About two years ago (I think it has been that long!) I was contacted by Mike to provide information and assistance to the anglers here on the forum. My boss and I talked about it and we thought it was a great way to get out information to anglers about our fish plants, things we are doing with warmwater fish and other things of interest that pertain to southwest Washington's fisheries.

So, I started monitoring the forum, answering questions, putting out info when reports had been pubished that would be of interest to anglers, trying to get volunteers to help with warmwater surveys and anything else that we felt the anglers in our area would be interested in.

It has really grown to being invited to help out with other forums as well. My boss continues to support the internet as a method of getting information to you. We want you to know what is going on here so you can get out there and get fishing! We also want you to have the opportunity to work with us on projects to get you involved with the Department.

And so that is how it has happened with me. I can only speak for what we do here as I do not know what happens in the other Regions. I don't know what their workload is, or their ability to have someone help with using these forums to get information out.

I know we are all swamped with work, but personally I think it is a great means to interact with the anglers. Many people on this forum share the information with those who are not on the internet and the word gets out about fish plants, or surveys or reports being available, which in turn gets more people fishing and involved with the Department.

I make it a point to be available by email and by phone and I get a lot of mail and calls from people needing information.

There is a lot of information that can be found on our website too, but these sites offer a little more personal interaction.

And again, I have to say that John Weinheimer, who is my supervisor and the coolest boss on the planet, allows me time during my day to check in, see what is going on, answer questions and do whatever I can to help.

So I really don't have an answer to your question, but if you have questions about areas that you are in, I can provide contact information for you.



stace