SC Department of Natural Resources’ chief to retire

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - The director of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has announced his retirement after seven years as agency chief and 42 years with the department.

The State reports Alvin Taylor, 65, said he’s not leaving because of any “issues.” He said he’s walking away so he can spend more time with his wife, children and grandchildren.

“I’ve been doing the DNR thing and loving every minute of it for 42 years, but it’s time now that I want to do things with my family,” Taylor said. “I’ve got grandkids. All these things we write about you can do with your grandchildren and young people, I want to do. Or to just go for a boat ride in the creek with my wife, which we never get a chance to do. It’s become extremely important to me of late. It should have been all along.”

Taylor is scheduled to leave at the end of May. He will be replaced on an interim basis by the department’s deputy director for marine resources, Robert Boyles, while the agency’s board looks for a permanent replacement.

During his tenure as DNR director, Taylor had multiple successes that drew acclaim at the agency. Among them is the protection of thousands of acres of land, including the iconic Cook’s Mountain property southeast of Columbia and land around Lake Wateree north of town. Under Taylor, the DNR finally completed a long-awaited observation tower at South Carolina’s highest point, Sassafras Mountain, holding dedication ceremonies in April.

In addition, the agency has worked with federal prosecutors to crack down on illegal wildlife trade in a state where unsavory black market dealers have bought rare Asian reptiles from Chinese businessmen and sold dwindling native species to overseas interests.

Taylor, a native of Mullins in eastern South Carolina, said he’s most proud of building trust between the DNR and the state General Assembly, as well as improving working conditions for the agency’s 900 employees.

While Taylor said he wasn’t forced to leave the agency, at least one legislator said it was time for him to go.

State Rep. Kirkman Finlay, R-Richland, said the DNR needs to hire a new director who better understands wildlife issues.

Finlay said the agency has drifted during the past seven years under Taylor. An avid hunter, Finlay said populations for some game species, such as quail, have dwindled and the state hasn’t done enough to address the issue. Earlier this year, the agency revealed that wild turkeys were being over hunted in the state.

“We need people focused on biology - and solely focused on biology - unconcerned with enforcement, and vice-versa,” he said. “What we need is someone who walks in and says we are focused on our resources, the sustainable use. And let’s go do it.”

In addition to resource issues, the DNR has plenty of challenges that must be addressed by the next director.

Among them is how to resolve a growing dispute between a handful of lawmakers and the DNR over whether to allow hunting on part of the Tom Yawkey wildlife center, a nature preserve left to the state exclusively for use as a preserve that banned hunting.

The next director also must help resolve whether the agency should move its headquarters, a proposal that already is drawing skepticism from state senators. And the DNR has said it needs more staff to track illegal wildlife dealers who move into South Carolina because of the state’s limited wildlife trading laws.

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Information from: The State, http://www.thestate.com