Wolf Lover to receive confirmation hearing thursday

[blackdog]

Miranda Wecker to recieve confirmation during hearing in Senate Natural resources committee thursday.

[blackdog]

 
Natural Resources & Parks
2/20/14 1:30 pm
Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 1
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

Public Hearing:
1.   ESHB 1090 - Increasing the dollar amount for construction of a dock that does not qualify as a substantial development under the shoreline management act.
2.   SGA 9331 - Miranda Wecker, Member, Fish and Wildlife Commission.
3.   SGA 9247 - Bob Bugert, Member, Salmon Recovery Funding Board.

There will be no public testimony taken on Senate Gubernatorial Appointments. However, you may submit written comments to staff. Staff will distribute the comments to committee members. Please submit comments to Joseph.Parrino@leg.wa.gov. Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

[hoytem]

Miranda Wecker, Chair

    Miranda Wecker

    Miranda Wecker was first appointed to the Commission in March 2005 and was reappointed by Gov. Gregoire in January 2007. She has served as Chair since January 16, 2009.

    Having graduated from the University of Washington School Of Law with Juris Doctor and Masters of Law Degrees, Miranda nearly 30 years of experience working on natural resource policies at the international, national, state, and local levels. She has led the marine program of the University of Washington Olympic Natural Resources Center since 1995 and continues to provide consulting services to non-profit organizations.

    Miranda and her husband, Jim Hidy, reside in Naselle and enjoy mountain biking, cross-country and downhill skiing, and fishing the coastal rivers.

    (CURRENT TERM: July 7, 2013 - Dec. 31, 2018)

 * she's been a chair for the F&W Commission for several years. what do we need to know about her?

[Elkaholic daWg]

The commission is weighed heavily to fishing  (and western) right now. Seems from what has happened recently they are a rubber stamp commission. What would we expect with the party that appointed them

[bigtex]

The commission is weighed heavily to fishing

The commission is and always will be weighed heavily to fishing. Follow the money, what's a bigger revenue generator for the state? Fishing (both commercial and recreational). What does WDFW spend most money on? Fish.

It was one of the reasons why many hunters opposed the merger of DOF and DOW, we all knew wildlife would take second to fish in WA.

[Elkaholic daWg]

 AND STILL DO!!!!

[pianoman9701]

"Dear Senator Parrino and Members of the Senate Natural Resources and Parks Committee,

I strongly oppose the confirmation of Miranda Wecker to our Wildlife Commission. The efforts of the last decade to build a lopsided commission, stacked to favor non-hunters, is in direct opposition to the incredibly successful North American Wildlife Conservation model, which, among other things, uses hunters to effectively manage wildlife. As a result of this stacking, the approved WA wolf program was pushed through. It's reckless and, as has been shown in ID, MT, and WY, will severely damage our ungulate populations when the present goals are attained. Considering population densities, Washington's wolf program is far more aggressive than any of the three aforementioned states and will continue to increase conflicts and reek havoc with the ranching community, abundant ungulate populations, and our rural communities. We've already spent many times the original estimated costs for this out of control program in reparations and management, and we're only just getting started.

The wildlife resources of our state are in imminent jeopardy and I fear that the result will be the end of abundant wildlife here in WA. In my opinion, Ms. Wecker is an opponent of sensible wildlife management. I ask that your committee stop supporting the undermining of a proven working system of wildlife management, the North American Wildlife Conservation model. Continuing to appoint people who oppose hunting and sound, proven wildlife management principles will have far reaching and detrimental effects for our state.

I reach out to you as a concerned citizen, a conservationist who regularly volunteers to keep our valuable wildlife healthy and abundant, and a certified Master Hunter. We need to have more people on the Wildlife Commission who realize the financial benefit to our state from hunting and value the conservation contributions made by our hunters.

Thank you for your consideration of my remarks."
PMan

[bigtex]

Pretty sure this one is signed and sealed. Miranda has been on the commission since 2005 and has been Chair since 2009. This isn't like a new commissioner nobody has heard of.

Not sure if any state board/commission member has not been confirmed after already have been serving on the commission for several years, in this case the Senate would be voting to remove someone who has been on the commission for almost 10 years. I just don't see that happening.

Also remember that the Senate doesn't need to confirm a fish and wildlife commissioner. This isn't like the federal system where before someone becomes the head of an agency/department they must be confirmed. A fish and wildlife commissioner can serve 20 years on the commission and have never been confirmed.....

[Heredoggydoggy]

Knowing Jay Inslee, she has nothing to worry about...

[pianoman9701]

I received a response from Sen. Perrino that all of the committee members would receive a copy of my testimony. I would encourage  others to send their concerns to the committee.
PMan

[ucwarden]

The commission is weighed heavily to fishing

The commission is and always will be weighed heavily to fishing. Follow the money, what's a bigger revenue generator for the state? Fishing (both commercial and recreational). What does WDFW spend most money on? Fish.

