I was disappointed and alarmed that Dave was demoted by the department in a purely political move. Dave and his staff came under heat when the Magic Valley office opposed Cove Springs in Blaine County because of its negative wildlife impacts. In fact, Dave's job was threatened then when the Cove developers complained to the governor and his Fish and Game supervisors. This summer, Dave spoke out about the wildlife impacts of a large proposed wind farm and that brought the hatchet down, despite his having worked on hundreds of projects which were successfully negotiated.

I have worked closely with Dave Parrish, former Magic Valley Regional supervisor of the Idaho Fish and Game during my 7½-year tenure as Blaine County commissioner, and there is no one more professional in the field. Dave and his staff always worked hard with the county to achieve a balance between local development and wildlife protection. Dave and the Magic Valley Fish and Game staff were diligent in their efforts to solve problems collaboratively with stakeholders. We could always count on sound science and civil discourse even when there was disagreement. Dave Parrish led the Magic Valley Region well and... [continue via Web link]

Web link: http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2008/08/20/opi...