“I’ve been a hunter and fisherman all my life. Every fiber of my being is in the outdoors and doing whatever is needed to keep it going!”
Dave Wiley is passionate. When he believes in something, he does all he can to sustain it.
Wiley saw the “opportunity to be part of something really big” when he joined RMEF in 1987. A forester by trade, he saw the need for and potential of the young conservation organization. So, he volunteered for anything from “a grunt to being the chair.” That dedication took him from being a volunteer in the Salem Oregon Chapter to overseeing 10 to 12 statewide volunteer habitat projects a year.
A Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient who eventually retired a lieutenant colonel, Wiley’s military, leadership and life skills set him up to answer another call: representing RMEF to the Oregon Legislature. Wiley digs into issues that could impact elk, monitors habitat project proposals, serves on advisory committees, works to shape Oregon’s elk and wolf management plans, and serves as an RMEF voice at the state capitol and before the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission.
“I have the skills, education and experience doing this sort of stuff not in the public environment but in my various careers. At a point in time, we started this project (active, local representation to the legislature) because it was really obvious that somebody needed to stand up for wildlife management and science. That’s what it boiled down to,” said Wiley. “Not all bills are of interest to RMEF but the rest of the time I’m keeping track what the commission is doing of interest to RMEF and reviewing NEPA (National Enviornmental Policy Act) projects. You have to pick your battles and we’re pretty narrow in how we do that.”
And the battles are very real. Environmentalists and animal rights groups are becoming more involved in the process, seeking to frustrate decades of proven, science-driven decisions wildlife management decisions.
“They’re present in your legislature. They come to your commission meetings. We need to be in there to counter their message and present our own message,” warned Wiley. “Vince Lombardi said it best, ‘The best defense is a good offense.’ You don’t sit back on your butt.”
“Dave Wiley has become one of my most trusted advisors on Oregon state government and forestry in the Northwest,” said Ryan Bronson, RMEF director of government affairs. “He is willing and able to take policy positions that we develop within RMEF and deliver them to legislators with authority and a good nature. Legislators in both parties like him and respect him, and he is willing to put in the time in committee hearing rooms where the legislative sausage gets made.” We would love to have another two dozen Dave Wileys.”
Wiley urges all RMEF members to get up to speed on local wildlife and conservation issues, then offer public comment during the scoping process because “that’s where you shape the battlefield” before decisions are made, and to raise a voice to counter the growing influence of anti-hunters.
“A lot of people are afraid of getting in there in the trenches. Perhaps, it’s a lack of public speaking. Once you get in there, you find these legislators put their pants on one leg at a time just like everybody else, it’s not bad. One of the things you’re doing is educating.”
“If you don’t get involved, you’ll never know how close you are to losing your opportunity to hunt and fish,” says Wiley.
If you are interested in advocating for elk, hunting and RMEF’s mission in your state, reach out to Ryan Bronson at rbronson@rmef.org.
(Photo credit: Dave Wiley)