My Background
I am a former Deputy Game Warden, a lifelong sportsman, and the Southern Vice President of the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs. I have been a hunter safety instructor and the former president of the Poultney Fish and Game Club. I am also a board member of the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Fund for Conservation and Training.
This is not a policy area I came to in the Senate. I have been living it my entire life — in the field, in uniform, and in my community. That background shapes how I approach every fish, wildlife, and outdoor heritage question that comes before the Natural Resources & Energy Committee.
Why It Matters
Vermont’s fish and wildlife heritage is part of who we are as a state. Hunting, fishing, and trapping are not simply recreational activities — they are traditions passed down through generations, they are economic drivers for rural communities, and they are among the most effective tools we have for managing healthy wildlife populations.
Conservation works best when citizens are active participants. Sportsmen and women, landowners, and local clubs have contributed enormously to Vermont’s wildlife success story. That partnership between the Fish & Wildlife Department and Vermont’s outdoor community must be protected and strengthened — not replaced by top-down mandates that ignore the knowledge and stake of the people closest to the land.
Public access to hunting, fishing, and trapping opportunities is also under pressure. As land ownership patterns change and access becomes harder to secure, I believe the state must work proactively to preserve the traditions that define Vermont’s outdoor identity.
Issues I’ve Worked On
My work on fish and wildlife issues has centered on keeping decision-making grounded in science and keeping Vermont’s outdoor community at the table:
- Fish & Wildlife governance — ensuring that the Fish & Wildlife Board and Department operate transparently and with meaningful public participation from hunters, anglers, trappers, and landowners.
- Science-based wildlife management — advocating for population management decisions driven by data, not ideology. Whether the issue is deer, bear, moose, or furbearer populations, the science should lead.
- Hunting, fishing, and trapping issues — monitoring legislative and regulatory proposals that affect seasons, methods, access, and the rights of Vermont’s sportsmen and women.
What Success Looks Like
Success in this area means healthy wildlife populations, strong public participation in fish and wildlife governance, and the preservation of Vermont’s outdoor heritage for future generations.
It means a Fish & Wildlife Department that works with the outdoor community — not around it. It means sportsmen’s clubs, conservation organizations, and local landowners who remain active partners in managing Vermont’s wildlife. And it means that a young Vermonter growing up today has the same opportunity to hunt, fish, and trap that I had as a boy.
That is the Vermont worth fighting for.