Latest news with #FishandWildlifeCommission
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Cape Coral residents battle iguana takeover
CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WFLA) — Residents in a Cape Coral neighborhood are battling an unusual infestation: huge iguanas. NBC affiliate Gulf Coast News reported that one house has been vacant since Hurricane Ian in 2022, and since then, iguanas have arrived by the dozens, and nothing seems to help. WATCH: Crews spot alligator living in storm water pipe One neighbor, Rick Wheeler, said he's killed over 20, but they keep coming back. 'At any point in time, you can see 10, 15 iguanas outside,' he told Gulf Coast News. Green iguanas are invasive and now number in the thousands across South Florida. Like other invasive reptiles, you can humanely kill iguanas on your property year-round. Manatee dies while receiving medical care at Florida state park: report Photos and video shows iguanas covering the property outside, hanging out on the roof and even peeking through the windows from inside the house. They aren't small either, Wheeler caught one that measured almost six feet long. But the city says because its a nuisance and not a public safety concern, they won't use tax dollars to address the problem. Neighbors are concerned that if nothing is done, the iguanas will continue to spread through the neighborhood. Here are some tips from the Fish and Wildlife Commission to help deter iguanas from your property. Removing plants that act as attractants, like fruits and flowers Filling in holes to discourage burrowing Hanging wind chimes or other items that make intermittent noises Hanging CDs that have reflective surfaces Spraying the animals with water as a deterrent Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
FWC educates boaters for National Safe Boating Week
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Fish and Wildlife Commission officers say they'll be patrolling local waterways to enforce boating safety laws. They're reminding boat owners about equipment requirements. Every vessel must have a life jacket for each person on board. They must also have a type 4 throwable flotation device, a fire extinguisher, and a sound-producing device. 'Life jackets are really important if you do fall in the water, you're not having to worry about keeping yourself afloat. You can call for help. You're able to swim places easier. A visual distress signal, like a flare, is good in emergencies. It helps people know where you're at, as well as having a VHF radio to contact us or the Coast Guard on Channel 16,' Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officer Chris Boley said. Anyone operating a personal watercraft or jet ski is required to wear a kill switch in case they fall off. The kill switch turns off the engine. All these items can save lives, but officers said they're the most common safety violation. 'The biggest violation we'll see when it comes to safety here is not having the proper safety gear on board. So, not enough life jackets for everybody on board. Expired fire extinguishers or driving recklessly or carelessly,' Boley said. All boat operators born after January 1, 1988, must have a Boater Safety ID Card to operate a boat. Boater safety courses can reduce the likelihood of a boating accident. In 2023, over 80% of operators involved in fatal boating accidents had no formal boater education. 'You may not know the boat that's passing you, you don't know if that operator has an hour of experience or 100 hours of experience. So it's really important that you always maintain that proper lookout and all the other vessels that are on the water,' Boley added. When a boating accident does occur, FWC responds. 'FWC is notified, we will get on scene, assess if there's any injuries and damage in sinking vessels, all those types of hazards and conduct an investigation,' Boley said. FWC officers are always on the lookout for impaired boating operators. To report someone dangerously operating a vessel, call (888) 404-FWCC. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hunters, anglers and tribes see win in Ferguson's Fish and Wildlife Commission picks
(Photo by Jonny Armstrong, courtesy of Oregon State University) Hunters, anglers, and a bloc of 20 tribes in western Washington are among those pleased with three nominees Gov. Bob Ferguson announced this week for the state's Fish and Wildlife Commission. In January, shortly after he took office, Ferguson halted two nominations former Gov. Jay Inslee made to the commission, including the reappointment of Tim Ragen, a retired marine mammal expert who had served as the panel's vice chair since last year and had strong support from wildlife protection groups. Though Ferguson removed him from the nine-member commission, Ragen remained in the running for the job alongside 13 other eligible candidates, but the governor ultimately cut him loose. And he nixed Inslee's other nominee — Lynn O'Connor, who operated a sign company in northeast Washington for two decades and was a former park aide and ranger. Instead, he reappointed two commissioners — Jim Anderson and Molly Linville, who O'Connor would have replaced. Both Anderson and Linville are backed by hunting and fishing groups and a coalition of tribes that support hatchery fish production. Some environmental groups in Washington oppose fish hatcheries, pointing to evidence that they are a threat to wild fish populations. Ferguson also appointed Victor Garcia, who is less known to key groups lobbying the governor's office on the nominations. Garcia, a retired teacher, is a longtime hunter and fisherman who worked earlier in his career as a commercial fisherman in the Bering Sea region. 'We're going to have people that we can work with again,' Ron Garner, state board president for Puget Sound Anglers, said by phone on Tuesday. 'I'm excited.' Lisa Wilson, vice chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission and a member of the Lummi Indian Business Council, said she was, 'Just really happy with feeling heard by the new governor.' 'We did have concerns about the appointments that Inslee left us with,' she added. 'It took a lot of footwork to reverse that.' But for wildlife advocates and those who want to see the commission expand its focus beyond species that are hunted and fished, to look more at broader issues around the ecological value of wildlife and strengthening biodiversity, Ferguson's picks were a deep disappointment. 