Many have asked what more they can do to help in the fight for greater transparency in our fisheries and to end the secret meetings.

One of the important steps is to contact your state representatives. If they start receiving a ton of emails with strong messages asking for their support, they will pay attention. It only takes a couple of minutes, but the impact is huge.

Here is a link to find who your representatives are:

Find your Legislator

Also, we have a new Chairman of Natural resources.
Sen. Kevin Van De Wege from Sequim, (MA 6).
It is very important that Senator Van De Wedge gets emails from you as well. Since most of the legislation from WDFW goes through his committee.

Senator Christine Rolfes from Bainbridge Island(MA 10) is now the Chair of the Budget Committee. Very important to WDFW. She too needs to get your emails.

Our sport and our fish are being decimated. Conservation should be the priority, and cooperation between ALL is the only way we can work together to save our fish. We cannot have one side of the co-management process deny the other the right to be informed and involved in the process.

PLEASE get those email out.

Done. District 24 has been contacted.

I called Senator Van de Wege's office and spoke to his Senior Legislative Assistant, Linda Barnfather. She was very cordial and has placed me in the Senators cue for a short meeting.

I would recommend all of you to call your representatives offices and ask them to meet with you. Remember, these people WORK FOR YOU, not the other way around. They WANT to hear what you have to say. They live in a bubble for the most part and welcome hearing from the people they work for.

If you find them obnoxious, well, you know who NOT to vote for next time, right! You have the power, just remind them of that!

DONE!

That's 3 for district 24.

C'mon folks.... ROLL CALL!

Post up the district you got covered.

Sent to Conway, Kirby and Sawyer...again

Dist. 29

Also sent another very strong email to Gov. Inslee. He really needs to get off his As$ and get involved. Governor "Green" Inslee has made public statements about Bears ears...Really? Where is he on an issue in his hoe State?

Done! Dist.24

Done! District #35... Including a request to be updated weekly in regard to any legislative proposal that is contrary to OPMA/Sunshine Laws, and restricts transparency in that process...

SERIALLY? This is the best we can do in 24 hours?

J F C ... I'm telling you, APATHY is the #1 killer of rec opportunity.

Now make a move to PROVE old Miyagi-san wrong!

I dare ya!

Dist. 38 checking in and done.

Eyefish, I'm not sure if it's apathy or defeatism? In any case, without a tidal wave of outrage and an avalanche of letters, calls and personal visits, the only person we have to blame for losing our sport and our fish is ourselves.

I got a confirmation from Senator Conway's office that they received my comments.. I followed it up with a request to speak in person to the Senator.

Done. Personal meeting with Sen. VanDeWege and Rep. Chapman.

No replies to any of my emails yet.
I’m going request a meeting with Senator Chase.
SF

Is there any other way to obtain their email addresses? I have my letter written out but the website only allows messages to be 1000 characters.

The email convention is firstname.lastname@leg.wa.gov

Yes, you can use the email convention that Fleaflicker posted. That allows you to use your own personal email to send messages to the legislators. Just use it in the TO: block

For those unwilling/unable to contact legislators, here's an another avenue to help keep this issue front and center. Let the Commission know your SUPPORT the following petition...

http://thfwa.org

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vwyo_nttjfTWa9sRtaG7a37WQDpofUpb/view

An example, if needed, of a message aimed at making a difference for Recs--

Thank you, Senator, for your prompt and positive response to my recent message concerning needed transparency in the season-setting process of our fisheries. I write in reference to a joint effort by the WA Citizen Sportsmen and Twin Harbors Fish and Wildlife Advocacy to bring about some timely change to the NOF Co-Management negotiations. I urge you to strongly examine and support Petition #C-3608, a request recently delivered to the nine individual Fish and Wildlife Commissioners. The document is an effort to bring the Co-Management process in alignment with the Open Public Meetings Act and Sunshine Laws.
You will soon see focused media attention by stakeholders, patrons, supporters and advocates to make things right--conservation and preservation of our salmon resource can only come about with renewed WFDW and Tribal cooperation, and adherence to the principles set forth by the Boldt Decision. The fish are at extreme risk, and need the help of lawmakers like yourself.

Sent to Senator Tim Sheldon and Representatives Dan Griffey and Drew MacEwen 12/12/2017

Done............District 19

Senator Dean A. Takko
Rep. Jim Walsh
Rep. Brian E. Blake

This area gets a double whammy...WDFW/QIN at NOF(Dog and Pony Show) and WDFW/QIN during the Wynoochee Mitigation meetings.

Wynoochee Mitigation, started in 1992 and still not started.......Probably had more WDFW Fish Managers involved with this.....none can get it done, and the worse part general public has no idea what the hang up is.

Drifter, I think Wynoochee Mitigation goes back way earlier than '92. I was involved at that time, and it had been going on for quite a while then. Money may have been added then but there was the original mitigation that still raises issues.

If memory serves, WDG used the money they got for facility upgrades rather than production. They agreed (probably in writing, somewhere) that they would fund the production (steelhead). Then, when funds tightened or priorities changed they tried to back out. I think Rivrguy might have more details.....