THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, May 8, 1995 TAG: 9505060018
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
H. Kirby ``Boom Boom'' Burch is Governor Allen's director of conservation and recreation. Recently, leading a caravan of state park managers to a meeting at False Cape Park, Burch stopped his car long enough to whip out a
At the time of his nomination, Burch was criticized by environmental groups as a political appointee who knew more about Republican politics than conservation. His previous experience was as a management analyst for the Virginia Employment Commission. But if Burch isn't a conservation expert, he's got the recreation part of his job down pat.
Burch claims to have come armed in order to bag a pig to provide eats for a National Guard barbecue he was to attend sometime later. The carcasses were apparently collected and dressed by a park ranger and the meat put in cold storage. By personally bagging the game, Burch argues he was saving the state the price of pork for the event.
Unfortunately, some killjoys think Burch, described as an avid hunter and sportsman, may have been breaking the law. They have raised several questions.
State employees are not permitted to carry firearms on state time, yet Burch seems to have been on state business when he paused to pop the pigs.
The state schedules pig hunts to control population. Park rangers can kill pigs at their discretion. But it isn't clear that anyone - even an avid hunter and director of conservation and recreation - can just drop by and fire at will. In fact, such behavior may be punishable by a $5,000 fine and five years in jail.
That may not be all. According to a complaint lodged with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Burch actually crossed the line into Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge before carrying out his daring raid on the pigs. The penalty for illegally bagging wildlife on a refuge is between $5,000 and $10,000 and six months to a year in the slammer. This could wind up being one of the most expensive barbecues in history.
Of course, Burch has clout so is unlikely to receive the same treatment an ordinary, trigger-happy citizen would. But, at the minimum, the incident suggests that Burch has an inadequate grasp of the laws concerning the area he is supposed to be administering. The only thing he's conserved is his reputation for not knowing his business. Is this the best the Allen administration has to offer? by CNB