Enough time has passed since our group met with senior leadership @ WDFW to reflect with some accuracy as to what transpired...and what has failed to occur afterward. Our focus was simple: bring about the public transparency desperately needed to make the upcoming 2018 NOF Co-Management season-setting sessions a functional, fair and cooperative process.
As the meeting began, we were informed that WDFW is sympathetic with our cause, but is powerless to deal with the Tribes on an equal basis due to Tribal Sovereignty and Federal authority. It should be mentioned here that several Federal Agencies have, nevertheless, mandated that the season-setting negotiations be "agreed upon" collectively by the State and various Tribes. There's your trouble...
I'm still reeling over what transpired next. Across the table were five WDFW administrators/managers with a combined yearly salary of somewhere close to $570,200.00--this can be documented at fiscal.wa.gov/Salariesaspx. That number would suggest some degree of professional prowess and competency, yet we were abruptly and desperately asked, "what would you do to remedy this? We really need to know!"
It made little difference what our perspective amounted to. Had we performed a miracle and parted the seas before them, they would have remained rigid and stubbornly committed to staying the course, catering to the Tribes, appeasing them along the way, and just hoping that courtesy, trust and minimizing their posture would prevail. That policy has failed miserably in the previous decades. The Wynoochee mitagation, closure of the Skokomish , the previous Fall's excess harvest at the Federal Locks, and the Point No Point ramp fiasco all serve to emphasize the failure of that strategy.
We left with some hope that a promised letter to NWIFC requesting some degree of public presence at NOF would be a move forward...but to this date, we can't even get confirmation that the letter was sent, received by the Tribes, or both.
They must justify their lofty salaries and go directly to the root of the problem. The Director has gone on record as saying," There's got to be a better way to do this..." Your getting paid to do just that--find a better way. Enlist the Federal delegation in DC to join ranks. Hold the Federal Agencies involved accountable for the burden of a dysfunctional process that sets WDFW up for failure. Above all else, quit sitting on your hands, commit to taking the public's best interests to heart, and earn your paychecks. One last directive: fix this mess because it's the right thing to do.

Well said.... well said.

It would be very interesting to know what these guys are drawing as salaries compared to what we, the average fishermen is taking home! Remember the proposed license fee increase last year? And the plea for more money from the general fund this year?

GreatBender, let us see the numbers these guys are taking home for the great job they've been doing.

Speaking of them earning their pay.

I sent a follow up email to Mr. Ron Warren, asking for a status on "the letter". The letter that they agreed to let us see a draft of BEFORE it was sent, BUT DIDN'T!

The letter that they agreed would prioritize a live video feed as a means of transparency. BUT IT DIDN'T!

The letter that they say is THE ONLY THING THEY CAN DO. And instead of actually doing anything, they want to tell the sportsmen we are part of the problem and we need be more cooperative and polite! Ya? How's that been working out?

Ron Warren has not even given us the courtesy of a reply!

Here is a copy of the email I sent:

Washington Citizen <opennof@gmail.com>

TO: Ron.Warren,
cc: James Unsworth, Commission Chair, WDFW publicaffairs

Ron,

Just a quick request for the status of the letter that was signed on Nov 15th to Lorraine Loomis.

Has the letter been sent, or was that the promised draft, which you're awaiting our edits?

If that was the finished letter, I must say I'm disappointed that we were not given the opportunity to look over a draft, which we all agreed to in our meeting.

If that was the final letter and it indeed was sent, have you received any reply or confirmation of receipt?

What is the Departments planned course of action as to a time period to wait before any follow up occurs from your end?

Thank you for addressing my concerns,

Citizen Sportsmen
Open WDFW/Tribal North of Falcon

Secrecy, once accepted, becomes an addiction.
Edward Teller

Baywolf, as per your request, here are the names/numbers. Once again, this info is available to the public at the State's website, is in compliance with principles of public disclosure, and is indexed as 2016 annual salary totals

Director Jim Unsworth $152,000.00
Ron Warren $96,300.00
Michael Grossman $119,300.00
Bill Frymire $119.400.00
Vincent Adicks $83,200.00 (combined salary?)

