Arkansas Administrative Code › Agency 002 - Game and Fish Commission › Division 01 - Legal Division › Rule 002.01.23-010 - Policy AD-1-04 Advisory Council

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 6, June, 2024
AGFC POLICY AND PROCEDURE MANUAL - ADMINISTRATION
ARKANSAS GAME AND FISH ADVISORY COUNCIL
AGFC POLICY AD-1-04 | EFFECTIVE 4/20/2023
PURPOSE
To set forth policy and procedures of the Arkansas Game and
				Fish Commission (AGFC, Commission) for establishing and operating an Arkansas
				Game and Fish Advisory Council (Advisory Council), having members consisting of
				invited citizen-volunteers and designated AGFC employees, for the purpose of
				providing stakeholder-focused advisory assistance to the Commission concerning
				AGFC programs and other critical matters related to the control, management,
				restoration, conservation and regulation of the wildlife resources of the State
				of Arkansas.
SCOPE
This policy applies to all activities of the Commission, to all
				locations of the Commission, to all individuals employed by the Commission, and
				to all citizen-stakeholders who accept an invitation to serve on the Arkansas
				Game and Fish Advisory Council.
POLICY
It is the interest of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to
				establish and operate an Arkansas Game and Fish Advisory Council that shall be
				composed of volunteer citizen-stakeholders and AGFC employees designated by the
				Director to facilitate public involvement and recommendations with respect to
				agency programming. More specifically, the Advisory Council is to help the AGFC
				determine how it can better serve multiple user groups of Arkansas's wildlife
				resources, how AGFC can better partner with private industry and other third
				parties to maximize outdoor opportunity and conservation awareness, and how
				AGFC can better communicate and advocate for the large and critical mission of
				wildlife conservation in Arkansas and the challenges it faces. The Advisory
				Council will not fill a representative function or provide input on agency
				regulations; rather, its function is to collect information and facilitate the
				sharing of communication, partnership, advice, and recommendations with AGFC
				through focused groups of citizen-stakeholders.
AD-1-04-A. ORGANIZATION
1. Advisory Council members shall be selected
			 at the purview of the AGFC Director, based principally upon having a history of
			 demonstrated commitment to the advancement of conservation in
			 Arkansas.
2. Ideally, for maximum
			 benefit, the Advisory Council should have diverse membership; nevertheless,
			 invitations for participation ultimately shall be extended to individuals
			 without regard to their race, religion, gender, national origin, age,
			 disability, citizenship, or other protected status.
3. Advisory Council members and designated
			 AGFC employees will be assigned to one (1), but not more than two (2)
			 subordinate panels identified by the Director. There shall be approximately
			 five (5), but not more than ten (10) panels within the Advisory Council,
			 including but not limited to: the Fishing Panel (FP); the Habitat and Access
			 Panel (HAC); the Hunting Panel (HP); and the Recreational Shooting Panel (RSP).
			 Each panel will be chaired by an Advisory Council citizen-stakeholder member,
			 have at least one designated AGFC employee member, and be composed of
			 end-users, industry representatives, and/or members of conservation
			 associations.
4. All members of the
			 Advisory Council and designated AGFC employees shall serve at the pleasure of
			 the Director. Advisory Council members shall be subject to periodic rotation
			 (e.g., terms of two (2) to four (4) years) at the reasonable discretion of the
			 Director, to provide for new member participation.
AD-1-04-B. OPERATION
1. Meetings of the Advisory Council shall be
			 open by invitation to council members and designated AGFC employees, plus AGFC
			 Commissioners and/or invited guests only. In the event multiple AGFC
			 Commissioners plan to be in attendance, then such meeting will be announced and
			 conducted as a public meeting in accordance with the requirements of the
			 Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.
2. The full Advisory Council is expected to
			 meet with the Director at least annually. Subordinate panels should meet at
			 least semi-annually, but not more than quarterly.
3. The chair of the Advisory Council and the
			 chairs of the subordinate panels shall not schedule any meetings except at the
			 call of, or with the advance approval of, the Director or the designated AGFC
			 employee and with an agenda approved by the Director or such AGFC employee. At
			 least one designated employee of the AGFC shall attend each meeting of a
			 subordinate panel, unless otherwise approved in advance by the
			 Director.
4. Following each full
			 Advisory Council and subordinate panel meeting, an accurate summary description
			 of matters discussed and recommendations reached shall be made in meeting
			 notes, which shall be approved by the chair and the designated AGFC employee
			 and then provided to the Director.
5. Copies of meeting agenda, reports, working
			 papers, studies, or other documents which were made available to or prepared
			 for or by the full Advisory Council or a subordinate panel shall be retained
			 for a period of at least five (5) years from its creation or effective
			 date.
6. Once established, each
			 subordinate panel shall remain operating unless and until terminated in the
			 sole discretion of the Director.
7.
			 The Director shall regularly provide oral or written updates to the AGFC
			 Commissioners regarding Advisory Council meeting
			 activities.