Corkill named to Idaho F&G Commission

BOISE – North Idaho lumber company owner Brad Corkill was appointed to the Idaho Fish and Game Commission by Gov. Butch Otter today, replacing Panhandle Commissioner Tony McDermott of Sagle, whose term ended June 30. Corkill is an avid sportsman, former longtime school board member in Kellogg and St. Maries, and served as Kootenai County Republican Central Committee chairman from 2006 to 2010. “I tie my own flies, load my own ammunition, I shoot a long bow, I shoot a muzzle loader, I’ve got a bass boat,” he said. “I’ve carried a firearm in the fall every year since I was 8 years old. … I just want to make sure that all the generations that come after me have access to the same experiences I’ve had.” Corkill, 62, owns Whiteman Lumber Co. in Cataldo; he and wife Mary have been married 40 years and have two grown children, a daughter who’s a doctor and a son who’s a fighter pilot. Corkill is also the incoming president of CASA, the court-appointed special advocate program that advocates for children who end up in protective custody, and served six years on the state’s charter school commission, a position he had to resign to join the Fish and Game Commission. He’s also served on the board and as president of the Shoshone Medical Center Foundation. Corkill was one of two appointees Otter made to the commission today; the other was Mark Doerr of Kimberly, owner of Precision Aviation Inc. in Twin Falls. “Both men are avid sportsmen,” the governor’s announcement said. Doerr replaces Magic Valley Commissioner Joan Hurlock of Buhl, whose appointment to the commission - where she was the second-ever woman to serve - was rejected by the Idaho Senate this year, where critics complained she wasn’t a sufficiently avid hunter and angler. Both new appointees will be up for Senate confirmation when the Legislature convenes in January.