WDFW has an Assistant Attorney General just like every other agency. If there is a legal requirement that the process be transparent (or even only "agreed to"), that person is the one being paid (probably almost as much as Unsworth) to answer the question of what can be done. I'm fairly certain the lack of motivation to put said person to work on the matter is due to substantial political pressure NOT to do so.

Maybe time to show up at the forthcoming Commission meeting and see how much "testimony" you can squeeze into three minutes per person: http://wdfw.wa.gov/commission/meetings/2017/12/agenda_dec0717.html.

If nothing else you get to vent your frustrations on the record which should include asking the same questions posted above.

Larry, you are exactly and perfectly correct!!

However, it does little good for the same four guys to show up and testify over and over. The Commission already knows we are going to be there and what we are going to say.

WHAT WE NEED IS FOR A WHOLE BUNCH OF GUYS TO SHOW UP!

Yes, it's not easy. They make it that way! Guys have to take off work, spend gas money to travel and then sit around and wait to get their three minutes. Then there is the hassle of trying to think of something to say...indeed, it is a lot of work.

BUT, IF GUYS REALLY FEEL STRONGLY THAT WDFW IS NO LONGER BEING AN ADVOCATE FOR THEIR STAKEHOLDERS, THEN IT'S TIME TO STAND UP AND BE COUNTED!

THE COMMISSION AND THE DEPARTMENT WOULD LIKE NOTHING MORE FOR THE SAME FOUR GUYS TO SHOW UP AND NO ONE ELSE...

I am going and live near the intersection of I-5 and SR-512. There is a McDonalds there. I have room for 5 in my truck. I will give anyone a ride who needs it.

Lets see by your posts here, who is willing to stand up and be counted. Who will go?

GB,

I'd be interested in what solutions you and your cohort came up with?

I mean, beside "Do your jobs", that is...

NOBODY needs to take time off work to testify before the Commission. But you might have to sacrifice your early morning bite on a Saturday.

Remember there is Open Public Input scheduled at the beginning AND at the end of each full day that the commission meets.

Come on Saturday morning with your posse. There; no need to take up a full three minutes of testimony. Just let each guy in your group take a 30 second turn at the mike with this simple message ....

"Enough is enough... we will NOT be denied transparency in a public process. If the tribes insist they don't want an allegedly "disruptive" public in physical attendance at these co-manager meetings, the simple solution is to video-record them and promptly post the video transcripts to the NOF page."

DONE

On Friday they have open public input sessions scheduled for 9:45 A.M. and 5:05 P.M. followed on Saturday with only an 8:30 session. If they can only find time for one opportunity for public input on Saturday it should be at the end of their session. But if their goal is for hearing from the public then two sessions on Saturday would ensure an opportunity for those working folks from out of town to attend and engage the Commission.

One of Murphy's Laws is "An ounce of image is worth a pound of performance".

They are offering THREE different times when the public can comment. The could have done with just one Friday morning but by offering three, at widely different times, they are doing so much more and showing that the public's input is desired and valuable.

Or not. Your choice.

There is a slot for public comment at 9:30 a.m. for comments on changes to freshwater rules, I encourage anyone attending the early session to stay for this session, please advocate AGAINST the rule change that would allow folks to continue to fish for trout while using bait after 5 fish are caught whether released or kept, who needs jerks gut hooking fish all day long? The argument that they use is they want people who want to fish all day to be able to, I suggest lures! They also cite the difficulty of enforcement, I say screw that! We have some seriously lazy enforcement officers if they can't watch people and tell what they are doing. I see it all the time and can't do anything but try and educate them. No use calling wdfw, they need to observe it themselves to do anything about it. Changing this rule will enable those who care not about our resources. Having the rule in place keeps some from doing it, those who poach will do it whether or not there is a rule prohibiting that. Bob R

A bunch of guys testifying next Saturday morning as a unified group on a NON-agenda item will definitely get their attention. Make your point crystal clear. Just remember to keep it polite and respectful.

Bob R,

I think the deadline for comments on proposed fishing regulation changes was yesterday, November 30. Lots of folks commented in opposition to the proposed regulation you mentioned regarding CNR trout fishing with bait.

