It's a progression of getting involved.

Those things were all possible through the stewardship program, and if we hadn't had those dollars, those lands would all be developed. I was involved in looking at those projects, inspecting them and recommending them.

I like (Clausen's) philosophy and his dedication. He's not going to be a yes-man for anybody. I wasn't really thinking about resigning until I heard Dave would be appointed. I agreed with that.

It's a good choice. He will be an asset to the board. I know him very well.

We now have a 10-year program and $60 million a year with which to buy land by legislation through the government bonding system.

It's a tradition that continues, and yet we have opposition from groups that think that animals should have equal rights to human beings, and that's probably the biggest threat we have. Other than that, I think there is general acceptance that we need to have wildlife, we need to have outdoor recreation of all kinds.

I've met all kinds of people from all walks of life and seen the dedication and the passion that they have for our outdoors, the resource program, our wildlife. I've met some great people and I've made a lot of friends.