It was one of the reasons why many hunters opposed the merger of DOF and DOW, we all knew wildlife would take second to fish in WA.

I am all for undoing the huge mistake or merger.  Let Cenci head up the new Dept. of Fisheries, and let's get back to managing and protecting wildlife!  Hunters have always paid more than their fair share, but since merger have received the short end of the stick (or the shaft)

[bearpaw]

The commission is weighed heavily to fishing

The commission is and always will be weighed heavily to fishing. Follow the money, what's a bigger revenue generator for the state? Fishing (both commercial and recreational). What does WDFW spend most money on? Fish.

It was one of the reasons why many hunters opposed the merger of DOF and DOW, we all knew wildlife would take second to fish in WA.

I am all for undoing the huge mistake or merger.  Let Cenci head up the new Dept. of Fisheries, and let's get back to managing and protecting wildlife!  Hunters have always paid more than their fair share, but since merger have received the short end of the stick (or the shaft)

   That was a huge mistake to merge them.

[Elkaholic daWg]

The commission is weighed heavily to fishing

The commission is and always will be weighed heavily to fishing. Follow the money, what's a bigger revenue generator for the state? Fishing (both commercial and recreational). What does WDFW spend most money on? Fish.

It was one of the reasons why many hunters opposed the merger of DOF and DOW, we all knew wildlife would take second to fish in WA.

I am all for undoing the huge mistake or merger.  Let Cenci head up the new Dept. of Fisheries, and let's get back to managing and protecting wildlife!  Hunters have always paid more than their fair share, but since merger have received the short end of the stick (or the shaft)

   That was a huge mistake to merge them.

[bigtex]

I too would like to see the departments separated again, but I just don't see it happening. In the past 4-5 years there have been the following proposals:
-Merge DNR-WDFW-Parks
-Merge DNR-WDFW
-Move just DNR LE into WDFW LE
-Create a "natural resource police" agency composing of WDFW, DNR, and Parks LE
-Move WDFW LE into State Patrol
-Abolish WDFW, DNR, and Parks LE and give it to the sheriff to do parks, resources, and wildlife enforcement

Never once was there a proposal to split up the agencies. And it's going with this trend nationwide. A year or two ago Colorado merged their Parks and Wildlife agencies. Almost all of the Midwestern states have a "Parks and Wildlife" department. Here on the west coast all of the states are "Fish and Wildlife."

When it comes down to it the legislature wants to save money and to them it's more cost efficient to have a Director of WDFW then a Director of Fisheries and a Director of Wildlife and all the other numerous duplications we would see.

The merging trend is seen nationwide, just not in WA.

[Heredoggydoggy]

I too would like to see the departments separated again, but I just don't see it happening. In the past 4-5 years there have been the following proposals:
-Merge DNR-WDFW-Parks
-Merge DNR-WDFW
-Move just DNR LE into WDFW LE
-Create a "natural resource police" agency composing of WDFW, DNR, and Parks LE
-Move WDFW LE into State Patrol
-Abolish WDFW, DNR, and Parks LE and give it to the sheriff to do parks, resources, and wildlife enforcement

Never once was there a proposal to split up the agencies. And it's going with this trend nationwide. A year or two ago Colorado merged their Parks and Wildlife agencies. Almost all of the Midwestern states have a "Parks and Wildlife" department. Here on the west coast all of the states are "Fish and Wildlife."

When it comes down to it the legislature wants to save money and to them it's more cost efficient to have a Director of WDFW then a Director of Fisheries and a Director of Wildlife and all the other numerous duplications we would see.

The merging trend is seen nationwide, just not in WA.

Soon they will all be merged into the Homeland Security Department, so why worry about it? 

[Booman2]

I'm a little confused. I see nothing in this thread that is specific about what Ms. Wecker has done to "love wolves." The Washington State wolf management plan was publicly driven over several years and has buy-in from a wide range of user groups.
In other commission business, I have found her to be strongly pro-sport (as opposed to commercial) and very well educated and qualified.
She has my support.

[bearpaw]

I'm a little confused. I see nothing in this thread that is specific about what Ms. Wecker has done to "love wolves." The Washington State wolf management plan was publicly driven over several years and has buy-in from a wide range of user groups.
In other commission business, I have found her to be strongly pro-sport (as opposed to commercial) and very well educated and qualified.
She has my support.

I am inclined to agree with you and I am not sure that she would be replaced by anyone better for hunters/fishers. My guess is that if she was replaced we would lose ground with her replacement. There are other commissioners who are much bigger wolf supporters. 

[bigtex]

I'm a little confused. I see nothing in this thread that is specific about what Ms. Wecker has done to "love wolves." The Washington State wolf management plan was publicly driven over several years and has buy-in from a wide range of user groups.
In other commission business, I have found her to be strongly pro-sport (as opposed to commercial) and very well educated and qualified.
She has my support.

I just got home from a fishing group meeting. They made it a point to have their members send an email in support of Wecker.

Commercial fishing groups are opposed to her..That should say something....