Regarding Commission meeting testimony, it absolutely can pay off. It works best if you:

1. prepare ahead of time (for me it's slightly less than one full typewritten page in 3 minutes);
2. state the problem and the solution you want;
3. if you can link the pathway from the problem through the solution, that helps;
4. don't demand an action that is beyond the Commission's scope and legal authority;
5. be polite.

Sg

Salmo, these are perfect points. It does take a little preparation but the Commissioners DO listen to the people.

Regarding more Transparency in our fisheries, or Public oversight in the Tribal/WDFW meetings is something the Commission Chair Bradly Smith has said is VITAL and IMPORTANT to the management.

The impasse is the Department says that the Tribes cannot be forced to the table. The department cannot force them to accept a live video feed in the meetings because of the Sovereignty question. The real reason is permits! Director Unsworth stated if they try and force the issue, the tribes may just opt out of the negotiations. In other words, not participate! Which means, no piggy back on their permits and another train wreck for the Department. SO, simply, they choose to weather the storm of what they view as a "few constituents" who want open meetings as opposed to a MASS Rebellion and blood letting on the Department if they screw up the fishing season. You see, back in Coho gate, Unsworth fought the tribes over the coho closure. Remember how ugly that got? Well, he feels the sport fishing community abandoned him in the middle of that fight and he got flamed. So now, he's gun shy. Too afraid to challenge the Tribes lest they pull our permit chances out of the meetings.

The utterly horrifying thing is. Although they are negotiating a LONG TERM permitting plan, so we don't have to go through a North of Falcon every year. The Department told us that THOSE NEGOTIATIONS WILL ALSO BE CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC! Imagine, having to live with a ten year plan that you had NO INPUT ON!!!

Having a live video feed in these negotiations would not hurt the fisheries. It may embarrass certain parties, and it certainly would stop some of the bad behavior reported to occur in these meetings. And there is a simple solution to having the live video feed included.

All the Commission has to do is add it into the North of Falcon policy before they vote to approve it! It then becomes law under the Open Public Meetings Act! Of course, the tribes either collectively or separately can choose to attend or not, since they are not subject to the law. But what a public relations nightmare if they choose not to negotiate in good faith, because they don't want things in the open!

Public comment Date and time...

WDFW Commission meeting 12/8 and 12/9

Public Input, at the following times:

12/8(Friday)......9:45 a.m. and 5:05 p.m.

12/9(Saturday).....8:30 a.m.

They do time these.....3 minutes

Don't forget to sign up if you want to speak !!!!!!![size:17pt]

Hope some of the younger PP members show up and voice their concerns..

NEWS FLASH

After repeated attempts to have our questions answered regarding the letter, Director Unsworth replied.

Here is how he answered:

"You have received a copy of the letter as it was sent to Lorraine Loomis. I received a verbal confirmation of receipt from Ms. Loomis at a recent Pacific Salmon Commission meeting. I do not know if we will receive a written response. We will include public involvement as a discussion topic at North of Falcon planning meetings in December and January.

Jim"

Look, we have a Director of WDFW who, by all indications, chooses the path of least resistance over doing the right thing. His continued in-action has cost the sport fishing community dearly. In a way, I feel sorry for him. He desperately needs to hang around long enough to get vested for his retirement. After all, it would be difficult to get a job anywhere else with his track record here.

So, I guess we have a few choices. Continue to allow our fisheries to be given away, piece by piece, or draw a line in the sand and say NO MORE. Continue to be pushed aside and disregarded or become a unified force. Allow others to decide what is best for us, or demand a fair seat at the table!

It's pretty evident that the Director has chosen his course of action, to cooperate and wait...for retirement, no matter how much damage is done.

It will be interesting to see what the constitution of the sportsmen is.

The bottom line is this: Why are we having to fight for transparency in the management of the fisheries? How can having everything out in the open, for ALL to see and for ALL to work on solutions be harmful? HOW CAN ONE GROUP DICTATE TO THE OTHER WHO WILL BE ALLOWED TO ATTEND MEETINGS WHEN THEY ARE DIVIDING UP FISH THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO BELONG TO EVERYBODY! WHAT ARE THEY SO AFRAID OF US FINDING OUT?

