Greg Sheehan and Mike Fowlks are both outstanding wildlife administrators and both are active big game hunting sportsmen. Both know every detail and every challenge that face guys like us, growing and preserving big game herds and the politics that are the elephant in the room when it comes to managing them.
Director Sheehan will have a profound influence as a Deputy Director of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in Washington D.C. because he will bring a Western United States understanding to the issues such as mustangs, burros, wolves, sage grouse, aspen management, desert habitat, Inter/Intra-State water issues etc. that has clearly been lacking in the agency for decades. We've had an Eastern, "urban", tilt from this agency for far too long.
When Trump talks about "draining the swamp", in his mind, the swamp is made up of these intrusive regulations that come out of these bureaucracies and the folks in charge of these bureaucracies are the only ones Trump can remove and or replace. It's only the voters that can clear out the House Reps. and the Senators, Trump can't drain that swamp, so Trump's going after what he can go after, the bureaucracies. (Sorry for bring up the political aspect of these but it is in fact, "all political and nothing but political". If you don't believe me, watch what happens to these bureaucracies if Trump looses in 2020. The swamp will revert back again.)
I think the EPA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife are going to go through a complete make over, in the next three years. I couldn't be happier that Greg Sheehan will be heavily involved in the USFWS make over. I my opinion, it's long over due.
I had the opportunity of spend a couple of days with Mike Fowlks, a couple of years ago. While I don't know Mike as well as Greg, based on what I've heard him say, in my presence and based on his support for Director Sheehan's efforts, I believe Mike Fowlks will continue to move Utah's hunting and fishing opportunities forward in a very positive way. While I have sworn off any further involvement in hunting and fishing management issues in Utah, I wish Mike as the new Director of the Utah Dept. of Wildlife Resources much success.
DC