I think the real decline started first with Boldt and then when we had the initiatives that banned traps, hounds, and so on.

The agency(s) did a really poor job of explaining why things were done. What the constraints were, what biology said, and so on. This was both internal external because I know (as doe Rivrguy) that internally there were staff who imitated 2x4s as well folks on the outside.

This was followed by continuing shift in folks with no actual hands-on contact with the resources and with the users and with the observers.

The Senate bears some of the blame because at times over the last 20-30 years they did not an actually confirm some nominees, they just punted. Couple that with an anti-use governor and it slides downhill.

Things will never go back to the "way they were" because we have many more people, much less accessible land, fewer resources, and escalating costs that folks are unwilling to pay.

But Dumber and Dumber is an apt description.