WDFW depends on the fact that people want to go fishing. They have huge investments in boats and trucks and tackle. They know that not enough folks are interested in the process so long as they get "something"

The State and Tribes have calculated that so long as there is, in order of priority, Ocean, Straits, Blackmouth opportunity for salmon that the grumbling will be low enough to be dealt with. Look how much fishing has been lost in PS (marine and fresh) plus steelhead. How much gamefish opportunity has been lost/ Licenses still sell.

Actually, at 9:30 a.m. they have public input scheduled for freshwater rule changes which is what the bait fishing for trout is listed under freshwater rule changes. I believe the deadline was for written input. And what about the Atlantic Salmon farming issue? They are discussing this at 8:50.Get this Polluting crap out of out waters! At 8:30 you can blast them about this as well as lack of transparency in meetings with tribes. Being able to comment on this BEFORE they discuss it will help inform them about public opinion. Hope to see as many of you that spoke so strongly about this on line . Bob R

Here is the link to the upcoming 8/9 December Commission meeting agenda:

http://wdfw.wa.gov/commission/meetings/2017/12/agenda_dec0717.html.


"Public Input, at the following times:

12/8(Friday)......9:45 a.m. and 5:05 p.m.

12/9(Saturday).....8:30 a.m.

They do time these.....3 minutes

Don't forget to sign up if you want to speak !!!!!!!"


(Quote is cut and paste - thanks Drifter)

http://tvw.org/ is scheduled to video and broadcast this WDFW Commission meeting.

It will give Saturday folks a view of Friday's testimony.

I'm curious. Who's planning on being at any session, and if you are, which session and what will you speak on?

(the sound of crickets)

Exactly

Crickets, my ass! Melanie and I will be there from 8:15a.m. 'till at least 9:30 for the freshwater rules deal. SCREW those who bitch online and don't have the balls to show up in person! Bob R

Well Bob, I will be happy to shake your hand. Looks like it's gonna be pretty easy to find you and Melanie.....

Where is the outrage....where is the anger....

It is no wonder Unsworth does what he does and fears no repercussions .....

You know, Wolf--there's an old bromide that applies here..."Talk is cheap--but it takes money to buy whiskey..." Way too many talkers on this blog with free advice, but little inclination to pitch in and get involved-- or have the work ethic to realize you get back from an endeavor exactly what you put in it. Sell your boats and move your chair near a window where you can watch the Tribes get their reward for perseverance and the courage of their convictions, while harvesting your rightful share of the resource...Happy Trails!!

I am planning on being there tomorrow (Friday) at 9:45. I cannot make the Saturday meeting as I have a PSA State board meeting to deal with this. We have a meeting with Director Unsworth today. I ran into him yesterday and he seemed confident of the 10 year plan. I told him we have to rescend it. PSA is talking the lead on this.

I am in utter disbelief that this decision was made on our behalf, Washington State fishers, without any WDFW Commission, Governor, or Legislator consent, advice, or review. We cannot let this stand.

Fishingnut,

It is very encouraging that PSA is taking a leadership role in exposing this continued assault on the rights of the citizens of the this state to be fully and rightfully a participant in the management of our resources. At the root of this assault is the Department and Tribal Co-managers insistence that they are immune to public oversight, and can meet and make agreements in closed door meetings at their discretion. It is fully the responsibility of the Commission to keep the Department in check, and it is clearly evident that they have failed in that responsibility.

The citizen sportsmen MUST take responsibility for our destiny. If they continue to wait for others to do the heavy lifting, they can be assured no change other than bad will continue.

Thank you, and the PSA members for picking up the banner of liberty and charging the hill of corruption!

Now, it's up to the masses of sportsmen to follow. I will be at the Commission meeting speaking out about transparency, and I hope to see many, many more!

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

What's the difference between talking here versus talking to WDFW? Making some good headway are we?

