Yesterday, April 10, we sent a letter signed by 50 wildlife and environmental organizations asking the legislature’s budget negotiation team to earmark $300,000 from biodiversity funding for the WDFW Accountability and Reform Study, which would engage the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to study the current Department. This sum would be less than 2% […]
Category Archives: This Week’s Issue
Action Roundup
What You Need to Know and Do: July 11, 2024
Urgent Notices and Actions Please continue to send comments opposing the Washington Department of Fish [...]
Continue reading
News Digest
Washington Fish and Wildlife News Digest: July 11, 2024
The digest is a roundup of news concerning fish and wildlife management in Washington and [...]
Continue reading
News Digest
Washington Fish and Wildlife News Digest: June 26, 2024
The digest is a roundup of news concerning fish and wildlife management in Washington and [...]
Continue readingThis Week's Issue
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s new co-manager hatchery policy leaves too much room for environmental harm
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has developed a draft Co-Manager Hatchery Policy for the hatcheries it operates jointly with tribal nations. This policy is meant to “supersede some or all” of the Department’s current salmon and steelhead hatchery policy (labeled C-3624), which the Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted in 2021. The Department will […]
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has prepared plans to expand hatchery production by more than 62 million salmon over 2018 levels—an increase of more than 40%. On August 5, the Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a legislative budget proposal that includes tens of millions of dollars to support this expansion. And the Department has already […]
Leadpoint Pack Wolf Photo and audio taken by Hank B. Seipp. Introducing the Hank Seipp Memorial Wolf Fund Wolves are the common thread that brought together the founders of Washington Wildlife First. While our organization’s mission encompasses the protection and preservation of all Washington’s wild creatures and wild spaces, no single species better represents […]
“Time for the Washington Fish & Wildlife Commission to end spring bear hunting once and for all.” Written by Executive Director, Samantha Bruegger and published in The Spokesman-Review. “Mama Bear” is a popular slogan on sweatshirts and bumper stickers, because many mothers, like me, identify with the ferocity with which a “Mama Bear” will protect […]
WA Wildlife Commission Considers Reversing Vote on 2022 Spring Bear Hunt Taking advantage of two empty seats that Governor Jay Inslee is expected to fill any day, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission buckled to pressure from extremist hunting groupsFriday and voted to take steps to reverse its November decision not to hold a 2022 […]
This Week's Issue
Long Live the Togo Pack: Resilient Togo Wolf Family Escapes State Gunners Once Again
The clock has run out on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s latest attempt to kill the state endangered gray wolves that are members of the Togo Pack in northeastern Washington. Once again, the Togo Pack has managed to escape destruction at the hands of taxpayer-funded gunners. The latest kill order from the Washington […]
This Week's Issue
State Auditor’s Report Part II: Lack of Accountability, Hostile and Discriminatory Workplace, and False Promises of Change
In Part II of our summary of the Washington State Auditor’s Report that was released Monday, we explore the auditor’s description of the “good ole’ boys” club at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife: a hostile workplace that discriminates against women, bullies female employees, and refuses to hold senior members of the “club” accountable […]
This Week's Issue
State Auditor’s Report Part I: Legal Violations, Fear of Retaliation, and Disregard for Science
The State Auditor’s Office finally released a long-awaited report Monday about the workplace culture at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), providing a glimpse into the agency’s systemic dysfunction—and what should be a wake-up call for the Fish and Wildlife Commission. The Report confirmed what WDFW employees have been telling the staff and […]
Management of our fish, wildlife, and wild spaces is governed by outdated ideals that view fish and wildlife species as a “resource” to be managed, “harvested,” or simply killed if they interfere with human convenience or desires. These ideals are grounded in an outdated flawed system that values a wild animal’s life based solely on […]