SALEM, Ore. — When Curt Melcher first took a job with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, he never imagined he’d one day run the place.
It was 1985, "The Goonies" had just hit movie theaters and Melcher was still a student at the University of Oregon studying to get his degree in biology. He began his career doing field work, stream surveys and even sometimes collecting roadkill from the side of the highway.
Now, in 2024, Melcher is preparing to retire after 10 years as director and nearly 40 with the agency.
“I never set out to be the director, that was never my ambition," he said. "I had a good job that I enjoyed. I got to go do incredibly fun things all around the state, whether that's doing stream surveys or flying in helicopters or flying in fixed-wing aircraft, boating on all types of waters around the state, from drift boats to powerboats to ocean trips. I just really found it to be an incredible career and an incredible place to work.”
The department’s mission is “to protect and enhance Oregon's fish and wildlife and their habitats for use and enjoyment by present and future generations.” Melcher said he was proud of the work he’s done in that regard.
“You can look at things like Oregon's position on the Columbia River hydropower system and things that we're doing to try and make things better for fish and fish populations,” he said, noting that animals like elk and waterfowl have seen marked recoveries during his tenure. “But then there's, there's huge issues that we don't have control over.”
Melcher noted that the department can’t control things like the weather or ocean conditions. Beyond that, the department really only has control over the harvest of the animals it’s charged with protecting. That means issues having to do with habitat loss, which greatly impacts a number of Oregon’s vulnerable species, don’t necessarily fall within the jurisdiction of the department.
The agency is a sprawling one, even by state government standards. With more than 1,000 employees and a yearly budget of over $200 million, it can be a lot to wrangle.
When asked about his biggest accomplishments at the agency, he didn’t bring up elk or geese. He brought up dollars and cents.
“In 2014, at one point after expenses and payroll, we had $2.69 in our account,” he said. “We have about $13 million per month operating budget, so to have $2.69 in your account at the end of the month is a bad, bad place to be.”
To right the financial ship, Melcher helped lobby the legislature for a price increase on hunting tags and fishing licenses. He cut the department’s fleet by 75 vehicles and helped oversee the purchase of their headquarters in Salem, saving them roughly $500,000 a year over the lease at their previous location.
He also oversaw the elimination of roughly 50 jobs, while maintaining the same level of service to the public. That leaves the agency with more time to spend on fulfilling their mission and less time explaining to lawmakers why their finances are in disarray.
Melcher has had to deal with some very thorny issues during his time leading the department, though. Wolves have begun repopulating the state, and they brought with them all of the rancor and vitriol that has always accompanied the predatory species.
Ranchers tend to want more leniency in killing wolves that attack their livestock. Advocates for the canids argue for stricter regulations on when wolves can be killed.
Melcher said those types of situations require prior work so that, even if one side is disappointed in the result, they can at least trust the decision was made in good faith.
“It can be a challenge. Hopefully you have good relationships,” he said. “We can have disagreements with other entities — whether they be the livestock producers or wildlife advocates — we can have disagreements, but hopefully we have a good relationship so we can have those conversations and do them constructively.”
One thing he’s learned over his time with the department, though, is that waiting to make a difficult decision doesn’t make them any easier to make.
“You can't, in my opinion, let some of these issues languish,” he said. “You have to make a decision and be willing to deal with it.”
As for what advice he’d offer for the next person to sit in his chair, he said that listening to the staff in the department is key. Beyond that, he said it’s been important for him to know what is worth fighting for.
“You've got to be pragmatic,” he said. “You need to have principles, but you also need to be pragmatic and recognize that you can't win every battle, and you got to decide when it's worth falling on your sword versus not.”
Melcher’s last day will be March 31, and he said he’s looking forward to doing some fishing, cutting some firewood and getting around to some home improvement projects.
And there’s at least one thing he’s looking forward to leaving behind.
“I'll say the only thing I look forward to leaving behind is not carrying around my second cell phone with me,” he said. “Other than that, I have no regrets. It's been a great ride here.”
The Fish and Wildlife Commission has already provisionally approved a plan to begin the search for a new director, including contracting a third-party recruiting firm. The final candidates are expected to be announced publicly by mid-March.