Money is, in fact, required to buy whiskey. Sportsmen are unwilling to meaningfully fund any large political and legal challenge to the status quo, and it will require both legal and political funding to make change. Talk, in whatever form, is cheap. WDFW is not going to change voluntarily. Everyone is already pissed at them, the leg has already withheld funding and ordered a review of their incompetence, and they know damn well the tribes aren't going to just play nice all of a sudden.

Folks have no problem spending tens of thousands of dollars for boats, gas, gear, lodging, booze, food and all the rest that we spend money on to fish. It's easy to bitch on the interwebz or talk for 3 minutes on a few Saturday mornings at a commission meeting.

Try to raise even $50,000.00 to fund a lawsuit (which is not enough to fight a big fight) and you'll be met with the same thing you're hearing here: crickets. Unlike the commercial sector or even the environmentalists (who have no financial incentive), businesses are not kicking in serious money to lobby and litigate. There's no organized guide association to meaningfully lobby and fund raise. Anglers, except a select few, donate a few hours here or there and may chip in a couple hundred bucks for a membership here or a raffle there. We're making some relatively minor progress (Columbia and Willapa/GH nets come to mind, and those required, wait for it................litigation and political funding) but aren't drastically improving the overall picture.

The sport fishing industry needs to wake up and play the game how it's designed.

What's the difference?
A drip is easy to ignore, a wall of water is another thing. The media is paying attention, the major sports organizations are taking a very public stand, and the legislators are becoming uncomfortable. Believe me, if 100 guys take up 5 hours of the Commission meeting speaking about the lack of transparency and damaging secret agreements, they will NOT BE ABLE TO IGNORE THIS!

Stay at home if thats where you want to be, but as for me, I'm taking the time to let my voice be heard!

Well presented...now take your message to those who need to hear it most: GO TO THE WEEKEND WDFW sessions, and take with you the many of your cohorts who feel the same. I'll be glad to continue our discussion there. the Commissioners were blindsided by WDFW leadership re: the Comprehensive Ten Year Management Plan--the very same managers who need the Commission's insight, perspectives and approval before such an action can take place. Without transparency, this practice has become the rule, rather than the exception. The established rules are the rules...and enough is enough! if this doesn't make your blood boil...check yourself for a pulse.

I'm not dismissing what you are doing. It is useful and should continue. I'm saying that talk, alone, isn't going to get us there.

Part of the issue is that the overall problem is bigger than WDFW and our local leg. When WDFW said no deal, the feds simply disregarded the law and let the tribes fish anyway. The feds refused to acknowledge a federal nexus for WDFW's permit despite there being literally dozens of potential options. Hell, BIA authorized the tribes to fish. Exactly where in the law is that allowed? That would have been a good opportunity to litigate and snatch some low hanging fruit. But, we have no organization with the funding or ............ how do I put it ........ "fortitude" to start any of those big fights.

I have little confidence that getting the meetings open will resolve any ultimate issue. While very useful, my guess is that the tribes will refuse to participate, the feds will let them fish anyway, WDFW will flounder about incompetently (take that one to the bank!), and we'll all be outraged. Then what?

I agree those meetings need to be opened. What I'm saying is our collective vision is too limited and short sighted. We need to be prepared to litigate and to PLAN on litigating. Get funding together now. Get an organization on board now. Get a plaintiff lined up now. Make a plan of attack now. Have a strategy how to win the war instead of just a one-off battle.

WSU,

I fully agree with you that those are very important and vital steps.

I also hope that someone as motivated and informed as you will take up the cause and begin that organization. A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. We have taken that step, and have put a lot of time, energy and cost into that first step. We totally agree with you that our effort is not the end, but a beginning. We are counting on guys like you to start organizing the next step...

Please, let us know how we can help you get started.

I'll be there Saturday with another contingent with a different topic. Our cause to open the Skagit C&R season is on the one yard line and we want some assurances there will be funding for the federally mandated monitoring that needs to be done.

When we first approached the commissioners nearly six years ago, everyone thought it was a good idea. The department's own science was supportive of a season. There wasn't any evidence to not do it. It was good for the local economy. The Upper Skagit Tribe was in favor of it. And yet, even with all these positives it took the department (with us pleading regularly) nearly four years to assign someone to write the management plan. Nearly a year to write it, and nearly a year for the feds to approve it, if in fact they do.

