Our Latest Campaigns
A Call for Agency Reform
Washington is home to diverse wildlife, spectacular waterways, and magnificent wild spaces, which the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife holds in trust for all current and future Washingtonians.
The duty to preserve and protect these resources has never been more important than it is now, as we watch the accelerating collapse of healthy ecosystems, experience unprecedented extinction events, and experience the effects of the coming climate catastrophe.
But the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife has betrayed its solemn trust responsibilities. All too often, they prioritize reckless consumption over responsible conservation, sacrifice long-term ecological needs for short-term economic gain, and ignore the values of Washington’s citizens in order to pander to the demands of special interests.
We must demand better.
why reform?
About Washington Wildlife First
We are a small, grassroots organization founded in 2021 by a small group of wildlife advocates who for years had been watching the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife prioritize the demands of select special interest groups over the needs of wildlife. Learn more about our small organization trying to make big changes in Washington’s wildlife management.
Reforming State Fish & Wildlife
The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife is supposed to manage wildlife in trust for all current and future Washingtonians. Instead, all too often, Department management ignores science, promotes unethical hunting, and continues practices that are out of step with Washington values.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do we mean by “wildlife first?”
Are we opposed to hunting?
Do we want everybody to be riding bicycles, living in bamboo huts, and eating granola?
Find out the answers to these questions, and more.
Washington Wildlife First
Washington Wildlife First is the only nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife from a model of consumption to an ethic of conservation.
We hold the Department accountable to the law and to people they are bound to serve; reverse their attempts to ignore facts, devalue science, and sideline their scientists; and insist that they value the future of our wildlife over the whims of political expediency.
Washington’s wildlife belongs to us all.
Stand with us as we stand with wildlife, and demand that our state officials do the same.
