(You could tell by the smell that it wasn't hay!)

No one really praises the Nevada Division of Wildlife other than those people who receive favors from the Division. It is for this reason that NDOW created their own intradepartmental publication called "Wild Side". In the January-February 1998 issue, one of the feature stories was "Administrator to Retire" by Dave Rice. We all know the administrator. Willie Molini, the person responsible for the destruction of our game. Dave Rice is the conservation/education chief. He wrote the following interview asking Administrator Willie Molini the questions. He stated that Willie Molini's answers to the questions were in an unedited form Now really, do you believe that? Willie is his boss. At any rate, HUNTER'S ALERT wants to comment on some of the responses by Administrator Molini

Q: What do you feel were your major accomplishments'?

A: ...Accomplishments that I think are most meaningful to me and most lasting for future

generations of Nevadans are those that involve the acquisition of properties like the Franklin Lake area and Howard Ranch properties in Elko County....! am proud of the idea I had to create a team of people in the agency to look at our overall funding scenario and see if they could come up with some recommendations on future management of this agency and where we needed to go. That group became known as the Idea Team. They were very fruitful and did recommend some new and innovative approaches which are now in place such as Partnership in Wildlife Tag Drawing and the Wildlife Heritage Trust Account.

HA comments: Willie, The Franklin Lake was purchased by the Nature Conservancy, the I toward Ranch by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and ultimately repurchased with Proposition Five money. Apparently you feel neither of these organizations deserve any credit as you seem to be taking the credit yourself, not even giving your agency any credit. Let's face it, you were handed these on a platter.

Because of your direction we have lost 70% of our deer herd and the $4 million in revenue that goes with it. Had you done your job, the Idea Team would not have to invent new ways to extract money from the hunters. This is certainly nothing to be proud of.

Q: Failures? When did you fail to get where you wanted to go?

A: I guess the most disappointing part of my career, and it was a failure on my part on how I dealt with it, was this insidious and continual carping by HUNTER'S ALERT and the Nevada Hunters Association that was pretty much focused on me. Maybe I failed to respond in the early days as aggressively as I should. Nearly all that was put forth by these two groups was, and is still simply untrue....My thought was that if we kept a steady course in the Agency, tried to ignore all that outside noise to the extent we could, and do good things for wildlife, that we would prevail.

HA comment: Willie, what part of the following do you consider untrue? The many failed audits? Did the auditors lie? When the big game tag draw was under your jurisdiction, it was indeed very suspect. The audit stated "There is virtually no control over adjustments or changes made to the draw system records. This results in a very high risk that someone could change the results of the draw." They concluded that there were instances of abuse or illegal acts concerning the tag draw. In addition to the many failed audits, how about the hundreds of thousands of dollars you have cost the sportsmen in lawsuits? Are these untrue? Is your drinking, driving and fighting

while using a state vehicle and on state time just a fabrication? And finally, and most importantly. under your direction, you have destroyed hunting in our state. Once again, this is a hard one to deny. As for doing good things for wildlife. Willie, when you were a biologist we had between 375 and 400 mountain lions. Under your management, we now have between 3,200 and 5,000. You have done a good job of increasing predator numbers all the while destroying our game numbers.

Q: If you could change one thing in your career, what would it be?

A: I'm not sure that there is anything in particular that stands out. 1 think in terms of weakness 1 would change my own management style. At times, I probably haven't been as firm with some NDOW employees as maybe what was warranted.

11A comment: We agree Willie. Your management style needed to be changed. You couldn't tell a good NDOW employee from a bad one. When game warden Clifford Jett continually harassed people and on many occasions violated their rights, what was your reaction to a bad employee? You promoted him! When NDOW pilot Jon Remlinger told the truth to Gerry Lent about one of your helicopter fiascoes you terminated him. When NDOW employee Barton Tanner told the truth in court, you brought illegal trapping charges against him. Court documents state that game warden Dennis Roden perjured himself during this trial so with your style of management, are you going to promote him also?

Q: Knowing what you do today, would you make the same decision today to become director? A: ...Now that we are part of the DCNR (Department of Conservation and Natural Resources) I have had the pleasure to experience a director that has been supportive.

HA comment: Supportive is an understatement, Willie He has protected you. No one else would have put up with your drinking, driving and fighting while on duty. How about all the sportsmen's money you spent on the many lawsuits which you lost? In the private sector you would not have had Pete Morros to stick up for you. And you would have been put out to pasture many years ago.

Q: Anything you would like people to forget? A: I guess the most embarrassing for me personally over my thirty year career is the incident in Fallen.

HA comment: Willie, would this be another one of those "untrue" stories you referred to earlier in the interview?

Q: What would you like people to remember

about you, Will Molini, the most?

A: That I had unquestionable integrity.

HA comment: Willie, you sold out some of your employees. You sold out the sportsmen in our state and you want to talk about integrity? With a statement like that, Willie, your next job should be a comedian. But if you can still convince an employer that you have some integrity left, then there is a future after NDOW for you....as a salesman.