So, if you are looking for some overnight miracle, you might as well stay home.

If you are committed to the end result then get ready to attend lots of meetings, and with more than just WDFW. What you guys want, will need to become your second job. Get a good lawyer - that's your first step.

I made a last minute decision to go to this meeting this morning. I have no illusions that anything momentous will happen, and even though money is the only thing that will ultimately make a real difference, change starts with a clear, unified message, and enough of us need to deliver that message to make it stick with the commissioners. Then, it gets serious.

I agree that it will take money to make real headway, and for sure, we have plenty of it to kick some serious butt. The trouble is people often won't part with their money without assurance that money will be used to fight for their pet issues, and God knows it's hard to find a handful of us that agree on what those should be. Still, I think we just need a small change of perspective. If each of us put even 50% of what he/she spends on a license aside as a "fight for our fisheries fund" (how's that for alliteration with a purpose?), we'd have a solid litigation fund. It takes a lot of money, but there's a lot of us, which means a little goes a long way.

Of course, the next problem is organizing and administering that fund. Absent any single person we all agree should be our collective voice, practically speaking, our best vehicle is conservation and advocacy groups. CCA and PSA have joined forces on several pressing issues, and that's a great place to start. Give them some of your money (it really doesn't have to be a lot) and see what they can do.

There have been only three people speak this morning to the Commission about transparency at all, and one of those was centered on harvest more than secret meetings.

I certainly hope that the sessions tonight and tomorrow have a better turn out. Maybe nobody really cares that secret meetings are taking away from them. Where is the rage? Are any of you who are always talking about how bad things are, really too busy to come out from behind your computer and make your voice heard?

Bay Wolf:

I was there until about 11, when I realized my parking permission had expired. I was going to register to comment, but it was pretty clear the focus of today's comments was going to be the unfortunate euthanasia of the deer and elk from For Heaven's Sake. That issue is very emotionally charged, and my opinion is that the rest of today's comments, some of which were really well done, are likely to get lost in the shuffle.

Furthermore, after listening to the first part of the agenda discussions, I found my thoughts all pointed back to what I believe is the only thing that will improve or even preserve the fishing we have, which is reducing the impact of open ocean fisheries. An honest assessment of every fish and wildlife issue discussed today (save for the slaughter at the rehab facility) can only lead to the same, ultimate cause: we're killing too many salmon, of every origin, in the open ocean. Think about it. Why don't southern resident orcas have enough food? Why is the healthy population of seals and sea lions having an unsustainable impact on salmon and steelhead populations? Why did the North of Falcon process finally break completely in 2016? Why are our opportunities to fish disappearing, with no real hope for change in sight? Why isn't the tremendous and growing investment we're making in habitat improvements yielding more fish?

The answer is not apathy. The ultimate, honest answer to all these questions, regardless of the myriad other, contributing factors, is that we (by "we," I mean a bunch of people who don't live here calling the shots on salmon seasons) simply aren't allowing enough WASHINGTON salmon to return to WASHINGTON waters. Nothing that happens in Commission or North of Falcon meetings will change that, because none of the participants in those meetings has ANY influence over NOAA, which is ultimately responsible for approving fisheries with ESA components, which includes very nearly all our local saltwater fisheries.

As much as we agree that WDFW and the Tribes are hanging us out to dry, the sad truth is that they are only dividing up the crumbs left over after the perennial ocean slaughter, and that process was destined to break down as soon as there weren't enough fish returning to let everyone fish.

Only the Feds can fix this. That's where all our effort needs to be focused.

All that said, a few takeaways from the meeting (or what I saw):

Unsworth appears to be not long for his job. He is getting blasted (and rightfully so) from all sides, including the commissioners, who were none too pleased with the fact they hadn't had a review of the chinook management plan before WDFW announced it Friday. One gentleman (who's been involved in this stuff forever but whose name escapes me) more or less pointed his finger at Unsworth when he announced to the room that he is pushing legislation (with lots of good momentum) to implement a zero tolerance policy on public employees lying to the public, the Legislature, etc., with the penalty for violation being termination of employment. Sounds reasonable to me....

