WDFW's Plan to Cover 30 Million Dollar Deficit

[bigtex]

It really is shocking that the consultant found no problem with management practices. We are always hearing about wasteful spending, but I guess a lot of that wasteful spending can be blamed on the legislature and the feds. Although I do think there has to be some blame to go around (such as that wolf consultant).

Every agency has wasteful spending, just like every single one of us has spent money on things we shouldn't have. Quite honestly, WDFW has been under the microscope the past few years so I think they've probably been smarter with their $.

[snake]

Last weekend i was checked on a small lake north of Spokane at 9:00PM while fishing on  a saturday. there was 3 officers in the boat. Doesn't make any sense to me. Waste of money.

[Oh Mah]

I would think that some of the contracted work could be cut  do we really need to hire some agency to do the draws?Buy a program 1 time,hire a programmer 1 time.

If the state wont make bikers tab their bikes the wdfw should require some kind of tag for the roads and trails.(can they)

Everyone that uses the outdoors owes it to the next person to pay their share somehow. 

Shed some more light for me if you will bigtex:All the money from the antis,the wolf and owl lovers.Where does this money go?Does it go to legislatures and never into the WDFW funds at all.I mean the laws don't enforce themselves so should the outdoors men and women of this state file suit against the state for this funding to be put where it obviously is meant to go?

[B4noon]

There has been waste and not wise spending and as for the mandates treat them like any other mandate that doesn't come with funding don't do it.  There's supposive manadates on counties, schools, every branch of government that just don't get done because of a lack of funding that's where they need to stay strong and true to their core functions and not give in to this crap.  The biggest waste of money is we have duplicate service throughout 3 branches of government that need to be consolidated like other states.  Once we put Parks, DNR, and WDFW in the same agency we will eliminate a ton of duplicate work that all 3 agencies participate in no sense having 3 pygmy rabbit bio's working for 3 different agencies combine and it will afford us a better recreational service and sounder stewardship for our lands and wildlife.  I know they tried to entertain the idea years ago but with this continued trend of less opportunity and more fees something has to give

[Bob33]

It really is shocking that the consultant found no problem with management practices. We are always hearing about wasteful spending, but I guess a lot of that wasteful spending can be blamed on the legislature and the feds. Although I do think there has to be some blame to go around (such as that wolf consultant).

Every agency has wasteful spending, just like every single one of us has spent money on things we shouldn't have. Quite honestly, WDFW has been under the microscope the past few years so I think they've probably been smarter with their $.

People cheer for athletes who make $20 million a year to hit a round thing with a stick or stick a round thing in a hoop.

Yet someone who has the task of trying to find common ground between two groups who intensely distrust and even hate each other (and according to both sides has done a good job) isn't worth a tenth of that.

[hunter399]

With the way they manage wildlife ,goodluck raising fees .
There's already a lot of people that won't hunt because of the mismanaged wildlife.That's why there is a decrease in hunters every year.Between predators,the reckless way they slaughtered does with permits each year.(Which is breeding stock.) I see there funding going downhill fast. They can say it's not a management problem but a lot of Washington hunters are giving there money to other states or not hunting at all.
Seems there is a management problem.

[B4noon]

I'm sure I could hire my own consultant to give me the results I want to present as well.  Bottom line is that they have gotten more diverse and bigger and keep growing and getting into more pieces of pie to try and be experts instead of focusing on the core of the agency. I realize times and needs change and this can create more issues of concern but do we now have complete teams of bios and surveyors chasing federal funded projects that are on temp funding then they roll them into other positions when that funding source dries up.  As for  as not responsible for planting trout or releasing pheasants better back that bus up those are the only 2 guarantees they can give a license buyer they  stop that it's like the movie family vacation when the griswolds show up at wally world and find that it's closed for repairs.  No rides No license sales pretty simple

[Mudman]

With the way they manage wildlife ,goodluck raising fees .
There's already a lot of people that won't hunt because of the mismanaged wildlife.That's why there is a decrease in hunters every year.Between predators,the reckless way they slaughtered does with permits each year.(Which is breeding stock.) I see there funding going downhill fast. They can say it's not a management problem but a lot of Washington hunters are giving there money to other states or not hunting at all.
Seems there is a management problem.

Nail on head.  Top down Gov. over reach.  Loss of revenue due to permit raping, no baiting, no hounds, wolves and predation losses, Disc pass anger, paper wet tags, stupid herd management, killing elk to stop Hoof rot so the healthy ones can get sick.

[cbond3318]

Cue land sale......

[WSU]

That makes sense if you think about it. General funds haven’t gone up as the burden has increased. More laws requiring wdfw to address after issues, land use issues, non-game issues, fish issues, etc. while funding has not kept pace.  Wdfw is still madatedbto provide commercial fisheries but those license fees don’t even pay for enforcement and the science required. The only user group paying for what that group requires is hunters and fishers.

[ipkus]

Bigtex,

Just one example.

How many IT people work for WDFW?  Why?

If you can honestly say WDFW isn’t bloated with non field personnel in Olympia, then I can only assume you work in Olympia.

As they say on ESPN “...come on, man!”

[jmscon]

At some point all the fat has been trimmed and you start to cut the meat.
Kind of a viscous cycle, if you can’t manage the herd to please the hunter the hunter won’t buy tags. If the hunter doesn’t buy tags then there is no money to manage the herds. 

[huntnphool]

The consultant found that "WDFW's management practices had not contributed to the funding problem."

+1

[Fl0und3rz]

I suppose the consultant never bothered to ask WDFW's customers why the shortfall.  I am pretty sure that increasing costs and regulator burden and a perception of decreased opportunity, while WDFW's management practices prioritized predator populations over hunter opportunities and value would have entered into the conversation.

Sounds like par for the course, not getting an answer you don't want to hear, which would militate against the preselected price hike solution.

Predators don't buy tags and special permit apps.

[hunter399]

The consultant found that "WDFW's management practices had not contributed to the funding problem."

+1

I wonder how much this consultant cost?
No accountability,we don't have a management problem.
Give me a break.

I also +1 on the above comments.