§ 4132. General duties of Commissioner

(a) The Commissioner shall have charge of the enforcement of the provisions of this part.

(b) The Commissioner may publish such bulletins as he or she deems advisable for information and instruction concerning the work of the Department and shall keep an account of the business and proceedings of the Department. Any publication available to the general public which describes rules regarding boating and fishing shall include information about aquatic nuisances provided to the Commissioner.

(c) The Commissioner may confer with the fish and wildlife directors or commissioners of other states and Canada.

(d) The Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife may develop promotional programs to include the sale of promotional items at a reasonable profit, to promote hunting, fishing, and trapping and the use of wildlife management areas. Proceeds from the sale of promotional items shall be deposited in the Fish and Wildlife Fund.

(e) The Commissioner, subject to the direction and approval of the Secretary, shall adopt and publish rules in the name of the Agency for reasonable fees or charges for the use of the lands, roads, buildings, other property, and the use of and tuition for the Green Mountain Conservation Camps, notwithstanding 32 V.S.A. § 603. Fees collected for the use of fish and wildlife lands and properties shall be deposited in the Fish and Wildlife Fund.

(f) The Commissioner may collect data, conduct scientific research, and contract with qualified consultants for the purposes of managing fish and wildlife in the State and achieving the requirements and policies of this part. The Commissioner may designate as confidential any records produced or acquired by Department staff or contractors in the conduct of a study of or research related to fish, wildlife, wild plants, or the habitat of fish, wildlife, or wild plants, if release of the records would present a threat of harm to a species or the habitat of a species. Records designated as confidential under this subsection shall be exempt from inspection and copying under the Public Records Act. Records of Department staff or contractors that are not designated as confidential under this subsection shall be available for inspection and copying under the Public Records Act. (Added 1961, No. 119, § 1, eff. May 9, 1961; amended 1991, No. 230 (Adj. Sess.), § 8; 2003, No. 121 (Adj. Sess.), § 68, eff. June 8, 2004; 2003, No. 163 (Adj. Sess.), § 10, eff. Jan. 1, 2006; 2005, No. 72, § 10; 2007, No. 76, § 26a; 2015, No. 97 (Adj. Sess.), § 24; 2017, No. 170 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)