Mail Inquires 



A lot of fish and game communications will al- 

 ways depend upon direct mail in answer to inquiries 

 and requests. Because of the many thousand pieces 

 of such mail each year, special bulletins and re-print 

 materials have been prepared which nicely answer 

 most inquiries. Special requests and inquiries that 

 require unusual information must be given individual 

 attention. 



District Representatives 



Information officers are presently assigned to five 

 of the seven fish and game administrative districts. 

 These are Great Falls, Billings, Glasgow, Bozeman, 

 and Missoula. These men are able to give more time 

 to and become better acquainted with local situations 

 than they would were they located in Helena. The 

 department is thus able to better serve sportsmen on 

 the local level while still doing so in a coordinated 

 manner. 



They work through all communications media, 

 including papers, radio, TV, magazines, and per- 

 sonal contact. Though their efforts are directed 

 toward communications, the D.l.O. personnel have 

 firm biological backgrounds. Their work has proven 

 an invaluable part of the overall 1. <S E. program. 



Movies and Photography 



Next to actually being on the scene, no other 

 media is as appealing or as effective as a good 

 sound-movie. In fact, movies often have advantage 

 over actual experience since the observer can sit in 

 comfort and safety while he looks at what may other- 

 wise be a dangerous or uncomfortable situation. 



The film laboratory, besides doing a considerable 

 amount of actual photography, is charged with 

 putting together sound-tracking and duplicating film 

 footage taken by other I. & E. personnel. These films 

 are made available to schools, TV stations, sports- 

 men, and other interested groups through the fish 

 and game film library. 



Hunter and Water Safety 



The responsibility of this program was delegated 

 to the Montana Fish and Game Department, and 

 ultimately the Information & Education Division was 

 made responsible for its central administration. 

 Though central administration is done by the I. & E. 

 Division, the Enforcement Division has shouldered 

 most of the field administration. Actual instruction of 

 youngsters is given by non-department instructors. 

 This dedicated group of volunteer instructors serve 



without pay and have done an excellent job of giving 

 required instruction to young hunters. 



By the end of May, 1962, 2,087 certified instruc- 

 tors have given courses to 31,918 students. During 

 the biennium covered by this report, 1 1 ,400 students 

 have received certificates of competency. 



The water safety law placed restrictions on li- 

 censing water craft, operation of boats and other 

 water craft, and general water safety. Here again, 

 the I. 5c E. Division has been the central administra- 

 tive agent. The enforcement division has been active 

 in this program also, especially from the standpoint 

 of enforcing water safety regulations. 



During the past biennium 5,232 boats have been 

 licensed in Montana and 12,186 have been licensed 

 since the program first became effective. 



Youth Education 



As America becomes more cognizant of the value 

 in outdoor recreation, there is a corresponding de- 

 mand by schools and youth organizations for in- 

 struction in fish and game management. An Edu- 

 cation Representative devotes most of his time 

 toward working with these groups. 



Wildliie Exhibit 



The Education Representative is also in charge 

 of a wildlife exhibit which attends as many of the 

 county fairs each summer as is practicable. This 

 live-animal exhibit has always been one of the most 

 popular features of the fairs. It gives both the young- 

 sters and adults a chance to see first-hand many of 

 the game and non-game animals that go to make up 

 the natural fauna of Montana. 



ADULT EDUCATION 



The Fish and Game Department annually fi- 

 nances a program of adult education in cooperation 

 with the Montana State University at Missoula and 

 State College at Bozeman. The program calls for a 

 series of educational lectures on wildlife and re- 

 source management to be presented in a number of 

 Montana towns each year. As stated in the original 

 agreement, the purpose of this program is to "de- 

 velop a better understanding of advanced manage- 

 ment of the natural resource base to the end that a 

 more favorable environment for wildlife species may 

 be attained and maintained." 



Besides conducting regular forums, the Wildlife 

 Extensionists work with sportsmens groups, schools, 

 youth groups, and cooperate with the Department in 

 other education programs as time permits. 



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