Latest news with #WashingtonFishandWildlifeCommission
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Conservation group sues governor over Wildlife Commission appointment
Apr. 24—OLYMPIA — An Olympia-based conservation organization has filed a lawsuit against Gov. Bob Ferguson over his reappointment of Molly Linville to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission, arguing Linville cannot hold two elected or appointed positions simultaneously. The Washington Wildlife First Foundation's lawsuit, filed in Thurston County Superior Court on Tuesday, alleges that Linville is ineligible to serve on the commission since she also serves as a member of the Palisades School Board. According to a letter obtained by The Spokesman-Review, Linville resigned from the Palisades School Board. The nine members of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission hold six-year terms and are tasked with overseeing the Department of Fish and Wildlife. The commission must include three members from Western and Eastern Washington and three members who can be from anywhere in the state. While membership requires Senate confirmation, members serve as voting members on the commission while awaiting approval. According to her resignation letter, Linville stepped down from the school board Thursday. "Rather than drag the school through the mud and clog up the courts with this lawsuit, I am choosing to step down," Linville wrote, adding that she had "done nothing more wrong than volunteering my time to two entities." The Palisades School District has 29 students and three teachers in Douglas County. Claire Davis, executive director of Washington Wildlife First, said Thursday it was unclear how the resignation would impact the lawsuit. A spokesperson for Ferguson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday afternoon. Days before the session ends, it is uncertain if the Senate will vote on the nominations before it adjourns on Sunday. The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee is scheduled to hold an executive session on three appointments to the commission on Friday morning. With so little time remaining in the session, the nominations might not be brought to vote before the full Senate. Days before he left office, Jay Inslee nominated Ferry County rancher Lynn O'Connor to Linville's position representing Eastern Washington on the commission. Ferguson announced on April 9 that he had nominated Linville, Jim Anderson and Victor Garcia to the commission, writing in a statement that the three brought "deep and varied experience, as well as unique perspectives to the Fish & Wildlife Commission." The appointment comes after the governor's office reviewed 14 eligible nominations to the commission. Linville, a rancher from Douglas County, was previously appointed to a six-year term by Inslee in 2019. According to Linville's biography provided in Ferguson's announcement, she received a bachelor's degree in wildlife biology from the University of Montana and previously worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a wildlife biologist and a refuge manager. While on the commission, Linville has worked with lawmakers on fire suppression in communities not served by a fire district and on fire impacts on rangeland, according to her commission biography. In 2018, Linville received the Redd Fund Award from the Society for Range Management for excellence in range management. The Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation filed a similar lawsuit in 2023 after Inslee appointed Commissioner Lorna Smith, who also served on the Jefferson County Planning Commission, to the post. Following the lawsuit, Smith resigned from the planning commission and continues to serve on the wildlife commission. Linville's term will expire on Dec. 31, 2030.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Washington wolf population declines slightly for first time in 16 years
Apr. 6—Washington's wolf numbers shrank slightly last year for the first time in 16 years. The Department of Fish and Wildlife's 2024 Wolf Conservation and Management Report put the year-end minimum count for 2024 at 230 wolves, a roughly 9% drop from 2023. The number of successful breeding pairs also dropped. That breaks a longstanding trend of annual growth in the population. The number of breeding pairs across the state also dropped from 24 to to 18. Ben Maletzke, WDFW's statewide wolf specialist, presented the report to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission on Saturday. He said the 37 wolf deaths the agency documented last year wasn't significantly higher than recent years, but that the seven illegally killed wolves are concerning. Some of those killings took place in the southern portion of the Cascade Range, a place where just a handful of wolves have been documented in recent years. In this year's report, biologists did not find any wolves in that part of the range. "The wolves we've known about have all been unlawfully harvested in the south Cascades," Maletzke said. Gray wolves were first rediscovered in Washington in 2008 after being virtually nonexistent for decades. Since resurfacing, the population has enjoyed high growth rates, averaging about 20% a year. The high mark last year was a minimum count of 254, which WDFW amended down from 260 this week due to a counting error. Washington's wolves are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act in the western two-thirds of the state. They are delisted in the eastern third, but still protected as endangered under state law. WDFW staff recommended the commission last year to reduce state-level protections for the wolves but commissioners declined to reduce protections. The decision irked livestock producers and local law enforcement officials in northeastern Washington who feel there are too many wolves. Some wolf advocates see the report released Saturday as a sign that the commission made the