A Candid Interview With The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Commissioner
By Gary Moore
Vermont Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Jason Batchelder appeared on my show on WYKR last Thursday and listeners heard a very candid discussion about issues involving Fish and Wildlife and learned a lot about the man who is now the Commissioner.
We learned that he was born in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, near Montreal and moved with his parents to Derby when he was very young. He went to nursery school in Stanstead, Quebec and graduated from North Country High School in Newport.
Much of his free time was spent wandering the woods and hunting and fishing.
As a youth he spent a lot of time in the Woodsville, NH area where his mother grew up and his grandfather, Ezra Mann, owned the drug store.
After high school, Jason joined the Coast Guard. Following his service, he enrolled in the University of Southern Maine where he studied French.
He has only been Commissioner for a year but his involvement with Fish and Wildlife goes way back to his time serving as a natural resource instructor at the Kehoe Conservation Camp and also as a Deputy Warden in the Derby area.
Jason became a full time Warden in 2004 and has been stationed in Wilmington, Barre, Norwich, Eden, and St. Johnsbury. The later was as the district supervisor after being promoted to Lieutenant. He was promoted to Chief Warden in 2014 and worked out of headquarters in Montpelier. After retiring, he became a stay at home Dad for a year which he found very satisfying.
He returned to work in 2023 and served as Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. Two years later the position at Fish and Wildlife came open and he was appointed, returning to the Department he loved.
He lives in Elmore with his wife and three children in a house they built eleven years ago.
It is clear that he knows this region of the state very well as much of his life has been spent here.
The legislature is in session and he spends a lot of time there answering questions and testifying to the various committees.
One of the hot topics currently is posting of land. The department had floated the idea that land be posted January 1 for the ensuing year. It got a lot of pushback even though it was a suggestion, not a change in law. He said his position is that the, “The best choice is to post any day they want.”
There are four bills in the legislature dealing with posting of land. One would not require signs, only purple paint marking the boundaries. That bill is not supported by the Department.
Jason emphasized the need to respect private land and the landowners.
The proposal to return mountain lions pushed by the group, Mighty Earth,
certainly is getting a lot of discussion. The Department wrote an op-ed and sent it to the state’s media explaining its position on the controversial proposal.
Jason pointed out than any re-introduction would affect the region including New England, New York and Quebec as the apex predators would not abide by state boundaries.
He said, “We want to be on the right side of history.” The question is, “Is it responsible?”
He added, “If they belong here, they will make their way back on their own.”
Another topic getting a lot of discussion is the proposal for a license to use F&W lands, they call an Area License. There is a lot of misinformation about the proposal. He pointed out that it no longer involves lands owned by Fish and Wildlife, only boat accesses. A motorboat registration, or a hunting, fishing or trapping license would exempt you from needing the license.
Sportsmen have long complained that they paid to purchase and maintain the boat launches through license fees and excise taxes on sporting goods while others who launch canoes, kayaks and sail boats pay nothing.
The Department is advocating for funding in the Governor’s budget for two in-depth studies.
One study currently underway to compare Vermont to ten other states, including New Hampshire, to see if Fish and Wildlife is doing things right is a priority.
Another would look at the hatchery’s to see if anything should be done differently to increase efficiency.
The Commissioner pointed out that the Department budget is $31 million which means he is running a very lean operation.
He announced that on Saturday, April 18, in Pawlet, a celebration will be held and a plaque to commemorate the re-introduction of the wild turkey to Vermont will be held.
“Our greatest success story” he proudly exclaimed.
In closing our interview Jason said, “I just want to thank everyone who supports us.”