May 8, 2022, OPB, Courtney Flatt, Decline in number of hunters causing funding problems for Northwest fish and wildlife agencies. Advocacy groups such as Washington Wildlife First are pushing for fish and wildlife departments to restructure and reform funding plans, said Claire Loebs Davis, board president of Washington Wildlife First.

April 8, 2022, UW School of Law Discovery Podcast: Reforming Wildlife Policy, A Symbolic Issue. Guest: Claire Davis of Animal & Earth Advocates and Washington Wildlife First, on the need for wildlife to be managed in the public trust and for reform of an outmoded system.

Sept. 12, 2021, Spokane Spokesman Review: Eli Francovich, New nonprofit focuses on reforming state wildlife management, advocates shift from ‘consumption’ to ‘conservation.’  A new nonprofit has entered the conservation fray, and is focusing on reforming how Washington state manages its wildlife and ecosystems.  “Washington Wildlife First” will set its sights on reforming state agencies, primarily the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Sept. 12, 2021, KREM2: Mary Alice Ginther, New Washington environmental nonprofit demands reform of state wildlife management. State wildlife advocates announce the launch of Washington Wildlife First, a new nonprofit dedicated to reforming environment management agencies.

May 28, 2021, The Seattle Times: Sophia Ressler, Animal Rights: Rethink spring black-bear hunts. Sophia Ressler of the Center for Biological Diversity writes that wildlife officials should properly protect the state’s black bears for all Washingtonians — not turn them into targets for the few who choose to hunt these animals in the spring.

March 14, 2021, The Spokesman-Review: Timothy Coleman, Thorburn’s double standards. Tim Coleman of the Kettle Range Conservation Group writes that the Fish and Wildlife Commission should represent the interests of all Washingtonians in state fish and wildlife management, the vast majority of which do not hunt or fish.

March 2, 2021, The Spokesman-Review: Kim Thorburn, Culture wars. WDFW Commissioner Kim Thorburn protests that she is not taking sides in the “culture wars.”

Feb. 23, 2021, The Spokesman-Review: Ron Reed, Thorburn doesn’t listen. Washington Wildlife First Vice President Ronald Reed writes that Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Kim Thorburn has ignored the voices of the majority of Washingtonians and WDFW’s own scientists and staff who must implement the policies that she approves.

Jan. 30, 2021, The Spokesman-Review: Rebecca Strauch, Conservation without ideology?  Spokane resident Rebecca Strauch writes that ethics in hunting does matter.

Jan. 29, 2021, The Spokesman-Review: Chris Bachman, Hunting in Washington is not under threat. Washington Wildlife First Advocacy Director Chris Bachman writes that hunting is not threat and there “is room for all of us.”

Jan. 27, 2021, The Spokesman-Review: Claire Loebs Davis, I agree, Commissioner Thorburn; conservation should not be driven by ideology. Washington Wildlife First President Claire Loebs Davis writes that Commissioner Kim Thorburn’s “inflammatory rhetoric is an irresponsible attempt to ignite the very ‘culture wars’ she pretends to bemoan, and to distract from valid criticisms of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.”

Jan. 24, 2021, The Spokesman-Review: Kim Thorburn: Conservation should not be driven by ideology. WDFW Commissioner Kim Thorburn writes that hunting under attack in Washington, and defends hounding, spring bear hunting and coyote contests.

Jan. 17, 2021, The Spokesman-Review: Ronald Reed, Will the real Kim Thorburn please stand up? Washington Wildlife First Vice President Ronald Reed writes that Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Kim Thorburn has reneged on her commitment to be a “‘voice on the commission for the largest constituency of wildlife consumers, those of us who enjoy fish & wildlife by watching & photographing.'”

June 24, 2020, The Spokesman-Review: Chris Bachman, Oh, deer. Washington Wildlife First Advocacy Director Chris Bachman writes that science shows that carnivores are not decimating deer and elk populations, and that carnivore populations self-regulate and do not require hunting or trapping seasons to “manage” their numbers.

May 5, 2020, The Spokesman-Review, Sophia Ressler, Washington’s cougar-hunting increase won’t improve public safety.  Sophia Ressler of the Center for Biological Diversity writes that WDFW’s recent decision to increase cougar hunting is “misguided decision by a commission that continues to ignore science – even the guidelines of its own Fish and Wildlife Department – in favor of allowing hunters to kill more animals than their populations can reasonably withstand.”

