From the streets to the woods

0 Comments | La Crosse Tribune, Feb 10, 2001 | by Davis, Jerry

The new secretary of the state's Department of Natural Resources said he might have an urban upbringing, but he's developed a taste for hunting and fishing during his years in Wisconsin.

Gov. Scott McCallum appointed Darrell Bazzell, 42, Tuesday to replace George Meyer as head of the 2,900-employee agency. Meyer, 53, had held the top position since 1993.

Bazzell had been deputy secretary since 1996. In an interview, he shared his outdoors interests as well as his plans for the agency.

Jerry Davis: What kinds of outdoors activities have you been doing in Wisconsin? Are you a hunter, a fishermen?

Darrell Bazzell: I do hunt and fish. I want to say that I am certainly not the most skilled in the world. I deer hunt, small game. I really enjoy pheasant hunting. I fish when I get an opportunity, and that's (fishing) probably the outdoors activity I've engaged in for the majority of my life. I like hiking an awful lot and climbing, too.

J.D.: Would small-game hunting be up near the top of the list, or trout fishing or salmon fishing?

D.B.: I would say fishing would be No. 1 just because that's the thing I've had the most opportunity to do in my lifetime. Hunting, for me, is actually a newer activity, and you wouldn't expect someone my age to really get into, but I know a lot of people don't know me well but I'm the kid who grew up in urban areas most of my life and didn't really have the opportunity to have that kind of exposure. One of the things I'm focusing on now is to make sure all kids, particularly kids in urban areas, get that exposure, and it's really the result of the limited opportunities I had growing up.

J.D.: How did you learn some of these outdoors activities or get exposed to them?

D.B.: Again, I primarily grew up in urban areas, but I did spend a few years as a child living in North Carolina during my middle school years. I belonged to a local boy's club, and they had their own area and lake and camped. So that was my first fishing opportunity. We'd get out there and mostly panfish. I was 11 to 12 years old at the time. I have had a number of other opportunities since then to get into other kinds of fishing - a little walleye fishing, which I really enjoyed, particularly out-of-state.

J.D.: You are single, so is the hunting and fishing that you do with friends and other relatives rather than with a wife and kids?

D.B.: That's correct.

J.D.: How are you continuing to learn? Are you going with people? Watching videos? Seminars?

D.B.: Mostly it's videos, and I've kind of gotten hooked on hunting shows on television when I get a chance Saturday mornings. A lot of it is actually getting out with others and really observing what they're doing and listening and talking to them about hunter ethics.

J.D.: Do you believe that this new job will limit or take you away, and you won't be able to do as many outdoors activities as you have in the past?

D.B.: I'm going to tell you, I'm not going to let that happen because I think one of the things that is vitally important is that I'm not originally from Wisconsin. My parents grew up here, and they moved back here when I started high school. One of the things I think is so special about the state is that hunting and fishing ethic. That is just so much ingrained in our culture, and I want to make sure that all of our citizens continue to have that opportunity. I think it's vitally important for me to be out setting the tone and having people see me out there hunting and fishing and letting people know it's an OK thing to do.

J.D.: Is there anything out there that you've written off, that you are just not interesting in doing in Wisconsin's outdoors?

D.B.: No, absolutely not. In fact, since my appointment I've gotten all kinds of offers. People want to take me out turkey hunting. I want to experience it all. I know there are different skills involved with the different types of hunting activities, but I'm very open right now, and I'm still exploring and am very open to the various opportunities.

J.D.: Do you have some favorite places in the state?

D.B.: Right now I'm still exploring, I'm still learning. For me, I still feel like the kid in a candy store. I'm just appreciating the diversity out there. I'm developing my own personality in that regard.

J.D.. We saw the past secretary and past governor in places where youth were gathering and doing outdoors activities. Will we see Darrell at these types of gatherings?

D.B.: Absolutely. I need to be a role model. The one thing I've consistently emphasized is that we really provide the young people the opportunity to get to learn to hunt and fish, to learn how to camp and get that exposure, and I have to be out there promoting that and be very visible.

One of the things I did in the last budget process was work very hard with the governor and the Legislature to garner an outdoors skills position. The focus here is recognizing that one of the barriers is that we are becoming a more urbanized population. That position in southeast Wisconsin should be filled in a couple weeks.