The way WDFW treated the folks and animals at that rehab facility was clearly out of line and lacking in due process. Honestly, if they treated poachers as harshly, we probably wouldn't have so much poaching. Also, while I hated learning about the decision to euthanize those critters (right or wrong), I was a little disappointed that issue was so much the focus of the public comment period, although I wasn't surprised. I think it's a shame that people get instantly up in arms when cute, fuzzy mammals get mistreated, yet most don't seem to give two $hits that the salmon so iconic to our heritage and so critical to our ecosystems are edging toward extinction. Guess it's harder to hug a cold, slimy fish.... Anyway, we need to get the people running and supporting these wildlife rehab places on our side, because they show up in numbers and make sure they get heard. I really think if more of the non-fishing public understood how extremely we exploit the resource that is salmon, they would be all over demanding change.

There was talk during Unsworth's report about the problem of bears destroying timber. I was extremely tempted to shout something about how the timber companies ought to start locking all the bears out of their leases, selling keys to only a few, each of whom has promised not to do what bears do (de-bark trees). One of the commissioners made a point of clarifying that timber loss due to bears is a bigger problem for small, private timber growers, for whom five acres of trees is a much more significant loss than it is for a big company. (I'd hazard a guess that euthanizing these bears would not be allowed without "demand" from those big companies, but I digress.)

The one comment that really stuck with me, though I'm not sure it's what the speaker most wanted me to remember, came from a gal addressing WDFW when she said that (paraphrasing), whether it's innocent animals at a rehab facility, bears doing what bears do, or whatever else, all WDFW seems interested in doing is killing. Ouch.

Sorry we couldn't stick around after testifying but my ride needed to get back to work. Fortunate in that it gave me an excuse to avoid more of the Heaven's Sake testimony. My take on that whole mess was that the WDFW folks should have removed those animals alive.

Input from the AG's office explained a lot but didn't mollify on the issues of lack of Commission visibility/input given that is their role pursuant to the Initiative creating the Commission in its current configuration. And since it is our Commission they effectively undermined our Commission and marginalized stakeholders.

And no matter whether the Plan puts some parameters around and judicial oversight of the NOF process it does not resolve the need for public visibility of that process - even if that visibiliy is simply live video feed.

Commissioner Carpenter: Thank you for saying what so many of us have been thinking and saying privately!

Larry, your testimony was strong and well received. Although it seems that the travesty at the re-hab facility had the moment, believe me when I say, the Commission heard what you had to say!

My hope is we will hear from more this evening, and even more tomorrow. Honestly, it is frustrating to have such a strong statement made by Commissioner Carpenter be followed by so few stakeholders.

Thank Larry for taking the time, and to the others that spoke out this morning. There is still a opportunity for the rest of you to bring the heat that Larry B did!

I know you are fighting the good fight. Have you ever thought that if these meetings were videotaped we could lose fishing opportunities? The weak position that wdfw negotiates from could be even more constrained.

Jake, the issue as I see it is that when WDFW has worked up what we perceive as reasonable goals they come out of NOF with their head in a basket (well, use your own imagination on that) and no explanation. If you look at Point No Point as a clear example of how tribal interests just saying NO can shut down a project plus what happened in 2016 when the BIA jumped in and usurped NOAA by issuing the tribes permits to fish I have to ask how it could be worse? At least with a live feed to the public any such overt tactics would be documented. And on the other hand if it is simply WDFW having done poor research and their numbers are bad we would have clear evidence of their incompetence.

The exact opposite. When the meetings are live streamed we will be able to comment and amend decisions. The larger benefit is we will ALL be on the same page, ALL the information will be out in the open and we can ALL work in the same direction to save our salmon.

With secret deals and hidden agreements, we don't really know who is working with us and who is working against us. We are left to speculate and then it turns to dis-trust and lack of cooperation.

I agree it may save some Salmon. That’s not the same as fishing opportunities.
Some openings may come down to just a few ESA listed fish being effected. I think they bend the numbers to keep both sides fishing as best they can. It would be interesting to see how that plays out.

