WDFW land acquisition

[asmith]

http://wdfw.wa.gov/lands/acquisitions/

Just curious as to what everyone's thoughts on this are?  Is it a good thing the state is buying up land or will they just turn it into a sanctuary with no hunting or fishing allowed?  I personally would like to see more land access to outdoors people, just am not sure if this is the right way to go about it.  Especially when WDFW say the following, "Threats: Fragmentation of a large ranch into small hobby ranches and private recreation"!  So when did private recreation and hobby farms become a threat to land and animals? 

[bobcat]

Subdivision of land into smaller parcels is a big problem, especially in areas where many animals are migratory.

Smaller parcels along with more people and residential areas means more fences, dogs, cats, traffic, etc.

[heronblu]

More public land is a good thing. The thing that is threatened is our access as sportsmen and the WDFW is trying to protect that. I don't always agree with the way the DFW manages things but in this case I can find little fault. Every property states some form of fishing or hunting as a value so its highly doubtful to me that they would turn it into a preserve or a "sanctuary" where the public couldn't responsibly manage wildlife and recreate.

[asmith]

What worries me the most is the lake creek property.  It is just south of Coffee Pot, which is a preserve.  So why wouldn't they just make that the same.  I too am all for more recreation opportunities.  I just don't know if this is the way to go about it. 

Subdivision of land into smaller parcels is a big problem, especially in areas where many animals are migratory.

Smaller parcels along with more people and residential areas means more fences, dogs, cats, traffic, etc.

So, owning your own piece of land, farming, ranching or recreating said piece of land is a threat?  Then hell, nobody should own any land.  Better hand it all over to the state then, so they can manage it better.

[bobcat]

Yes, basically a higher population of people in any particular area is always going to be detrimental to wildlife in one way or another.

[fisheral87]

It sound like you are tying to make this black and white, which it is not. 

Someone should kick those fellas out of the refuge. 

Al

[nwwanderer]

Very broad subject. Our state does not even have an accurate inventory of what they own, recent DNR heads have attempted to understand their holdings but gave up before completing the I-5 corridor.  Payment in lieu of taxes (PILT) is a current legislative problem.  Healthy wildlife in our state is often dependent on human activity, farming.  Money spent on land reduces  other management needs.  The current public ownership in Washington exceeds what can be managed with current budgets.
I am not against all land purchases but each must be evaluated for merit.

[bobcat]

This topic is about WDFW land, not DNR. And I'm pretty sure DNR knows how much land they own and where it's located.

When the WDFW acquires land, what is the cost of managing it? They don't necessarily need to spend any money to manage it. They simply need to buy it before it's sold to a developer who will subdivide it and sell it off in smaller parcels.

[Man Tracker]

One problem DFW encounters is that money is available to purchase (grants/matching/etc) but rarely does it include money for operation/maintenance.  So they end up robbing funds elsewhere to do basic operations.  Whenever land is purchased, money needs to be included for O & M. (IMHO)

[WAcoyotehunter]

I agree with that.  Often the land needs burned or sprayed to fight weed infestation, fence building or removal, trees/shrubs planted/removed....

[dreamunelk]

This topic is about WDFW land, not DNR. And I'm pretty sure DNR knows how much land they own and where it's located.

When the WDFW acquires land, what is the cost of managing it? They don't necessarily need to spend any money to manage it. They simply need to buy it before it's sold to a developer who will subdivide it and sell it off in smaller parcels.

 

Or would you rather a timber company buy it and charge for access?

[JimmyHoffa]

$850K went to the wolf meeting guru...thousands go to the Wild Fish Conservancy to settle out of court before a lawsuit is even filed...didn't WDFW just have to pay out due to Cenci's misbehavior?

[Man Tracker]

130K for the civil rights violation

[nwwanderer]

Unfortunately the governor pulls the strings on both so dividing them is somatics.
Probably unfairly I tend to lump the BLM and FS in the same in the same category.
Out of private hands the rules change, often negative. 

[Stein]

So, right now it is private land with presumably no access and likely not managed to benefit wildlife.

WDFW buys it and the worst case scenario is that it is managed for wildlife with no access.

Worst case still has better wildlife habitat and the potential for greater access.