This week's guest Michelle Zimmerman says she was not quite ready to serve when she was called on to fill a seat on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission. That was eight years (or two terms) ago. Prior to serving on the board, Zimmerman had worked at a land trust, and then in solar development. Serving on the Commission brought her into the world of hunting, which has become a part of her identity. This week she tells Artemis what it's like serving on a game commission, why the work matters, and why you ARE qualified to throw your hat in the ring. Plus, a discussion on grip'n'grin hunting shots and taxidermied wall mounts.

5:00 Being on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission (for EIGHT years) -- it's a volunteer position with appointment from the governor, maybe 8-10 hours a week of service

7:00 The winding road of a career: From land trust management to conservation work (with a little wheat farming) to... *gasp*... working as a developer!

8:00 Michelle's 'in' to hunting was through her service on the Wildlife Commission.

11:00 That moment when the governor's people say, "Hmmm... could you carry your shotgun THIS way?"

13:00 Taking the life of a big-game animal can be emotional. It's totally ok to love the hunting, the harvesting, the cooking, the eating... and still hate that half-second of killing

18:00 Chats with a trophy hunter - a taxidermied mount is a way to capture a cherished memory, similar to a photo

20:00 Months and months of preparation time filter into a small moment, and a wall mount can be a continual reminder of that moment of personal change/growth

22:00 "Grip and grin" photos = perennial discussion fodder 

27:00 Journey to becoming a state Wildlife Commissioner

34:00 Informed decision-making on a Commission to do what's right for a resource... you can't please everyone (and hate mail goes with the territory)

43:00 Public outreach involves website updates and a newsletter, plus LOTS of public meetings

47:00 Attending a game commission meeting is a great window into what commissions do, why we rely on them to responsibly manage resources, and what the public shows up to weigh in on

50:00 Public comment DOES change management decisions (all the time). It's important and it matters.

53:00 Women of the world! Serving on a game commission IS for you. Here's Michelle's take on why your voice matters... what you do can truly effects change. 

55:00 How to do it? Get on your state government's website, see the commissions/boards that are there, see what you might be interested in, and go to a meeting 

58:00 Nobody is ever 'ready' to be a commissioner... but that doesn't mean it's not the right time

59:00 "Say something out loud and put your intention toward it... and it begins to unfold." (Pssst.... those words might be, "Hey... I think I want to be a commissioner some day for XYZ state board/commission.")