Idaho F&G. Jon Marvel’s Behavior “Simply Out Of Hand”

Jon Marvel is the executive director for the Hailey, Idaho based Western Watersheds Project. Their website claims they are a conservation group.

The mission of Western Watersheds Project is to protect and restore western watersheds and wildlife through education, public policy initiatives and litigation.

Perhaps WWP needs to add bullying and bad behavior to the list of approved tactics for protecting and restoring.

The latest go round happened back in December at a meeting with Idaho Fish and Game officials and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over the prospects of removing the gray wolf from the Endangered Species list of protected animals. Evidently Marvel got into a confrontation with IDFG Commissioner from the Magic Valley area, Wayne Wright. Upon leaving the building, reports claim that Marvel got into it again with Wright and ended up cursing at him and pushing him. No charges were filed but Deputy Director Virgil Moore says Marvel is out of control.

“Jon’s behavior is simply out of hand,” Moore said in an interview after the memo was released. “It’s a pattern of behavior we’ve seen toward public officials. And I’ve asked (employees) … to politely withdraw from communicating with Mr. Marvel.”

The latest repercussion from the December incident comes from a memo sent out to IDFG employees asking them not to engage in conversations with Marvel. Marvel is asking the department to retract the memo and apologize. According to Local News 8, Moore says that it is Marvel who needs to apologize.

But it seems that this isn’t an isolated incident, according to the same Times-News article.

Marvel has repeatedly harassed and threatened Fish and Game employees in phone calls, Moore said, which also prompted the memo.

Marvel has a history of run-ins with government officials. The Bureau of Land Management banned its staffers from communicating with Marvel for one year after an incident in May 2000, when officials said he orally and physically threatened BLM workers during a public tour of rangeland in Cassia County. Marvel disputed the accusations, and no charges were filed after a U.S. Attorney’s Office investigation.

Now I’m going to hold my breath until you read this article or I’ll tell momma!

Tom Remington