Brighter future ahead

October 25 will stand out as one of the most important days in Arkansas Game and Fish Commission history, as the new majority on the commission threw off the shackles that had bound them, and selected Mike Knoedl as the new director.

To understand the significance of this action, you have to go back to 2009, when Emon Mahony was appointed to the commission. He joined Rick Watkins, Craig Campbell and Ron Pierce in an alliance that I believe just about ran the commission into the ground. A series of events, from the abrupt ending to the tenure of a popular director, to the handling of the cancellation of fall turkey hunting in the state, to an attempt to abolish application of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act had destroyed the confidence sportsmen had in the organization. At the same time, morale reached an all-time low, with many employees taking early retirement, and others leaving for other employment to escape the environment there.

Gov. Mike Beebe deserves a lot of credit for recognizing the problem, and addressing it by appointing three strong, classy individuals to join Commissioner Ron Duncan, and ultimately turning the situation around, with the final step being the selection of an equally strong, classy individual as the new director.

The commission is now structured to do great things for the sportsmen of Arkansas. I applaud the positive actions of all who contributed to this end result, and assure you that the employees are ecstatic about the selection. SHEFFIELD NELSON

Little Rock