November 13, 2019, The Daily World: David Linn, Killing our Wolves. Mr. Linn offers an overview of what brought Governor Inslee to direct the WDFW Commission to undertake rulemaking for gray wolf management.

Oct. 13, 2019, The Seattle Times: Chris Bachman, Time to strike a balance between protecting wolves and cattle. Washington Wildlife First Advocacy Director Chris Bachman thanks Gov. Jay Inslee for writing a letter to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to require that it engage in rulemaking on how to respond to wolf predations on livestock.

Aug. 7, 2019, The Seattle Times: Chris Bachman, Move the livestock and quit shooting wolves. Washington Wildlife First Advocacy Director Chris Bachman calls for WDFW to halt its plans to kill the Old Profanity Territory pack wolves.

May 12, 2019, The Spokesman-Review: Beth Robinette, Bruce McGlenn and Chris Bachman, A question of balance: Working together on wolves. What happens when three people from different backgrounds and different ideologies come together to talk about wolves? If they listen to one another, they find common ground.

Feb. 20, 2019, The Spokesman-Review: Chris Bachman, The wolf you feed. Washington Wildlife First Advocacy Director Chris Bachman discusses a parable about the battle inside all people between “two wolves.”

Sept. 15, 2018, The Spokesman Review: Chris Bachman, A question of grazing. Washington Wildlife First Advocacy Director Chris Bachman writes that it is time for us to consider moving livestock to more protected areas or for private industry grazing livestock on public lands to assume risk of loss.

Aug. 29, 2018, The Seattle Times: Sharon Stroble, Wolf management: Don’t Trust WDFW. Seattle resident Sharon Stroble writes that a recent restraining order pertaining to lethal removal of wolves is an important petition to bring the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife into compliance with the law.

June 1, 2018, The Spokesman-Review: Chris Bachman, Scientist silenced for telling the truth about wolves. Washington Wildlife First Advocacy Director Chris Bachman discusses the silencing of Dr. Rob Wielgus, who was silenced for attempting to tell the truth about the slaughter of the Old Profanity Pack wolf pack.

LEADERSHIP

Jan. 10, 2021, The Spokesman-Review: Eli Francovich, New commissioners and lawsuits have some saying hunting is under attack in Washington. Hunting is under attack in Washington. At least that’s the assessment of Kim Thorburn, a Washington Department of Fish and Game commissioner from Spokane. “I’m pretty upset about what’s going on,” she said. “We’re looking at hunters as an enemy.”

BEARS

Aug. 31, 2021, King 5 News: Erik Wilkinson, Invisible victims: Bear cubs rescued from recent Washington wildfire. Four black bear cubs were rescued in recent weeks from wildfires raging in eastern Washington.

Jan. 5, 2021, The Spokesman-Review: Dave Nichols, Field reports: Lawsuit filed to challenge spring bear hunt. Two Washington residents filed a lawsuit in Thurston County Court last week to challenge the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Dec. 18 decision to authorize a largely recreational bear hunt this spring. Washington is one of eight states that still allows bear hunting during the spring, as most states have banned the practice.

Oct. 28, 2020, KING 5 News: Michael Crowe, Court rules Washington state exceeded authority with controversial bear hunting program. A new ruling from the state court of appeals found the state exceeded its authority in the way it allowed bear hunts using bait and hounds. The ruling is the result of a lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, following a 2017 KING 5 investigation into the Bear Depredation Management Program, in which reporter Alison Morrow found Washington Fish and Wildlife was allowing the voter-outlawed practices to continue, using a loophole in the governing initiatives.

April 23, 2018, KING 5 News: Alison Morrow’s 2-Year investigation into secret bear hunts on timber farms.  KING 5’s environmental reporter Alison Morrow details her in-depth investigation into WDFW’s illegal program to allow hound hunting on commercial timber farms.

COUGARS

June 27, 2021, The Spokesman-Review: Colin Tiernan, Washington’s Fish and Wildlife Commission talks human-cougar conflict. For some Washingtonians, cougars are a growing public-safety issue and a nuisance, preying on livestock and pets. Others say the cougar threat has been exaggerated and government agencies are killing far too many.

