WILDLIFE -- Randall Friedlander has been hired as the new director of the Colville Tribes’ Fish and Wildlife Department.

Friedlander served as interim director for the past year, replacing former director Joe Peone, who left the job unceremoniously.

Friedlander oversees about 130 employees and a $20 million budget, much of which is funded by federal programs, including Bonneville Power Administration mitigation funding for the impact Columbia River dams have had on fish and wildlife on tribal hunting and fishing grounds.

Friedlander has worked for the Colville Tribe since 1995, including four years with the Fish and Wildlife Department.