WDFW moved under DRN - was SB 6813 whats yer opini

The SB 6813 to abolish Washington Dept Fish and Wildlife and State Parks is now part of the Senate budget bill. If the Senate budget passes as it is now SB 6813 will abolish WDFW and State Parks moving their duties under the Dept of Natural Resources.

I am an employee of WDFW so my opinions are bias so take that into account as you read this. This bill really came out of no where. There really hasn't been time to study what this means for the agencies involved but more importantly the states resources. If the 3 agencies are to be merged lets slow the process down and put together a couple proposals for the next session. Many people thought the bill didn't have any legs so opposition has been very light.

DNR is a resource extractor. Fish and Wildlife is a conservation agency but the hunting fishing side is similar to the resource extracting for DNR. The scary aspect is thatthat the 3 agencies are not merging. Instead DNR is taking over the WDFW and state parks functions. My job is safe short term and possibly the long term. But DNR butts heads with Fish and Wildlife all the time. What will happen once DNR has a say in who the Assistant Directors are for the Wildlife, Hababit and Fish programs.

Theres already a several page thread about this.....

Welcome, boyScott.
Thank you for taking the effort to join and post. Read the other threads and add your comments.

It is a bad idea. One man rule over fish and wildlife resource management would take this state back into the last century. I understand Rodney Tom wanted the bill as part of his budget package, but long term costs to the public's fish and wildlife resources would not result in any budget savings.

Bass turds... dirty bass turds!

Another words we'll be back to pre 1995 where most of the major decisions went to the commercials? Believe me, rec.sportsmen will not like moving backwards to that era.

Lucky Louie -
Such a change would be moving back much further than 1995. I have to suspect that with a super "natural resource" agency wildlife and their users would be a much lower priority for the State.

Tight lines
Curt

We are on the same page there. I remember commercial dominance in the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's and it goes back many decades past that. Hence ref 45 passed by the voters in 1995 so the sportmen could have a sounding board, a say, a process through the commission. Getting rid of the commission will take us back to pre 1995 commercial dominance.

We have to get the wording pulled out of the Senate budget bill. Time to take action is now.


The Senate bill calling for the merger of WDFW & Parks into DNR remains bottled up in the Senate Natural Resources Committee. Multiple title only bills dealing with "natural resources" have been introduced - any one of them could be used as the policy vehicle to merge WDFW & Parks into DNR and that's now the likely event to occur. The Senate budget released yesterday zero's out the WDFW budget, reduces the agency operating budget by $10.5 million and transfers all WDFW functions to DNR. No proof has been presented that the state "saves" $10.5 million in operating costs by these actions. Making these budget provisions will require passage of a policy bill - you can bet one will come down the road quickly - we just don't know what vehicle (bill) will be used.

This is deadly and serious business - EVERY FISHING, HUNTING AND RELATED PROGRAM AND EVERY DEDICATED FUND IS AT RISK FOR TERMINATION OR REDUCTION. The majority of hunters and fishers in Washington State agreed to surcharges on their licenses to keep these important functions in place last year. Your support of the department will be wiped out if the Senate Budget is allowed to advance with the merger language in it - the House version of the budget does not (yet) contain this language.

You, your organizations and all of the members or your organizations (and their friends and family) ABSOLUTELY need to get involved NOW. The only "target" at the moment is the merger language in the Senate budget. A simple "I oppose merger of the natural resource agencies" will suffice. It's been about 15 years since the old department of fish and department of game were merged to create WDFW. We're still dealing with the ugly consequences of that merger. We don't need another super agency ... that's not government reform. Creating another super agency while doing harm to the already existing programs willingly funded by hunters and fishers is not responsible wildlife management.

The first order of priority is for everybody to contact EVERY member of the Senate Ways & Means Committee with the message LOUD AND CLEAR STATED that the hunters and fishers of the state are adamantly opposed to merging WDFW into DNR. The second order of priority is then for all the rest of the members of the Senate to "hear" that message as well as your legislators in the House.

Individual direct web-based emails can be sent through http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rosters/CommitteeMembersByCommittee.aspx?Chamber=S
A list of Senators and their non-web email address is at https://dlr.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/Default.aspx?Chamber=S
The in-state toll-free Hotline number for those wanting to call their legislators is 800.562.6000.

The 22 members of the Senate Ways & Means Committee are:

Senator Margarita Prentice (Chair)
Senator Karen Fraser (Vice-Chair, Capital Budget)
Senator Rodney Tom (Vice Chair, Operating Budget - author of the merger effort)
Senator Joseph Zarelli (Ranking Minority)
Senator Dale Brandland
Senator Mike Carrell
Senator Darlene Fairley
Senator Mike Hewitt
Senator Steve Hobbs
Senator Jim Honeyford
Senator Karen Keiser
Senator Adam Kline
Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles
Senator Joe McDermott
Senator Ed Murray
Senator Eric Oemig
Senator Linda Evans Parlette
Senator Cheryl Pflug
Senator Craig Pridemore
Senator Debbie Regala
Senator Phil Rockefeller
Senator Mark Schoesler

I just sent my comments to Senator Karen Keiser, 33rd Dist anent this matter with a copy to my Reps.