It's true that in the end, there may be some loss of opportunities, but overall, when everything is out in the open, in full view of everyone, it will be clear that the reductions in opportunities are shared, equally with all parties, and the responsibility to protect, recover and enhance the fish will also be shared, equally between all the parties.

Thank you, Perry for all of your work to date. It's been a heavy load you've carried on our behalf. I'm hopeful that your work will initiate change.

If anyone is close to Olympia, your attendance at the Commission meeting tomorrow to make a brief statement in support of the transparency issue would be appreciated.

I appreciate the kind words, any thanks should rightfully go to you, the supporters that have been with us since the beginning .

I hope to meet all of you at the Commission meeting tomorrow.

Caught the early version of Channel 5 news and of course the only issue they reported upon was that of the rehab facility. Someone needs to remind those folks that any wildlife in their care remains the property of the State. Apparently the issue of the 10 year Chinook Recovery Plan didn't warrant air time. Now, back to your regularly scheduled program.

Fish are not brown-eyed warm and fuzzies.

Guess I just didn't express enough outrage or let my voice quiver as I spoke. Hey, and I was done in under the allocated 3 minutes.

But you see, folks want to kill salmon and eat them.

Dan Boeholt... good guy.

His testimony here...

https://www.tvw.org/watch/?eventID=2017121022

Cue up 2:22:05

Alison Morrow from King5 is working on the Transparency issue/Harvest plan. She has been with us from the start and is a solid, bulldog of an investigative reporter. The re-hab facility got air time, because she had a deadline and is flying out tomorrow. She is digging deep into the issues in the bowels of the department...there will be a story.

I'm really glad of the guys that stood up and voiced their opposition to the dirty deeds that are going on in the department. Believe me when I say, the Commission is listening. I am confident we will see some major changes in the near future...BUT, we must keep up the pressure.

A pot will boil over only if the heat stays applied.

Not to hijack too much but we have spent a bit of time in Australia. They have a very active wildlife rehabilitation program. The centerpieces are the marsupials as a roadkilled mum may have some live young that can be saved. These little critters take hands-on 24/7 care. They get carried around in specially designed pouches that the rehabbers wear. The little critters even have names. Then, they get released. Some will even come back when you call their name. But, they get out there and live, reproduce, die. Perhaps WDFW could look outside its own doors to see what is happening around the world. Too much that we "know as common knowledge" is not true.

Every seat in the house taken!

The Tacoma News Tribune ran a Local Viewpoint piece today under the title "Halt LNG plant, respect Puyallup tribal concerns" written by Bill Sterud whom I believe is the Chair of the Puyallup Tribal Council. While taking aim at the LNG plant using information provided during public hearings he indicated that the public notices sent out to adjacent property owners was insufficient. He went on to write that "The Puyallup Tribe and our community demand a responsible and comprehensive assessment - one that meets the level of risk posed by this project."

The point here is that he wrote representing the Tribe which is one of those sovereign nations preventing the rest of the citizens of the State from enjoying that same public meeting opportunity vis a vis the Salmon Management Plan and recent NOF negotiations. I call that hypocritical. Mr. Sterud, how about respecting not only our concerns but State law?

Larry, we have run into this paradox often over the past year. Strangely, legality and hypocrisy are one in the same when the civil liberties and rights of the Tribes are put side-by-side. As both US citizens and members of a separate sovereign nation, they experience the benefit of "dual citizenship" in many regards.
No one can question the hardship the Tribes have endured to get to this point. They were established cultures long before Europeans landed on North American shores.
But where do you draw the line? We have already depleted and are on the verge of eradicating a resource treasured by virtually all of us--and the only way to reverse this process requires putting the fish first. We strive to move forward, and, in the spirit of cooperation, have made multiple attempts to reach out to the NWIFC and their Chair, Lorraine Loomis. Harmony could and should begin with the Co-Management Process, with the principles of the Boldt Decision paving the way.
However, we have now traveled full circle...and arrived at the paradox above. Until the Tribes grasp what's truly at stake--and we BOTH treat each other as equals, regardless of politics--the future is easily predictable.