LINCOLN CITY, Ore.—The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission today voted to make Roy Elicker, Deputy Director for Fish and Wildlife Programs, the acting director of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife effective immediately.

Marla Rae, chair of the commission, said the commission has full confidence in Elicker and his leadership team. “It’s my hope and expectation that the commission will be positioned to act on a permanent basis in the very near future.”
“I greatly appreciate the commission’s confidence in me,” said Elicker. “I will continue to do my best to work with our partners, constituents and staff to achieve our agency priorities.”

In other business the commission decided to take no action to restrict commercial harvest of razor clams in the Cannon Beach area.

The commission had staff review the harvest and biological data on commercial harvest south of Tillamook Head in Clatsop County in response to public comments heard at their February meeting in Seaside. At that meeting the commission heard a resolution passed by the Cannon Beach City Council asking that commercial razor clam digging not be allowed in Clatsop County south of Tillamook Head. A Cannon Beach resident also presented a petition from a group of Cannon Beach residents asking that commercial digging not be allowed on area beaches.

During Friday’s meeting 11 people spoke before the commission – seven who ask the commission to maintain the status quo and four who ask the commission to not allow commercial harvest for use as crab bait, about the only use for commercially-dug clams from Cannon Beach.
In other action the commission:

• Heard from Bill Geer, a national representative from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, who spoke about supporting Oregon’s Conservation Strategy. The partnership is a national organization committed to increase funding for conservation.
• Adopted a final order that would deny Robert Brisco his limited-entry sardine permit in a contested case where Brisco missed the renewal deadline for the permit.
• Suspended the permit lottery for the limited-entry ocean commercial salmon troll fishery so no new permits will be issued in 2007.
• Received an informational briefing by ODFW staff on updated plans for ODFW-managed wildlife areas Summer Lake and White River Wildlife Areas.

Next month’s Commission meeting is scheduled for August 3 in Salem.  The commission is the policy-making body for fish and wildlife issues in Oregon. The seven-member panel meets monthly. Agenda item exhibits may be requested by calling 800-720-6339 or 503-947-6044, or found on the ODFW’s website.

The mission of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is to protect and enhance Oregon's fish and wildlife and their habitats for use and enjoyment by present and future generations. The agency consists of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission, a commission-appointed director and a statewide staff of approximately 950 permanent employees. Headquartered in Salem, ODFW has regional offices in Clackamas, Roseburg, Bend, and La Grande with ten district offices located throughout the state. For additional information, please visit http://www.dfw.state.or.us/