Heres an interesting post about his I pulled from the Alaska outdoors forum...pretty well describes the goings on with Rossi and SFW:
"Vince, I have a question. How much does the State of Alaska get out of these tags? How much of it goes back into Fish and Game? Or does it all go into the general fund? Or does Alaska get anything for giving these tags away? And why does the State need a middle man? I don't agree with giving these tags to any group, no matter the initials. If the State were to raffle them off, they'd get 100%.
Now you say that it is neither the tag nor the process that is of complaint in this story. I beg to differ with you and I'll tie it together for you.
First we start with Rossi. He's friends with Chuck Heath. According to Sally Heath "Heath said she and her husband worked for Rossi for 14 years trapping nuisance animals when he was employed by the federal government."
That is from this story.....
http://www.adn.com/2010/03/22/119435...ouster-of.html
Then, remember Bushrat's opinion piece?
http://www.adn.com/2010/03/24/119797...-director.html
"Gov. Palin, he (Denby Lloyd) told me, wanted Rossi -- who at the time was a spokesman and board member of the new Alaska chapter of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, a predator-control advocacy group headed by former state Sens. Ralph Seekins and Scott Ogan -- put in the vacant deputy commissioner slot. But Lloyd strongly refused."
Then this "And a brand-new "assistant commissioner" position would be created for Mr. Rossi."
Then this happened........ "A couple of days later Assistant Commissioner Rossi represented Fish and Game before the Board of Game in support of the very same controversial proposals Rossi had helped draft and promote as an SFW-AK board member (submitted under the name of the SFW sister organization, Sportsmen for Habitat) just prior to going to work for the department, to legalize the snaring of bears and helicopter transport of hunters who participate in the Unit 16 bear control efforts"
Then this happenned........ "not all managers and staff were pleased to see the department radically shift positions regarding bears, because SFW-AK began a campaign to have various Region II Fish and Game staff removed or replaced, complaining that certain staffers were hampering "abundance management" efforts and that Doug Larsen, Division of Wildlife Conservation director, was protecting them."
And then this...... " Fast forward to the 2010 spring Board of Game meeting in Fairbanks and the bombshell announcement by Deputy Commissioner Valkenburg that the department would be advocating to legalize the snaring of both black and grizzly bears in the Interior, outside of any formal bear control plans."
And finally this......... A week later, Doug Larsen was asked to step down from the director's position. Corey Rossi was announced as the new director of the Division of Wildlife Conservation, as of March 16, 2010.
"SFW-AK released a statement crowing about how they'd influenced Commissioner Lloyd to remove Larsen and put their man Rossi in, calling it a "bold move" that was "due in large part to the process and participation of SFW. ..."
But that isn't the end. Remember this? Last year Martintrapper posted this story right here on the forum about Rossi,and former Board of Game member Bob Bell, and current member Cliff Judkins, Chairman of the Board of Game, going on a little Muskox trip and trying to get around the trophy destruction rules.
http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/...Moose-for-Free
So for starters, you have a couple guys with a lot of influence over how we all get to hunt out palling around with a guy who brings proposals to them to consider. They are supposed to consider them on their merrits, not on the fact that it was their buddy who took them on a little trip and tried to get around the trophy destruction regs for them that made the proposal. I realize Bell is off the board, but I'm sure he still has a lot of influence with the "right" people. So......one of these proposals might just happen to be.... Giving premium tags to SFW, the organization that Rossi headed in Alaska before his new "job" was created for him. Another one might happen to be.....Letting the winners of those tags ignore a basic hunting law for EVERYONE who hunts in Alaska, NO USING helicopters for transport is allowed for hunting in Alaska. You can't even use a helicopter to fly a camp in before the season. But if you're SFW, and your guy is planted in Alaska Dept of Fish and Game, and he's getting guys fired for not toeing the SFW party line, and he shmoozes a current and past Board of Game member, before he puts a proposal before them to benefit your organization by taking opportunity from Alaskan hunters, and he also proposes that the laws are changed regarding helicopter use JUST FOR the winner of those tags, so your organization can get more money for those same tags, then I have to tell you Vince, I have a huge problem with both the tags and the process.
If you can't understand that, I don't know how much more clear I can make it. There was quid pro quo going on here. And the real sad part is, many of us warned of this. And this organization is so @#)(# sure of themselves, they don't even try to hide what they are doing. This scenario has played out pretty much every place they do business."
