Jeb Williams, NDGF director

Jeb Williams was appointed director of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department on Aug. 24, replacing the retired Terry Steinwand. Steinwand held the post for more than 15 years.

Williams, from Beach, earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Dickinson State University and has been with Game and Fish for 22 years. He was named chief of the Wildlife Division in 2014.

Earlier this week Williams responded to questions from Minot Daily News Outdoors.

MDN: Do you have a general philosophy on what the Game and Fish Department should be? Any goals?

WILLIAMS: The thing that naturally comes with 22 years with the agency is habitat. Right? That’s what we’re always driving for, for programs and options for landowners to create conservation and opportunities for hunting. We want to put options in front of landowners.

Agriculture needs in North Dakota are very important. There’s programs and opportunities for landowners interested in conservation. There’s always a focus as far as partnering with a variety of other partners to get the best product out there we can.

MDN: Did you ever envision yourself as Game and Fish Director?

WILLIAMS: No. Not when I started. I came from different roles within the department, eventually a division chief, and you look at different opportunities as you go along. When I started I didn’t even know what the role of the director was, so that thought process kind of evolved a little bit.

MDN: You are a wildlife guy replacing a fisheries guy. Thoughts?

WILLIAMS: There’s no doubt Terry and my background kind of flip-flopped, to the wildlife side. I’ll be the first to say, there is a lot of things in the department that I don’t know as well as others. But I’m also confident in the people that I work with every day. You can lean on those individuals for information and opportunities we are always looking for.

MDN: What do you see as the most pressing issue for Game and Fish?

WILLIAMS: I think it’s a continued maintenance issue, our relationship with private landowners. That’s something we need to do a good job of and put a lot of attention on.

If Game and Fish comes across as being unreasonable, when it comes to getting hunters and anglers on private land, that’s not good. If it’s a win or lose situation, and we win as an agency, but it impacts hunting or fishing on private land, then it’s a loss. Right?

My 22 years as a staff member showed me it’s really, really important as far as the relationship with private landowners. It needs to be at the top of the priority list all the time.

MDN: How would you describe your style, your problem solving approach?

WILLIAMS: In my time with the department I’ve had various roles, actual on the ground biologist, communications, and one of those things I’ve learned is to be pretty approachable and be as open-door as possible. A lot of that is learned. Terry was that way. Dean (Hildebrand) was that way. I certainly see that as well. There’s really a lot of good examples as to what can come out of that, success due to that.

MDN: The interim director was Scott Peterson, formerly deputy director. Will he be returning to his deputy director position?

WILLIAMS: Scott Peterson will stay on and that’s something I’m very grateful for. That’s certainly an advantage for me. We’ve had a great relationship.

One of Williams upcoming duties will be to select a new Wildlife Division chief, the post vacated when he became director. He said he expects to have the position filled in “two or three weeks.”

Also, Williams said he intends to be present at all eight District Advisory Board meetings which normally begin following the closure of the deer gun season in November.