My recollection from the session last year is that Chair Prentice is no friend to our fish and wildlife interests. My Senator - Fraser - surrounds herself only with those who agree; she won't return phone calls, emails, or agree to meet. She's a Dem in a liberal town and knows she won't be defeated. Makes my blood boil.

Sg

E-mails sent

Remember that Senator Parlette sponsored the legislation establishing the Columbia River endorsement so I would expect her to be supportive of WDFW.

SENATE BILL 6813
My email to the legislators, fire away folks.........

Please oppose this and any Bill like it. THIS CONTINUAL ASSAULT ON FISHING AND HUNTING MUST STOP. It takes programs years to have positive effects on fish and wildlife and that is why sportsmen came up with Referandum 45. Years ago, fish and wildlife programs started and stopped with each new administration. Fish and wildlife programs need to be run by the best available science and not political whim. For the most part sportsmen are willing to pay their way, please leave the money where it was put. This may be a time to reduce the size and scope of our state government work force and benefits. If the tax bills presently in front of our lawmakers were all passed, we would be the most heavily taxed state in the nation. Is that what Olympia wants to leave for their children? Tighten your belt like I have to, I can guarantee you there is no new funding suddenly coming into my life.

This one?


http://www.votervoice.net/Core.aspx?AID=...rgetID=9tQKWWPQ

Dear Robert-

Thank you very much for your e-mail. I agree with you and do not support SB 6813. I will not support this bill in the Senate.

Always,

Senator Karen Keiser
33rd District of Washington
http://www.sdc.wa.gov/senators/keiser/

Done deal.

The merger is officially toast.

Late yesterday evening the Senate Ways and Means Committee adopted an amendment to the 2010 Supplemental Budget that maintains the Department of Fish and Wildlife as a separate entity from the Department of Natural Resources. You will recall CCA Washington issued an action alert to our members a few days ago informing that the earlier version of this budget proposed merging WDFW into DNR.

In response to thousands of e-mails and phone calls from CCA members, supporters and friends, legislators modified this budget to keep WDFW in place.

Thanks to all who answered the call.

You're welcome!

FD

WDFW is turning the corner and starting to work like intended for the resource. A long ways to go but a start.

Looking at the several threads on 6813 on this Board,
I believe that this is a team victory of Washington sportsman across the state working together to get something accomplished at this level, not once but two times in 2 years. Something that I always wondered if I would see in my lifetime.

It is getting closer to not if, but when, the 1st commercial fishing minded politician is shown to the door at re election time by the Washington State sportsmen voters.

Louie,

I hope to see that some time. It would be quite the relief to see sportsmen all pushing the same direction for a change. A big problem is that fish and wildlife are pretty far down the list of electoral issues for any legislative candidate. It's gonna' be impossible if a candidate has good positions on infrastructure, education, and taxes, but has a negative position on fish and wildlife. Or maybe that's a combination we won't have to worry about.

Sg

Sg,

Point well taken.

I was thinking along the lines of Jacobsen, Haugen sponsoring 5127 last year, and Tom, Rockefeller, and Shin this year sponsoring 6813 effectively gutting commission and WDFW respectively, which would in effect go against voter approved Ref 45 in 1995.

In addition these 5 just voted to suspend I-960 a voter approved initiative which requires that two-thirds of the Legislature approve any tax increase.

History that points to who cares what the voter thinks--- I'm the politician ---and I know better.

Some not considered low hanging fruit, but definitely all are persons of interest in this case.

I sent my letters out. Glad to hear a lot of others did too and it looks like it had an impact. It is true that Fish and Wildlife are not high on most of the Legislators list, but that doesn't necessarily mean they have a negative view (although obviously some do). It has been my experience that educating them is the key. The best thing we can do as sportspeople is to take some time and go down there and meet with our Legislators personally. Getting a 15 minute appointment is easy; they want to hear from their constituants; and a well prepared, respectful, discourse with them usually brings a lot of positive light to something they know little about. I have seen some of them change their position in these little meetings.

Perhaps CCA should sponsor a day on the hill. Members who can take the time to go could be prepared at a local chapter meeting then make their appointments with their Legislators and be done in several hours.

Excellent post.

You are right:

1) It was definitely a team effort.

2) We all should try to have rapport with our legislators.

3) A little education can go a long ways.

4) Legislators for the most part are family oriented and want the best
for their children and future generations.