Meet Division of Wildlife Chief Ray Petering

Ray Petering joined the Classic Country Outdoors radio show hosts, myself and David Linkhart, prior to officially assuming the duties as Chief of the ODNR Division of Wildlife. We have known Petering from his previous work with the Division. He retired from the ODNR Division of Wildlife in 2011 as the executive administrator of fish management and research. Petering continued his association with the Division as a project manager working on the State Wildlife Action Plan, as well as, revising the division’s Operational Planning system.

The qualifications for a new Chief have been widely discussed amongst leading sportsmen, conservation organizations and the outdoor media. Everyone had a list of critical skills and background for the job. Linkhart explains, "The new Chief should be someone from within the Division who has the respect of the employees. It is important in any leadership position to have the respect of those you are charged with leading. They must also have a solid working relationship and the respect of statewide sportsmen and conservation organization and leadership. Working with these groups as partners in conservation is critical in order to effectively accomplish the mission of the Division. Communicating with the administration, senior leadership of the ODNR and the Ohio generally assembly is another key area. Communicating with the outdoor media is critical. Finally the new Chief must have integrity."

These questions, along with some issues facing the Division, were asked of Petering. He commented, "I am extremely excited. It is incredibly humbling and a fabulous opportunity all at the same time. I am looking forward to getting back and jumping in with both feet. I am looking forward to seeing some people I've not seen for quite some time. I will be getting reacquainted. I've got a pile of issues waiting on my desk. I still know most of the folks within the Division."

Petering explained the balance between being Chief and being a sportsmen, "I always feel like I have two hats to wear. I wear the hunter/fisherman/trapper hat with I'm not at Fountain Square. I take that off and put on the ODNR Division of Wildlife hat when I walk into that building. I am here because, from a very early age, my love of the outdoors. It's a dream come true to do things recreationally and then also have an impact on those areas."

When asked about the appearance of past communication and micro-management issues between the ODNR and the Division of Wildlife, Petering was quick to respond, "I don't look at working with ODNR and the Administration as a challenge. I look at that as an opportunity. I've been fortunate enough to know Director Zehringer since the mid-1990s before he was elected to office. We've always kept in touch. I really look forward to working with him. Our conversations have been very good. I believe we are on the same page to move forward. It's exciting to see what we can accomplish together."

He addressed working with various constituent groups and volunteers, ""You can't say enough about the what the involved sportsmen can do. It's interesting to look across the entire spectrum of outdoor recreation, you just can't find any more passion than what the people who hunt, fish and trap. So many are willing to give the time they could be spending in the great outdoors to do the good things to promote the sport, promote the resource and support conservation. They make being in this business the very best it can be. No one considers what we do as work. It is a calling and we love what we do. The volunteers are as a big a part of that as anyone in the Division."

Addressing some of the challenges facing the Division of Wildlife, Petering said, "We have so many smart and passionate people. However, through a lot of circumstances over the last several years, we are so young at the top. In the last ten years we have lost probably 90% of the senior leadership. A lot of people who have moved in to take their place had to skip a lot of the steps in order to fill the need. Going forward we need to help these folks. When the day comes when we walk out the door, if we have a core staff that is ready to take the reins and move forward we will have done our job."

He continued, " There are always lots of little brushfires to deal with and a lot of issues. Certainly deer is the number one lightening rod to attract attention. We want to expand our public input process with more opportunity for our deer hunters to communicate to us. We want to hear what they like or don't like. Within what the science will allow, we need to make sure we have a program that our deer hunters are happy with. It's about the science, our constituents plus the political and social issues that flavor our decisions."

Petering concluded, "We are going to work on the public input process. If you are being surveyed but feel like the opinion doesn't matter, then the person will likely not fill out the survey. People's opinions do matter on the issues that involve the management of our natural resources. The Division of Wildlife decisions must be science based but within the sideboards that are set in terms of protecting wildlife populations and habitat there is room for all our constituents to tell us what their recreation is like. When they give us their information we must use it. Every voice matters." Following Chief Petering's first Ohio Wildlife Council meeting, Chairwoman Karen Stewart-Linkhart commented, "I am very happy with the appointment of Ray Petering as the newest Chief of the Division of Wildlife. He embodies all the qualities the Council members hoped to see in that position. His extensive science background as well as his leadership abilities and his depth of knowledge in all aspects of the Division make him a welcome addition to that top position."

Petering certainly has the background, experience and dedication to be an effective Chief. He will have many eyes upon him as he moves to lead the Ohio Division of Wildlife forward. Certainly the outdoor media will be watching and reporting. Statewide sportsmen and conservation groups will continue to work with the Division. His success will also mean success for conservation and wildlife resources in Ohio. The goal of continuing to develop the staff and leave the ship sailing a true course for the future is both needed and difficult. We wish Chief Petering success as our future as sportsmen is also riding with the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

Outdoor writer and hunter education instructor Larry S. Moore is a long-time volunteer leader for Buckeye Firearms Foundation and winner of the 2005 USSA Patriot Award, the 2007 League of Ohio Sportsmen/Ohio Wildlife Federation Hunter Educator of the Year, the 2010 National Wild Turkey Federation/ Women in the Outdoors Hunter Education Instructor of the Year and the 2014 Ohio NWTF Outdoor Writer of the Year.