'Governor Ferguson, by aligning himself with special interests of hunting and angling … has taken a step backward from a more forward-thinking agency that will protect the wildlife trust for current and future generations,' said Fred Koontz, a former commissioner who resigned in 2021 after clashing with hunting interests. The group Washington Wildlife First, which had pressed for Ragen's reappointment, issued a statement saying that they felt 'betrayed' by Ferguson's actions. 'Governor Ferguson insisted that he wanted to create a more 'balanced' Fish and Wildlife Commission, but instead, he has tilted it away from the values of Washingtonians, and toward the powerful special interests that have long controlled state fish and wildlife policy,' the group said in a statement shared on Wednesday. The Fish and Wildlife Commission establishes policy and provides oversight for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. The commissioners are appointed by the governor and serve six-year terms. While for many state residents the commission is a lesser-known government entity, it's a frequent venue for thorny debates. For example, last year, the commission took sharply divided votes to maintain state-level endangered species protections for gray wolves. At a meeting last week, commissioners were dealing with hunting rules for cougars and black bears. Ferguson said he opted to pull back Inslee's nominees because of a December report from the nonpartisan William D. Ruckelshaus Center that highlighted criticism of the commission, and after 'outreach from multiple individuals, entities, and tribes.' The Ruckelshaus Center report included findings from more than 100 interviews with people familiar with the agency. It said interviewees described the commission as 'dysfunctional, politically polarized, and caught up in conflict,' and specifically raised concerns about a lack of transparency and selection criteria for commissioners. 'Molly, Jim and Victor offer deep and varied experience, as well as unique perspectives,' Ferguson said in a statement. 'The Ruckelshaus report raised serious concerns about the commission, and we believe these individuals will help to address those issues.' The governor's office has emphasized that the Senate granted unanimous approval for the governor's request to cancel Inslee's nominations of Ragen and O'Connor. One group to pressure Ferguson on the nominations is known as the Hatchery Coalition. It consists of four tribes — the Lummi, Tulalip, Upper Skagit and Squaxin — as well as Puget Sound Anglers, and a sport fishing charter company based in Ilwaco. Garner and Wilson were both involved in the coalition's outreach to the governor's office. The coalition backed the reappointment of Anderson and Linville. They also wanted to see former state lawmaker Brian Blake appointed. Here, Ferguson didn't go along. The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission pushed for the same three candidates. In another camp were advocates like those with Washington Wildlife First, which describes itself as wanting to 'transform Washington's relationship with its fish and wildlife from an approach centered around consumptive use to a more democratic paradigm that values science, recognizes the intrinsic value of individual animals, and prioritizes protecting, preserving and perpetuating wild lives.' Advocates on this side pressed for the reappointment of Ragen, who was previously the executive director and scientific program director of the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission. In mid-March, 74 scientists, conservationists, and environmental advocates wrote to Ferguson urging him to reverse his removal of Ragen from the commission. 'Now more than ever, Washington's Fish and Wildlife Commission needs leaders with a strong record of decision-making grounded in science,' they wrote. Ragen's 'unparalleled experience and deep understanding of marine ecosystems — particularly those critical to the survival of Southern Resident killer whales and wild salmon — make him uniquely qualified to guide complex fisheries and wildlife management decisions,' they added. Koontz was one of the people who signed onto the letter and suggested Ragen, with his credentials as a Ph.D. conservation scientist, had become a symbol of efforts to move the commission in a new direction. 'The status quo is not moving us forward,' he added. But during his time on the commission, Ragen had frictions with those involved with the Hatchery Coalition, particularly Wilson, who flagged concerns she had with Ragen in a letter last year to Inslee. That letter was later forwarded to Ferguson's office. Dane Czarnecki, a hunting rights activist, was among those unhappy with recent shifts at the commission. 'They moved away from hearing their traditional stakeholders,' he said. 'We can hopefully start bridging these divides,' Czarnecki added. Anderson, one of the two commissioners Ferguson reappointed, has been on the commission since 2019. He served as executive director of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission from 1985 to 2005 and has hunted and fished since childhood. Linville has also been on the commission since 2019. In the early 2000s, she worked as a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and now runs a 6,000-acre cattle ranch near Wenatchee that she and her husband took over after her father-in-law passed away. Garcia, Ferguson's new appointee, taught biology and other science courses in Washington public schools, most recently in Anacortes. He's originally from Gray's Harbor County and has a bachelor's degree in marine zoology from the University of Washington and a master's in science education from Vanderbilt University. 'I grew up digging razor clams, dipping smelt up at Kalaloch, crabbing, hunting deer and elk, hiking, kayaking, everything that one does around here when you really love being outdoors,' he told the Standard in a phone interview on Tuesday. Garcia said he left behind commercial fishing in the 1990s when he started a family. He also worked over the years as a biologist for the National Marine Fisheries Service. He suggested his background and interests give him a unique perspective to bring to the commission. 'I do citizen science, I work on eelgrass assessment, salmon spawning surveys. I'm a hunter, but I'm also in Audubon,' he said. 'I've gone all over the world to view specific birds. But, every now and then, I do hunt some of them.' 'I think my job is to really listen and look at the science,' he added, 'and not go into it with any one polarized, preconceived notion.'