May 6, 2021, The Spokesman-Review: Eli Francovich, Cougar proviso in Washington budget offers ‘carrot’ to sheriff departments killing cougars.  Local law enforcement agencies will have to share data on how many cougars they kill to be eligible for some state money, according to a proviso in the new Washington state operating budget.

Jan. 30, 2021, The Spokesman-Review: Eli Francovich, Washington wildlife commissioners approve limited hound training program.  The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a limited hound pursuit training program on Friday. The program will allow agency-approved hound handlers to nonlethally pursue cougars, bears or bobcats to train their dogs.

Sept. 24, 2020, Columbia Insight: Dawn Stover, With WDFW’s blessing, Klickitat County’s sheriff has amassed a hound-hunter posse to kill cougars. Is it really all about public safety? 16 and Counting, Inside a Washington community’s war on cougars.

ORCAS/WHALES

September 13, 2021, KING 5 News: Kipp Robertson, Multiple pregnancies among dwindling Southern Resident orca pod in Puget Sound. Cautious optimism as scientists discover three pregnant J pod orca. Boaters asked to keep their distance.

July 7, 2021, The Seattle Times: Lynda Mapes, Record heat, drought threaten even the toughest survivors: L25, the oldest orca and the winter Chinook she depends on. Both southern resident orcas and the Chinook they primarily depend on are in a fight for their lives as environmental conditions turn increasingly hostile. Chinook, with few exceptions, are in trouble throughout their range.

May 30, 2021, The Seattle Times: Lynda Mapes, We’re changing the habitat for the orcas and salmon– and not for the better. On a cold, foggy morning in the summer of 2019, I made my way to a boat ramp, hard by homeless encampments and under the roaring traffic of a highway overpass in Seattle, to watch and talk with Muckleshoot tribal members…

Jan. 20, 2021. The Seattle Times: Lynda Mapes, Population of formerly endangered gray whales along West Coast plunges. The gray whale population has plunged 24% along the West Coast since the last estimate in 2016, estimates released Tuesday show.

Jan. 17, 2021: Lynda Mapes, Female resident orcas especially disturbed by vessels, new research show. Female orcas are most thrown off from foraging when boats and vessels intrude closer than 400 yards, according to new research — troubling findings for the endangered population of southern resident orcas that desperately needs every mother and calf to survive.

Sept. 19, 2020, The Seattle Times: Lynda Mapes, Researchers attach cameras to Pacific Northwest orcas, revealing a marvelous underwater world. For nearly a month the team has been at sea, marveling at the prowess of southern and northern resident killer whales as they follow the orcas’ foraging rounds, using a drone and stick-on cameras to record the daily lives of orcas, even underwater.

Jan. 28, 2020, The Seattle Times: Lynda Mapes, Another southern resident orca feared dead. Another southern resident orca, L41, is feared dead, according to the Center for Whale Research. The whale, born in 1977, was not seen during an encounter with its family by the center’s researchers on Friday.

SALMON

Aug. 6, 2021, Center for Biological Diversity: Cooke Aquaculture Secures Permit to Stock Risky Washington Fish Farm. Despite ongoing litigation and timing questions regarding the lease for the facility, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has granted fish farming giant Cooke Aquaculture a permit to stock its Hope Island facility in-water net pens with steelhead.

June 29, 2021, The Seattle Times: Lynda Mapes, Pacific Northwest heat wave sets up ‘grim’ migration for salmon on Columbia, Snake river. Temperaturesin the Columbia and Snake rivers are already within two degrees of the slaughter zone of 2015, when half the sockeye salmon run was lost because of high water temperatures. An estimated 250,000 sockeye died that year long before reaching their spawning grounds.

Feb. 18, 2021, The Seattle Times: Lynda Mapes, Warming seas could wipe out Snake River chinook by 2060, scientists predict. Snake River spring-summer chinook could be nearly extinct by 2060 and interventions are “desperately needed” to boost survival in every stage of their lives, scientists warn.

