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Methow Valley News February 17, 2000 Endangered Species coverage Publisher's Comment ~ by Lee Hicks NMFS gets audited? "Generally the auditors don’t like to talk with newspaper people." After about a dozen long-distance telephone calls I had finally reached a number for a U.S. Commerce Department auditor. I’d heard some local irrigators had been contacted regarding a "performance audit" of National Marine Fisheries Service and wanted to learn more. The auditor is with Commerce’s regional office of inspector general, and looks into how well an agency is doing. In this case it is NMFS, an agency of Commerce. After trying numbers for Commerce, I finally found a helpful person at none other than NMFS. She in turn referred me to regional NMFS director Will Stelle’s office, which in turn sent me to the OIG office of Commerce in downtown Seattle. Bingo. But the auditor is traveling, and don’t expect her to talk with you I was told. One irrigator scheduled for an interview said he was told by the auditor that she had "heard that the Methow might be a good place to start." "It sounds like you got a hold of the frying pan without the potholder," he had replied. The nature of the "performance" audit already has local skeptics speculating that it may be a way for the agency to "cover up" with officials in the other Washington. That may be a too-cynical analysis; only time will tell. But I’d sure like to put in a few words. I’d talk about times that a simple press advisory or phone call would have helped us plan coverage of endangered fish and water issues. Most of our reporting has resulted from tips, even in the case of what should have been publicly announced meetings. And I’d suggest that Commerce get a central number for its regional office. Opinion | Sports |
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