It was just that kind of public scrutiny that will serve Wilson well in his promotion as sport fishing coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. Wilson, a 27-year veteran of the DWR and project leader at Strawberry Reservoir for the past 15, takes over his new role in the Salt Lake office Monday.
"It's a little bit hard to leave [Strawberry]. It has been a very rewarding experience to work on such a dynamic system and to see it progress to what it has become today," Wilson said. "At the same time, I'm really excited about this new position. We have some real challenges ahead and I'm looking forward to being involved across the state rather than at just one place."
Tom Pettengill, Wilson's predecessor, left the agency with a legacy of bringing Utah anglers' attention to warmwater species such as bass, tiger muskie and wipers. Not counting the illegally introduced smallmouth bass that have been showing up in Strawberry the past few years, Wilson has no experience with warmwater species. That doesn't mean he lacks an understanding of their role in Utah fisheries.
"My goal, my job, is to interact with all anglers regardless of their interest," Wilson said. "We need to involve all anglers in the issues we face. They often offer the ultimate solutions to many problems."
When it comes to dealing with the public, there are few, if any, DWR employees more candid and more approachable than Wilson. You can bet that was one of the reasons new aquatics chief Walt Donaldson selected Wilson over the other candidates for the sport fishing coordinator position.
Wilson has witnessed the pressure associated with the state's most popular fishing designation, but before that he saw the other side of the sport during a 13-year stint as the high lakes fisheries biologist in the Uinta Mountains.
"They were very different assignments, but they both helped prepare me for this new job," Wilson said. "It's important to remember both ends of the spectrum."
Wilson said the looming issue for the fisheries department is finding a way to continue recruiting new anglers and finding ways to bring back to the water those who have given up the sport in recent years. Major losses due to a slew of retirements at the end of 2005 mean there probably will be some realigning of responsibilities. Wilson said he hopes it means he can be more involved with regional supervisors.
"Regional employees are the most familiar with the waters and we rely heavily on them when forming management plans, and I want to be more closely involved in discussions about specific fisheries," he said.
One fishery drawing much of the attention lately is Panguitch Lake in the southern region. Utah chub numbers have exploded once again at the popular trout fishery, and the DWR has scheduled a spring poisoning of the lake. The state still needs approval from the federal government to go ahead with the plan, but if it happens, expect to see a management plan and regulations similar to Strawberry Reservoir and its successful recovery from its 1991 poisoning.
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Contact Brett Prettyman at brettp@sltrib.com or 801-257-8902. Send comments to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
