The Vermont Statutes Online

Title 10 : Conservation and Development

Chapter 103 : Department of Fish and Wildlife

Subchapter 003 : Powers and Duties

• § 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 that 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)(1) Notwithstanding 32 V.S.A. § 603 and with the approval of the Secretary, the Commissioner may:

  (A) issue licenses for the long-term use of Department of Fish and Wildlife lands for research, academic study, commercial use, or use by regulated utilities; and

  (B) set the tuition for the Green Mountain Conservation Camps.

  (2) The Commissioner shall adopt by rule the fees to be charged for licenses and tuition authorized under this subsection. The Commissioner is prohibited from adopting by rule a requirement that an individual possess a license or permit in order to access lands owned or controlled by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

  (3) Fees collected under this subsection shall be deposited in the Fish and Wildlife Fund.

  (4) As used in this subsection, “license” means a written instrument issued by the Commissioner that authorizes research, academic study, commercial use, or use by regulated utilities on Department lands but does not vest the licensee with any property rights.

  (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; 2025, No. 164 (Adj. Sess.), § 21, eff. June 18, 2026.)