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ferguson names three to Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission
Apr. 8—Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson named three people to the state Fish and Wildlife Commission late Monday afternoon, reappointing two commissioners and bringing on one newcomer. In a news release, Ferguson's office announced it had reappointed commissioners Jim Anderson of Pierce County and Molly Linville of Douglas County, both of whom had terms that expired on Jan. 1. The third appointment went to Victor Garcia of Skagit County, who will replace former commissioner Tim Ragen. The decision came about two months after Ferguson rescinded two January appointments by his predecessor, then-Gov. Jay Inslee — the reappointment of Ragen and the appointment of a Ferry County woman to replace Linville. In pulling back the appointments, Ferguson cited a report from the William D. Ruckelshaus Center, in which people interviewed described the commission as "dysfunctional" and raised concerns about the appointments process. Ferguson said in a statement Monday that the report "raised serious concerns," and that his office believes the appointees announced this week will help address them. "Molly, Jim and Victor offer deep and varied experience, as well as unique perspectives to the Fish and Wildlife Commission," Ferguson said. Barbara Baker, the chair of the commission, said in a statement that she was pleased with the appointments. "I look forward to the work we'll be able to accomplish together on behalf of fish and wildlife conservation in Washington state," Baker said. The news was welcomed by many hunters and anglers who saw Anderson and Linville as more friendly to their interests than other commissioners. Dan Wilson, co-chair of the Washington chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, said in a statement that Anderson and Linville "consistently demonstrated broad, thoughtful engagement on wildlife issues," and that the group is excited to work with Garcia. "With deep respect for our wildlife and the many communities who care about it, we believe these appointments bring critical experience and balance to a body tasked with making complex, and often contentious, decisions," Wilson said. Others were disappointed in Ferguson's appointments. Claire Loebs Davis, of Washington Wildlife First, said in a statement that her group was disappointed that Ferguson didn't select Ragen for one of the seats, and that they felt it was a betrayal of their trust. Davis said the governor's decision moves the commission "away from the interests and values of Washingtonians, and toward the powerful special interests that have long controlled state fish and wildlife policy." All three of the newly appointed commissioners will begin their six-year terms immediately while they await Senate confirmation. That puts the nine-member body that oversees the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife at full strength for the first time since Ferguson rescinded the appointments in early February. Anderson had been serving on the commission in the months since his term ended, but Linville had not — because Inslee had named someone else to her seat, she was sidelined. Ragen, whose term also expired in January, was removed after Ferguson rescinded his reappointment. At the three meetings since, the commission moved forward with seven members. In the meantime, Ferguson's office was interviewing candidates for the three open seats. In the release, Ferguson's office wrote that Linville, Anderson and Garcia were chosen "after an extensive interview process" conducted to evaluate 14 people who applied for the seats over the past year. Anderson has been on the commission since 2019. He lives near Buckley, in Pierce County, and worked for 35 years in natural resource management, including 20 years as executive director of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. Linville was also originally appointed to the commission in 2019. She grew up near Reardan on a wheat and barley farm. Now, she and her husband manage a 6,000-acre cattle ranch near Wenatchee. Garcia taught biology and other science courses at schools in Anacortes, Mount Vernon and Ocosta. He's also worked as a commercial fisherman in Alaska and as a field biologist.
