few years of new recruits almost completely lacking relevant experience, we are not in a good place.Haven't posted on this one in a while but the growing brain drain in USFS and FWS is frightening. Lots of experienced people being lost and few left in many places. I know some of them, they wouldn't have left this early otherwise and in fact I suspect many are looking for other jobs.
So what's the impact?
Well for starters expect Pittman Robertson and Dingell Johnson compliance to be gutted if not even non-existent. We all pay for that program and the folks insuring states/industries and politicians don't abuse it are leaving or being hamstrung. Lots of sportsmen and conservation minded folks don't know how important these programs and oversight of them have been to what we love.
Programs and funding that help the critters we chase are being cut or dropped too.
Rare/declining species experts leaving too. Some of which are hunted species guys, and their work often supported habitat that helped us too.