Jan. 2, 2021, The Seattle Times: Lynda Mapes, Lake Washington sockeye hit record low; another signature Seattle fish at brink of extinction. They are as Seattle as the Space Needle. But Lake Washington sockeye, once the largest run of sockeye in the Lower 48, are failing.

Aug. 13, 2020, The Seattle Times: Lynda Mapes, Hundreds of sea lions to be killed on Columbia River in effort to save endangered fish. Approval to kill up to 716 sea lions in a portion of the Columbia River and its tributaries over the next five years to boost the survival of salmon and steelhead at risk of extinction is expected from federal officials Friday.

March 2, 2020, The Seattle Times: Lynda Mapes, Court upholds termination of Cooke Aquaculture net-pen lease in Port Angeles. Termination of the lease for a fish-farming operation in the harbor at Port Angeles has been upheld in Thurston County Superior Court. Cooke Aquaculture Pacific said it would appeal the ruling.

WOLVES

June 15, 2021, The Seattle Times: Female wolf was illegally killed, Washington state officials say. A female wolf that had pups earlier this year has been illegally killed in northeast Washington state. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists responded to a report of a dead wolf on May 26 in the Sheep Creek area of Stevens County. The agency says the female died of a gunshot wound.

Sept. 7, 2020, OPB: Nicholas K. Geranios, Environmentalists say Washington’s wolf program is broken. Gov. Jay Inslee has directed the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission to draft new rules governing the killing of wolves involved in conflicts with livestock, a move winning praise from conservation groups.

Sept. 4, 2020, The Spokesman-Review, Dave Nichols, Gov. Inslee directs drafting of new rules for wolf management. Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday directed the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission to draft new rules governing the department’s lethal removal of wolves involved in conflicts with livestock.

August 17, 2020, National Geographic: Josh Adler, Controversial killing of wolves continues in Washington State. The state recently killed the three members of the Wedge pack, the latest flashpoint in a fierce debate over how to best manage the carnivores.

Aug. 14, 2020, The Spokesman-Review: Dave Nichols, WDFW removes Tim Coleman from wolf advisory group; Lethal removal order issued for Leadpoint Pack.  A member of the state’s Wolf Advisory Group has been dismissed from the committee by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife director Kelly Susewind in the latest twist of hotly debated issues surround wolf-kill orders in northeast Washington. Tim Coleman, executive director of Kettle Range Conservation Group, was removed Aug. 3

June 26, 2020, OPB: Nicholas Geranios, Washington Commission Rejects Petition to Limit Killing of Wolves. A petition that called for new rules to limit when the state can kill endangered wolves that prey on livestock was rejected Friday by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Jan. 26, 2020, The Spokesman-Review: Eli Francovich, Investigation: Ferry County range riders were in Spokane when they were supposed to be patrolling. Two range riders who were supposed to be protecting cattle in Ferry County in 2018 were more than 100 miles away in Spokane, shopping and spending time at the Davenport Hotel, according to a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife investigation that has since been referred to a Thurston County prosecutor.

Dec. 18, 2019, Los Angeles Times: Richard Read, One ranch, 26 wolves killed. Fight over endangered predators divides ranchers and conservationists.

Oct. 23, 2019, Los Angeles Times: Richard Read, Gray wolves are protected in Washington. So why does the state keep killing them? Somewhere near this tiny farming town last month, a Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife hunter conducted what officials call a lethal removal, killing a gray wolf, a member of a species that the state considers endangered.

Oct. 1, 2019, Capital Press: Don Jenkins, Inslee: WDFW shooting too many wolves.  Shooting wolves annually in the Kettle River Range in northeast Washington is “simply unacceptable,” state Gov. Jay Inslee said in a letter Monday to Fish and Wildlife Director Kelly Susewind.

Aug. 19, 2019, KING 5 News: Alison Morrow, Killings of another Washington wolf pack sparks debate over predator management. After yet another wolf pack was killed last week in northeast Washington, critics of predator management are sounding off about why things need to change.

Aug. 2017, The Seattle Times: Lynda Mapes, A War Over Wolves. Outspoken researcher says his university and lawmakers silenced and punished him for speaking out about the killing of the Profanity Peak Pack.

July 31, 2017, Predator Defense: The Profanity Peak Pack: Set Up & Sold Out. Film produced by Predator Defense details the failures that led to the killing of the Profanity Peak Pack.

