Washington Citizen Sportsmen, on behalf of the over 5000 petition supporters sent the following letter of concern to the DFW Commission.

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Chairman Smith,
Commissioners,

The recent adoption of the 10 Year Puget Sound Chinook Management Plan by the Department of Fish and Wildlife without public input is an affront to the citizens of our state. Without soliciting, or involving in any manner stakeholders, Advisory Groups or the Commission, the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s senior management secretly came to an agreement with treaty Indian tribes that will affect salmon management in Puget Sound for the next decade. In doing so, WDFW also ignored the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission’s statutory role to provide policy guidance to WDFW staffers and its leadership. With the adoption of this policy in total secrecy the WDFW not only arrogantly turned its back on the dedicated volunteers who serve on the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission, but it also totally disregards the dozens of volunteers who serve on the various committees that advise WDFW staff and the F&W Commission, as well as the public itself, who regularly take the time to attend meetings and testify at important Commission hearings. The action by WDFW senior staff and management is unheard of in the history of the modern era since the combination of the departments of Fisheries and Wildlife more than 20 years ago.
Perhaps the worst effect of the secret action of the adoption of this highly contentious fish management plan is the further acceleration and the increase of distrust between the angling public and the Puget Sound tribes. At a time when more than 5000 concerned citizens requested a more open and transparent regulatory procedures with the affected tribes so that more understanding of the process of managing our publicly owned fisheries resource with the co-managers, WDFW leadership did just the opposite of what was needed to be done. Instead of building trust between the tribes and the stakeholders, WDFW undermined it. Working in secrecy and disregarding the will, much less the opinions of knowledgeable stakeholders, the Puget Sound Chinook policy was formalized and adopted in secrecy. This outrageous conduct by senior staff and leadership must not be tolerated and those involved in the adoption of the policy need to be identified for further administrative procedures including reduction of duties, demotion or termination.

On behalf of thousands of your stakeholders,

Washington Citizen Sportsmen
Open WDFW/Tribal North of Falcon
Secrecy, once accepted, becomes an addiction.

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What the senior leadership of WDFW did by intentionally by-passing the Commission was effectively a coup. They undermined the Commission's authority and attempted to reduce the board members to an advisory role! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! And we are supposed to trust WDFW to negotiate for us in the Secret North of Falcon Meetings that are soon to begin, WITH NO PUBLIC OVERSIGHT?
We encourage everyone to write the Commission expressing your concern over WDFW's mis-conduct and let them know you DO NOT TRUST WDFW to negotiate in North of Falcon without full transparency