WDFW's $850,000 Houston Based Wolf Consultant

[T-Bone]

Our WDFW Adminstrators are at it again wasting our tax $$$; from State 9th District Senator Mark Schoesler's Newsletter:

  $850,000 for ‘outside help’ on wolf issue – and closed-door meetings: Although the job of Senate majority leader has added to my legislative workload, I’m still keeping tabs on the questionable state-agency spending that concerns taxpayers statewide and the wolf-management situation that concerns owners of land, livestock and domestic animals in our part of Washington.
            That’s why a Sept. 2 report in The Capital Press caught my attention. It explained how the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is shelling out a lot of taxpayer dollars to a conflict-resolution consultant from Houston for work with the state’s wolf advisory group. Here are excerpts:
“Conflict-resolution consultant Francine Madden will start her new two-year, $850,010 contract with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife by leading a closed-door session Thursday of the state’s wolf advisory group.

“The group, following WDFW policy, had met in public for years until Madden convinced the department to close the May meeting. Since then, WDFW has re-upped Madden to lead meetings, conduct workshops and, according to her contract, coax warring parties into “mutually acceptable coexistence.” …

“…Madden, based in Houston, Texas, will be paid up to $8,000 a day to lead meetings and $400 an hour for “remote engagement and strategic guidance.” While traveling to Washington, she will receive $200 an hour.”

            The operating budget proposed by the House of Representatives would have authorized WDFW to hire a consultant to lead wolf meetings. Our Senate majority successfully opposed it. The Capital Press reports WDFW instead funded the position from its capital budget – money that’s intended for infrastructure and other physical assets, not operations.
            State Sen. Brian Dansel of Republic is a member of our Senate majority; he serves the 7th Legislative District in northeast Washington, which has the heaviest concentration of gray wolves. Appropriately, Dansel pointed out to the Capital Press how closing meetings to the public raises transparency concerns.
            The WDFW wolf-policy coordinator is quoted as saying the contract represents a six-figure investment in addressing human conflict, and that human conflict is the biggest challenge with wolf management. I have to ask: Isn’t the biggest challenge really the conflict between wolves and the humans whose property and livelihoods are threatened by the wolves?
            WDFW invites public to help identify priorities: If you want to weigh in on wolf management or other fish and wildlife topics, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has scheduled regional forums to get public input. The closest meeting for 9th District residents is from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at Center Place, 2426 N. Discovery Place, Spokane Valley.

Other meetings are scheduled around the state.

[CAMPMEAT]

Why can't, WE THE PEOPLE, fix stupid ? We have zero say in any type of our corrupt government  spending or anything else these people do, why ?

[birddogdad]

good topic to forward to local news investigators....

[2labs]

The proverbial 500 dollar toilet seat right here. Sure would like to see this get some press. I think King 5 does bit on gov. Spending

[PlateauNDN]

   so does she have years of experience with wolves in wolf territories and then just moved to texas? Did they really have to go to Texas to find an expert? Apparently this state doesn't have experts or a state with wolves nearby doesn't have an expert? I'll take the job for half the cost

[2labs]

Platt, I'd rather see you and maybe Coastal split the duties on this.waddya say you take the Selah Civic center one. Say they flip ya 100 bucks and a Garbage burger from Kings Row!

[DOUBLELUNG]

http://www.humanwildlifeconflict.org/About.htm
http://www.humanwildlifeconflict.org/MaddenBio.htm
http://www.humanwildlifeconflict.org/Leadership.htm

[CAMPMEAT]

I think a committee of ranchers, who are or have been, terrorized , lost revenue and have had to deal with the WDFW, do the study. I bet it would be done in, say, 10 minutes.

[Badhabit]

“Conflict-resolution consultant Francine Madden will start her new two-year, $850,010 contract with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife" That's a lot of money for telling people to play nice. It might be worth it if her results are measurable. Conflict resolution seems to be a pretty grey area to me.

[T-Bone]

I sent an Email with a copy to Rich Landers, the Outdoor Editor for Spokane's Spokesman Review newspaper and to Spokane's Krem 2 News Desk. We will see if anything happens as to media coverage.

Tom

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

good topic to forward to local news investigators....

Jessie Jones!!!!!!

[JimmyHoffa]

Thinking the only way this pays out so to speak, is if she somehow has the magic to get the greenie animal fluffers to agree to some terms that they will be held to legally.  Such that they won't be tossing out frivolous lawsuits around every corner because they agreed previously to let WDFW take X actions to Y extent.  So, WDFW saving tens/hundreds? of millions in court costs by paying for her service.  If that isn't the case, then I can't think of any other reason this can make sense--well, unless someone in WDFW is hooking up with her on her trips to WA (didn't they have a guy that was running a swingers group and got arrested).

[luvtohnt]

So, WDFW saving tens/hundreds? of millions in court costs by paying for her service. 

Ding! Ding! Ding! I think we have a winner.

I would venture to say this may be the biggest issue they are trying to avoid. Look at all the lawsuits that Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana have dealt with (I would be curious what the lawsuits cost the taxpayers in those states). If this is the only lesson learned from the other states mentioned then we may be a decade ahead of those states by dealing with this issue now instead of when things get out of control.

Brandon

[2labs]

So bring in a mouthpiece to save ourselves from the mouthpiece.

[724wd]

"By empowering others to apply the principles, processes and skills of CCT, Francine has worked behind the scenes to help people and projects halt wildlife trafficking where it was once rampant, significantly improve community-park and other stakeholder relationships, convince judges to administer harsher sentencing for convicted poachers, reduce the use of lethal control, modify land-use planning to reduce and prevent conflict, and dramatically improve overall social receptivity toward and decision-making for wildlife conservation and management on every continent where humans and wildlife coexist."