Gov. Butch Otter told the Idaho Press Club this morning that he’s met with several senators who opposed the confirmation of his latest Fish & Game commissioner appointee, Joan Hurlock; the Senate Resources Committee voted 5-4 to recommend she not be confirmed. “I think the process worked,” Otter said. “I think the (selection) committee did a great job of vetting all the candidates, including Joan. … And in talking to some of the committee members, one of the things that impressed them the most about Joan was her desire to get kids involved with the Fish & Game. And that’s been a goal of mine since I made every agency director read ‘Last Child in the Woods,’ which I thought was a tremendous book, and I tried it out on my own grandkids and it works, it gets ‘em away from the TV, it gets ‘em away from the game boy, and they’re actually out looking at life.” Otter said the choice of Hurlock for the commission was “a no-brainer for me.”

He said, “That’s now in the hands of the Senate, where I’m grateful that it is, and that’s where it should be.” He said he told Hurlock, “This is not going to be pretty, but I think you’re qualified. … I think you’d be a good Fish & Game commissioner, if you want to stay in this, I’m with you.”