A regional wildlife group contends the Fish and Game Commission violated state law when it advertised for a successor to Director Jerry Conley without requiring applicants to have a wildlife background.

Conley resigned after accepting a job in Missouri and will leave soon.

The commission’s advertisement says the new director should have “demonstrated leadership in the field of natural resources management.”

But state law requires the director to have “knowledge of and experience in the protection, conservation, restoration and management of the wildlife resources of the state,” the Region 5 Wildlife Council says.

The commission’s reference to natural resource management leaves the job open to a person working in timber, mining or agriculture, groups that generally don’t consider wildlife as a top priority, said Bill Davidson, wildlife council secretary.

The council is angry with the Fish and Game Commission and sent members a letter asking them to comply with state statute and require the new director to have a wildlife background, Davidson said.

“For whatever reason, the commission has made a bad decision, one that violates Idaho statutes,” Davidson said.

Roy Brown, Fish and Game commissioner from Soda Springs, said, “I don’t see where we’ve violated anything.”

Brown said the department has some of the best fish and big game biologists in the West who can handle wildlife issues.

“We want a director who has a knowledge of everything, who can also get along with legislators and the governor,” Brown said. “He’s got to look at adversity among different groups and solve problems.

“He’s got to have a background in wildlife, but I don’t think he has to have a master’s in fish or big game to be the director.”