Wolf legislation is working it's way through the Senate and has a good chance of passing out of the Senate. It will face tougher opposition in the House of Representatives where the wolf groups have more support.
We need hunters who are willing to make a quick call to the legislative hotline and/or send emails supporting Wolf Management in Washington. We will provide the phone number to call and we'll provide a suggested message and a copy and paste email list of legislators to send comments to
. This is a chance for us to get some management of wolves in Washington!
Please just post in this topic if you are willing to help and I will post all the info as soon as we need to make calls and send email.
THANKS!
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UPDATE:
Senator Smith called, he is the sponsor of 3 wolf bills, they are all still alive and he is confident at least some will get a full Senate vote and may pass and move to the House. In the House they will have a harder time, that is when our help will be most needed.
Senator Smith will contact me at the most important times to call and email legislators in support of these bills. I will post the hotline number, a "copy and past" email list of legislators, and a short list of important points to make in your message in this topic and then I will send everyone email so you know you need to take action.
The WDFW has admitted that current wolf policy is the result of social politics not biology, we must make our voices heard now.
SB 5187Requires that rules established by the fish and wildlife commission allow an owner of livestock to kill a mammalian predator, regardless of state classification, without a permit or other form of permission.
Bill Language: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2013-14/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5187-S.pdfSponsors: Senators Smith, Becker, Roach, Schoesler, Honeyford
SB 5188Authorizes a county legislative authority to:
(1) Declare that an imminent threat to commercial livestock, caused by wolves, exists under certain circumstances; and
(2) Authorize the lethal removal of wolves by the county sheriff or an agent of the county without a permit or other form of permission from the department of fish and wildlife in order to abate the imminent threat.
Bill Language: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2013-14/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5188.pdfSponsors: Senators Smith, Becker, Roach, Schoesler, Honeyford, Holmquist Newbry
SB 5193 (designates the gray wolf as a game animal)
Creates Washington's wolves special license plates. Prohibits the department of fish and wildlife from:
(1) Paying more than fifty thousand dollars per fiscal year from the state wildlife account for claims and assessment costs for injury or loss of certain livestock; and
(2) Expending any money deposited into the state wildlife account that is received from the sale of Washington's wolves license plates for the purposes of lethal wolf management.
Bill Language: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2013-14/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5193-S.pdfSponsors: Senators Smith, Roach, Honeyford, Delvin
By Request: Department of Fish and Wildlife
