To my friends in the media,

To my friends in the media, I've finally made the decision to bail out, taking early retirement at age 55. My last day on the job here will be July 2. The person taking my place will be my long-time friend and co-worker Ed Mitchell. Ed started out as a newspaper reporter, has been a daily paper editor and a magazine editor. He's a news guy. You'll be in good hands. The philosophy will continue to be that the business of government is the business of the public. Coming on to help Ed is Mike Keckler. Mike began working for IDFG as a Public Information Specialist on June 7. Mike has worked in television news in Idaho and Washington since 1988. His most recent hitch was with KBCI-TV in Boise where he won several awards for his reporting on government, politics and natural resources. I've been writing news here, and later running the information shop, since 1987. It has been very rewarding working with all of you. I've made some good friends among you and will actually miss the hustle and bustle of this business, but there are some chukars to chase and some fish to catch. Good luck to you all. Jack Trueblood Conservation Information Supervisor Idaho Department of Fish and Game