URGENT UPDATE: Petition approved to reconsider the 2022 Spring Bear Hunt
With your help, we already defeated the 2022 spring bear hunt once, after a dramatic tie vote by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission in November. But trophy hunters from around the country reacted violently to this decision, bombarding the Commissioners with accusations and threats.
After the resignation of Commissioner Fred Koontz in December, these bullies pressed their advantage, persuading the 7-member Commission to reverse its decision and vote to allow a petition that called for consideration of a new rule that will establish a permanent spring bear hunting season in the state.
Now we have three brand new commissioners, and the full Commission is set to take a final vote on the issue. We know Commissioners have been bombarded by demands to reinstate this barbaric trophy hunt. Now they need to hear from ordinary Washingtonians like you, who want to see this barbaric practice come to an end.
4 Steps to Stop Spring Bear Hunting
Comment now through March 12th.
Trophy hunters have been bombarding WDFW with comments demanding the return of the spring bear hunt.
Please weigh in by submitting a brief comment through WDFW’s online portal, or by emailing your comments to WDFW and the Commissioners directly.
Register to testify on March 3rd for the March 11th Public Hearing.
Last fall, more than 100 people turned out to testify against the spring bear hunt.
We know the trophy hunters are going to try to drown our voices out this time, so we need you to register early to provide testimony–as soon as you can after registration opens at 8 a.m. on March 3.
Register through this portal, indicating you want to testify on agenda item A, spring bear hunting, at the March 11 meeting.
Then, please mark your calendar to join the Commission meeting via Zoom at 8 a.m. on March 11. Public testimony will begin after a staff report, and you will have 1-2 minutes to speak.
Spread the word today!
We know organized hunting groups will show up and comment on this proposal. We need ordinary Washingtonians to make their voice heard!
Please help spread the word, by posting this information on your social media accounts, using our share graphics, and sharing this alert with at least 5 friends or family members.
Washington Wildlife First is here to help!
Need more details about the spring bear hunt to inform your written comments? Use our Action Kit, which includes a timeline leading up the current vote, talking points, and links to more resources.
Need help preparing your testimony? Please join us at 5:30 p.m. on March 8 at a Zoom workshop to help you prepare your testimony at the spring bear rulemaking hearing on March 11.
Update November 19, 2022: You spoke, and the Commission listened!
Thanks to an overwhelming show of public opposition, there will be no spring bear hunt in 2022. Please write to thank Commissioner Barbara Baker, Larry Carpenter, Fred Koontz, and Lorna Smith for listening to public opinion, carefully examining the science, and standing up for Washington’s bears.You can send a letter to all the Commissioners by emailing commission@dfw.wa.gov.
Your help is needed to end Washington’s barbaric spring bear hunts.
Washington is one of only eight states that still allows spring bear hunting. Bears are easy targets in the spring, because they are still sluggish from hibernation and linger in clearings in their desperate search for food.Spring bear hunting not only stresses the bear population at its most vulnerable, but also inevitably results in the killing of nursing mothers, orphaning their cubs and leaving them to starve—all so their mothers can be turned into rugs.An overwhelming majority of the population opposes spring bear hunting, yet the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife insists it must continue because a small group of trophy hunters enjoy this “recreational opportunity.”
Act now to help us stop the next spring’s bear hunt.
The state Fish and Wildlife Commission is taking written comments until October 21 on its proposal to allow spring bear hunting, and will hear public testimony on October 22-23. The vote is set for November 19. We expect the state’s tiny group of spring bear hunters to turn out in full force to demand these hunts continue, so it is important to make your voice heard!
Let’s make sure the Commission knows the people of Washington do not support these cruel, unethical, and unnecessary hunts.
Help save our bears by taking three simple steps.
First, submit comments opposing the proposed spring bear hunt by October 21, 2021. You may complete a brief survey to register your opposition, but this survey is directed to generate particular results, so we ask you to also email comments to 2022SpringBear@PublicInput.com.and commission@dfw.wa.gov.Second, register now to speak briefly at the October 22-23 public hearing, and tell the Commission you are opposed to this barbaric practice. The agenda for the meeting is not yet posted, so when you register, please indicate that you wish to speak in opposition to the spring bear hunt. Once you register to speak, please let us know by emailing citizenwatchdogs@wawildlifefirst.org, so we can keep you updated on new developments. If you need help putting your comments together, please let us know and we would be happy to assist.Third, share this information with your friends and family and post it to your social media accounts. Average citizens do not often show up to speak about wildlife policy, which means organized hunting groups usually control the discussion. Help us change that, by finding five more people who are willing to take these simple steps.