July 30, 2021, The Seattle Times: Rachel Baker and Paula Swedeen, A middle path to climate-smart forestry.  Given the significant values our forests provide, it’s no surprise that Washingtonians have strongly held beliefs about how they are managed.Jan. 7, 2020, The Seattle Times: Larry Franks, Department of Natural Resources should focus on mission. Per its website, the Washington Department of Natural Resources‘ mission is to “manage, sustain, and protect the health and productivity of Washington’s lands and waters to meet the needs of present and future generations.”STATE FORESTSJune 7, 2021, The Seattle Times: Lynda Mapes, 2020 wildfires left precious endangered species habitat in Central Washington ‘nothing but ash and dust’. Of the 802,000 acres that burned in Washington in 2020, some 725,000 were scorched within the boundaries of the Columbia plateau, including around 600,000 acres of shrubsteppe habitat — an area nearly three times the size of Mount Rainier National Park.March 21, 2021, The Seattle Times: Lynda Mapes, Amid climate crisis, a proposal to save Washington state forests for carbon storage, not logging. Commissioner Franz to rethink the value of trees on state lands not as logs, but as trees to help address the twin crises of species extinction and climate warming.June 5, 2020, The Seattle Times: Lynda Mapes, Death of the giants: Forests getting shorter, younger, in Northwest and elsewhere. People are killing big old trees. Across the planet, old growth is being lost to logging and land clearing, and a lethal list of disturbances stoked by climate warming that disproportionately take out big old trees, including drought, heat, bugs, lightning, wind storms, floods and fire. The world’s forests are getting younger and shorter as a result. 
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OPINION

July 25, 2021, The Seattle Times: Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Dan Newhouse, Come together to save Puget Sound and Snake River salmon. Representatives McMorris and Newhouse make a case against removing the four Lower Snake River dams and saving salmon.

March 30, 2021, The Daily World: David Linn, Intrinsic value in Wild Olympics. Grays Harbor County Commissioners oppose Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

February 8, 2017, The Daily World: David Linn, Just Say No, Mr. Shay. The Washington State Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Contanda (formerly Westway) must meet the requirements of the state’s Ocean Resources Management Act (ORMA) if it is to proceed with the development of their proposed oil terminals in Hoquiam.

NUTRIENT POLLUTION 

July 23, 2021, KOMO News: Abby Acone, ‘Nobody likes to swim in poopy water:’ Washington beaches close due to high bacteria level.’ In King County, Richey Viewpoint in West Seattle is closed due to a nearby sewage spill. Juanita Beach in Kirkland and Matthews Beach in Seattle are also closed for swimming.

July 15, 2021, The Seattle Times: Todd Paglia, Why would we allow cruise-ship waste of any kind in the Salish Sea? Scrubbers remove sulfur from the dirty bunker fuel that cruise ships burn. But you won’t find piles of black dust below the decks, because scrubbers take that air pollution and dump it directly into the ocean.

July 3, 2021, KIRO 7 News:10 beaches closed due to high levels of fecal bacteria.  When people come in contact with high bacteria levels, they can possibly get sick, causing health issues from gastroenteritis, which can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, vomiting and a low-grade fever, to skin rashes and upper respiratory infections.

July 1, 2021, KING 5 News: Four beaches closed in King County due to high bacteria levels, sewage spill.  Four beaches in King County were closed as of Thursday morning due to high levels of bacteria.

April 1, 2021, Investigate West: Levi Pulkkinen, Washington’s Environmental Laws Don’t Protect Communities of Color. Will The Legislature Fix That? With strong mandates stripped out, landmark environmental justice legislation approaches passage.

December 7, 2020, Crosscut: Allegra Abramo, Outdated sewage treatment is suffocating Puget Sound. 100-year-old technology to treat human waste is depleting oxygen levels-and putting orcas, salmon and Dungeness crabs in peril.

September 5, 2021, The Pagosa Springs Sun: Molly Absolon, A close encounter with wolves and fear. I knew, and I hope most people know, that wolf attacks on humans are extraordinarily rare. In fact, even minor attacks by predatory animals are rare, yet it doesn’t take much to get our imaginations to run wild with fear of fangs and blood.