Show Up For Wildlife on Oct. 27-28 in Olympia, and Join Us for Happy Hour on Oct. 27

Speaking at a Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting can be scary. But it is also one of the most effective ways to make your voice heard. For three minutes, you will have the undivided attention of the nine people who set all the state’s fish and wildlife policy.

As we make progress toward wildlife agency reform, Washington is being targeted by groups like HOWL for Wildlife, which offers financial incentives to induce people around the country to testify at our Commission meetings. We need people like you to show up for Washington’s wildlife!

Attend Meeting, Testify, or Both

The final in-person Commission meeting of the year will take place next Friday and Saturday at the Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington Street SE in Olympia from Friday, Oct. 27 through Saturday Oct. 28 (full agenda here). Please show up for wildlife however you can:

• If you can attend in person, please do! Even if you don’t speak, just your presence will show the Commissioners you care!

• While you are there, drop by Three Magnets Brewing Friday evening (5:30 to 7 p.m.), to lmingle with other wildlife advocates at a happy hour co-sponsored by Washington Wildlife First, the Northwest Animal Rights Network, and the Endangered Species Coalition.

• If you cannot travel to Olympia, please consider testifying via Zoom. Remember, your speech does not need to be long or complicated!

Commission to Address Wolves, Bears, and Squirrels

We expect speaking slots to fill up quickly, so if you wish to testify, please register soon. Consider speaking about one of these important issues:

• The Commission will vote on our Wolf Protection Rulemaking Petition at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, deciding whether to take steps to protect state wolves from agency sharphooters. Although there is no public hearing, you can speak about the rule during open public comment periods starting at 8:45 a.m. on Friday (Agenda Item 2) and 8 a.m. on Saturday (Agenda Item 11).
• At 1 p.m. on Friday (Agenda Item 6) , the Commission will take public testimony on a proposal to allow the Department to issue permits to kill black bears every spring for eating the bark off trees on commercial timberlands. This hunt will inevitably kill female bears and orphan their cubs, especially because mother bears are most likely to “peel” trees in an effort to survive until berry season.
• At 10:45 a.m. on Saturday, the Commission will take public testimony on a proposal to classify the Western gray squirrel as a state endangered species (Agenda Item 13). Big timber is fighting this move, but the gray squirrel needs help to survive. There may only be a few hundred left and they are quickly losing habitat to forest fires and logging.

Register Today!

Register today to testify either in person or via Zoom, making sure to include the agenda item for the topic you want to address.

And please click here to let us know if you are coming to Olympia, if you plan to testify in person or by Zoom, and whether you will be joining us for Happy Hour. We will keep you apprised of any new developments and assist if you need help developing comments!