right call. Francisco Santiago-Avila, the science and advocacy director for Washington Wildlife First, said in a statement that the report "underscores the continued fragility of Washington's wolf population and the persistent challenges we face in reaching state recovery goals." Despite the overall decline this year, WDFW recorded an increase in the number of wolf packs, from 42 to 43. That's the product of the dissolution of two packs in the eastern part of the state and the addition of three in the North Cascades. Maletzke said that shows that the population in the eastern region — including both the Blue Mountains and the northeastern corner — is starting to stabilize a bit and that the North Cascades population is on the rise. "It's promising that we're seeing that growth in the North Cascades," he said. The bulk of the population is still in the northeast, however. It was an especially busy year for wolf-livestock conflict. A total of 55 cattle were either injured or killed by wolves, as was one domestic dog. Maletzke said those incidents involved at most 10 of the 43 wolfpacks, meaning 77% of the state's wolves had no run-ins with livestock. WDFW killed four wolves from two packs in response to repeated cattle attacks. Idaho estimated its wolf population at about 1,150 in 2023, according to the state Department of Fish and Game.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Washington governor rescinds wildlife commission appointments
Feb. 6—The latest appointments to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission were sent back to the governor's office on Wednesday, stalling the confirmation process before hearings were scheduled. The move came at the request of Gov. Bob Ferguson, who sent a letter asking the Senate to return to his office the appointment of Kettle Falls resident Lynn O'Connor and the reappointment of commission co-chair Tim Ragen. The letter, an undated copy of which was provided to The Spokesman-Review early Thursday, said that the administration had received "multiple letters, emails, and other correspondence from individuals, tribes, and other entities expressing a desire for a more extensive process for these appointments. "Returning these appointments will enable my office to interview and evaluate the qualifications of these and other candidates for these important Commission positions, before presentation to the Senate for confirmation," the letter said. The decision rescinds the final two commission appointments made by former Gov. Jay Inslee, who named O'Connor and Ragen to the panel in the final days of his 12 years in office last month. It also follows the release of a report from the William D. Ruckelshaus Center that found that observers view the commission as "dysfunctional," and that many have concerns with the appointment process. Brionna Aho, a Ferguson spokesperson, said in an email that the office wanted to call back the appointments "in order to engage in a more thorough appointment process." She also said the new appointments will be due to the Senate in 60 days. Legislation for the appointments had been referred to the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. The top Republican on the committee, Sen. Shelly Short, R-Addy, said in a statement that she supported the effort to return the appointments because "the process just didn't sit right to me." Short added that Ferguson "argues that he should be able to make his own appointments, and I agree with him." Hunters and others who had been critical of Inslee's decision to name the two members of the commission cheered the news that the appointments had been pulled back this week. Dan Wilson, co-chair of the Washington chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, said in a statement that his organization is "deeply grateful" to the Senate and the governor's office for pulling back the appointments. "This presents an opportunity for Governor Ferguson to lead the way in fostering the inclusivity, transparency, and accountability needed for the Commission to effectively manage our natural resources," Wilson said. Claire Loebs Davis, president of Washington Wildlife First, was a supporter of both appointments. She said she's not quite sure what to think about the decision to return them to the governor's office, but that she doesn't see it as a sign that the Ferguson administration plans to roll back wildlife protections. Instead, she said it's Ferguson's prerogative to review the appointments, and this week's news amounts to him simply asking the Senate to let him do that. She added that she trusts he'll "do the right thing for wildlife in the end." "He just got into office, and it might take some sorting out for him to figure out next steps," Davis said. "We should give him the time to do that before rushing to judgment about what's happened, because we don't really know yet." In the short term, the decision leaves some key questions unanswered, such as who will be at the table when the commission meets next week in Olympia. The nine-member body oversees the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and has the final say on species protections and hunting and fishing seasons, among other items. It also has the power to hire or fire the WDFW director. Six commissioners have been confirmed by the Senate in past legislative sessions. Three commissioners were serving terms that expired in January — Ragen, Molly Linville of Douglas County and Jim Anderson of Chelan County. In mid-January, days before leaving office, Inslee reappointed Ragen and named O'Connor to replace Linville. The administration did not make a decision on Anderson's seat. Since no decision was made, Anderson has continued serving on the commission. It's unclear whether Ragen or O'Connor will join the panel when it meets next week. WDFW officials directed questions about the commission's makeup to the governor's office. The governor's office did not immediately respond.
