District Representatives 



Information officers are presently assigned 

 to five of the seven fish and game administra- 

 tive districts. These ore Great Falls, Billings. 

 Kalispell, Bozeman and Missoula. These men 

 are able to give more time to and become bet- 

 ter acquainted with local situations than they 

 would were they located in Helena. The de- 

 partment is thus able to better serve sportsmen 

 on the local level while still doing so in a co- 

 ordinated manner. 



Assistance is given to other divisions in 

 many ways. Talks illustrated with 35 mm slide 

 series are presented to sportsmen, civic, and 

 other organized groups. Slide series with 

 scripts are made available to other personnel. 

 Assistance is given also in various phases of 

 field activities, such as aid in organizing and 

 conducting field trips for the benefit of sports- 

 men. 



All District Information Officers have firm 

 biological backgrounds. Their work has prov- 

 en an invaluable part of the overall 1 & E Pro- 

 gram. 



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 ad- 

 vantage over actual experience since the ob- 

 server can sit in comfort and safety while he 

 looks at what may otherwise be a dangerous 

 or uncomfortable situation. 



The film laboratory, besides doing a con- 

 siderable amount of actual photography, is 

 charged with putting together sound-tracking 

 and duplicating film footage token by other I. 

 & E. personnel. These films are made available 

 to schools, TV stations, sportsmen, and other 

 interested groups through the fish and game 

 film library. 



Hunter and Water Safety 



The administration of this program is the 

 responsibility of the Information & Education 

 Division. Though central administration is done 

 by the 1. & 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 re- 

 qiured instruction to young hunters. 



On May 1, 1964 there were over 800 active 

 hunter safety instructors. During the biennium 

 covered by this report, 12,969 students have 

 received certificates of competency. 



The Montana Board of Equalization is now 

 responsible for licensing boats in Montana; 

 however, the Fish and Game Department is still 

 charged with maintaining equipment standards 

 and publicizing water safety and regulations. 



Youth Education 



As America becomes more cognizant of the 

 value in outdoor recreation, there is a corre- 

 sponding demand by schools and youth or- 

 ganizations for instruction in fish and game 

 management. An Education Representative de- 

 votes most of his time toward working with 

 these groups, with youth camps and in teacher 

 training. 



Wildlife Exhibit 



The Division is also in charge of a wildlife 

 exhibit which attends as many of the county 

 fairs each summer as is practicable. This live- 

 animal exhibits has always been one of the 

 most popular features of the fairs. It gives both 

 the youngsters and adults a chance to see 

 first-hand many of the game and non-game ani- 

 mals that go to make up the natural fauna of 

 Montana. 



ADULT EDUCATION 



The Fish and Game Department annually 

 finances a program of adult education in co- 

 operation with the Montana State University 

 at Missoula and State College at Bozeman. The 

 program calls for a series of educational lec- 

 tures on wildlife and resource management to 

 be presented in a number of Montana towns 

 each year. As stated in the original agree- 

 ment, the purpose of this program is to "develop 

 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 Wild- 

 life Extensionists work with sportsmens groups, 

 civic groups, schools, youth groups, and co- 

 operate with the department in other education 

 programs as time permits. 



