The 2026 legislative session came to a close Thursday, March 12—and it was a fast-moving, high-stakes few weeks for wildlife.
This short session brought a surge of harmful proposals backed by powerful interests, many of which would have taken Washington’s wildlife policy backwards—scapegoating wild carnivores, expanding the killing of wildlife, and undermining science and accountability. But now that the session has ended and we’ve all had a moment to catch our breath, it’s worth taking stock of what we can accomplish when we show up for wildlife.
Big wins for wildlife
Because of your advocacy—emails, calls, testimony, and public pressure—several of the most harmful wildlife bills failed to advance this session. Together, we:
- Prevented efforts to weaken protections for wolves despite recent declines and before recovery goals are met. (HB 1311)
- Rejected bills that falsely blamed wolves and other predators for ungulate declines and facilitated their killing. (SB 5960 / HB 2221)
- Blocked proposals that would have misled the public into funding the killing of marine mammals. (HB 2131 / SB 5851)
- Halted efforts to weaken the Marine Mammal Protection Act in order to expand the killing of marine mammals. (HJM 4004)
- Stopped the confirmation of Fish & Wildlife commission appointments that would have further entrenched policies prioritizing exploitation over protection. (SGAs 9241/2)
These weren’t small or isolated fights. They were coordinated efforts to roll back wildlife policy—and together, we stopped them.
Building toward future wins
Not every good bill made it across the finish line, but we made important progress nonetheless.
One of those bills, HB 2516, banning rat poisons that harm wildlife, would have taken an important step toward protecting wildlife from the growing threat of cruel and toxic rodenticides that poison non-target species across Washington. While the bill did not advance this session, efforts like these take time—and we will continue working with a broad coalition of human health and wildlife advocates to move this policy forward.
You can explore all the bills we tracked, our positions, our engagement, and their outcomes on our campaigns page and legislative tracker.
Your advocacy, your time, your voice, and your commitment made these wins possible, and your support will be critical in the months ahead. The work doesn’t stop when the legislative session ends. Your support helps power the research, strategy, and advocacy needed during the off-session to prepare for the next legislative session and continue advancing protections for wildlife.
We are deeply grateful to all of you who stood up for Washington’s wildlife. Together, we are building a future where wildlife policy is informed by science and respectful of the wild animals that call our state home.