WDFW News Release

[huntnphool]

WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/

August 14, 2018

Contact: Commission office, 360-902-2267

Fish and Wildlife Commission approves budget and policy proposals

OLYMPIA – The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission approved budget and policy proposals for the 2019 legislative session at a meeting Aug. 9-11 in Olympia.

The commission, a citizen panel appointed by the governor to set policy for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), also supported the agency’s long-term funding plan, developed with the help of a broad-based advisory group.

The commission approved the department’s 2019-21 operating budget proposal, which includes a request of more than $30 million to preserve the existing services WDFW provides and an additional $28.2 million to provide new or improved services, such as enhanced fishing and hunting opportunities and conservation work.

WDFW’s budget request would come from primarily state general funds augmented by a small recreational license fee increase. Commissioners gave the OK for the department to pursue during the upcoming legislative session an increase of 5 percent across-the-board on recreational fishing and hunting license fees.

The department’s presentation on its budget and policy proposals can be found on the commission webpage at https://wdfw.wa.gov/commission/meetings/2018/08/agenda_aug0918.html.

In other business, the commission approved two land transactions, including:

A donation of 94 acres to the department in Whitman County. Pheasants Forever is donating the land, which is adjacent to WDFW’s Revere Wildlife Area. Native grassland will be restored on the property, which supports mule deer, raptors, and game birds such as pheasants and quail.
The transfer of the Wiley Slough Pump Station to Skagit County. WDFW will transfer ownership, maintenance, and operations of the pump station, located in the Skagit Wildlife Area. The department used the pump station during a habitat restoration project.
The commission also heard an update from WDFW staff on wolf conservation and management, including the process for developing a post-delisting wolf conservation management plan. During the discussion, commissioners advised the department against changing its method for sharing information on the location of wolves with ranchers during the current grazing season.

Additionally, WDFW staff presented an overview of seals and sea lions in Washington and discussed the implications of recently proposed federal legislation to amend the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Commissioners voiced support for efforts to provide fish and wildlife managers greater flexibility in the management of seal and sea lion predation on salmon stocks.

[huntnphool]

 Almost doubled their budget....and how will we as hunters/fishermen benefit from this budget increase??? Oh that’s right, a 5% increase in our license fees.

[Wacenturion]

"and an additional $28.2 million to provide new or improved services, such as enhanced fishing and hunting opportunities and conservation work."


What a crock..........just keep kicking the can down the road.

[Special T]

No lic fees increases without some real improvements in opportunities.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[vandeman17]

enhanced opportunities like "more special permit options" that we still have to pay extra for

[Rainier10]

They better do a way better job of presenting it to the legislature then they did last time.  I believe this proposed budget is just what the commission is saying they want but the legislature still has to approve the funds.

They didn't have any answers last time of what the requested increase was going to go to and were denied an increase.

Looking forward to what they say they are going to provide for the additional money.

[Widgeondeke]

Almost doubled their budget....and how will we as hunters/fishermen benefit from this budget increase??? Oh that’s right, a 5% increase in our license fees.

Actually they only doubled their request for additional funds. The operating cost for 2017-19 is $437,600,000
https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/budget/

[Rainier10]

Here is a link to the thread that was talking about the $30,000,000 shortfall that was coming up.  I think that this increase request has more to do with this shortfall and needing to come up with funding just to keep doing what they have been doing and not really providing anything new.

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,229244.0.html

[huntnphool]

Almost doubled their budget....and how will we as hunters/fishermen benefit from this budget increase??? Oh that’s right, a 5% increase in our license fees.

Actually they only doubled their request for additional funds. The operating cost for 2017-19 is $437,600,000
https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/budget/

 

Here is a link to the thread that was talking about the $30,000,000 shortfall that was coming up.  I think that this increase request has more to do with this shortfall and needing to come up with funding just to keep doing what they have been doing and not really providing anything new.

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,229244.0.html

 So is this a case of knowing they need $30m, are asking for $60m, hoping that the $30m is the negotiated compromise?

[Rainier10]

Almost doubled their budget....and how will we as hunters/fishermen benefit from this budget increase??? Oh that’s right, a 5% increase in our license fees.

Actually they only doubled their request for additional funds. The operating cost for 2017-19 is $437,600,000
https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/budget/

 

Here is a link to the thread that was talking about the $30,000,000 shortfall that was coming up.  I think that this increase request has more to do with this shortfall and needing to come up with funding just to keep doing what they have been doing and not really providing anything new.

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,229244.0.html

 So is this a case of knowing they need $30m, are asking for $60m, hoping that the $30m is the negotiated compromise?

I'm not sure.  Hopefully @bigtex  weighs in on this one.  He started the other thread that said the shortfall was coming.  This will be a fun one to follow for sure.  Really looking forward to the explanation of what it is for and what we are going to get for it.

I do think that should get more money from the general fund.  They are tasked with a bunch of extra stuff imposed by and benefiting the non hunting/non license purchasing public.  That stuff costs money and shouldn't solely be the burden of license purchasing sportsman.

[huntnphool]

Almost doubled their budget....and how will we as hunters/fishermen benefit from this budget increase??? Oh that’s right, a 5% increase in our license fees.

Actually they only doubled their request for additional funds. The operating cost for 2017-19 is $437,600,000
https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/budget/

 

Here is a link to the thread that was talking about the $30,000,000 shortfall that was coming up.  I think that this increase request has more to do with this shortfall and needing to come up with funding just to keep doing what they have been doing and not really providing anything new.

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,229244.0.html

 So is this a case of knowing they need $30m, are asking for $60m, hoping that the $30m is the negotiated compromise?

I'm not sure.  Hopefully @bigtex  weighs in on this one.  He started the other thread that said the shortfall was coming.  This will be a fun one to follow for sure.  Really looking forward to the explanation of what it is for and what we are going to get for it.

I do think that should get more money from the general fund.  They are tasked with a bunch of extra stuff imposed by and benefiting the non hunting/non license purchasing public.  That stuff costs money and shouldn't solely be the burden of license purchasing sportsman.

 

[Rainier10]

So back to this thread from earlier in the year, https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,229244.0.html , they were suggesting a much bigger increase on the hunting license purchaser.  This new proposal is putting more of the burden on the general fund which in my opinion is better.  There are a ton of people that benefit from WDFW services and programs that aren't paying.  I think if they make that argument to the legislature they have a chance at getting the funding approved.  If their argument is we need the money to make things better for outdoorsman I think they will get turned away, NO SOUP FOR YOU!

[B4noon]

Should have more then made up for shortfall in permit sales this year, holy crap odds got 3 times as worse on most hunts this year compared to last.  Look at the permit draw summary most the big 3 triple in applications and deer and elk weren't far behind with most hunts even cow tags doubling the number of applicants from last year.  Not sure how I thought most of us vowed not to buy them again I know I sure did,  but I bought them banking on everyone else bailing out thought my odds might increase. I totally agree on we need more opportunity if we're going to be expected to pay more.check out the wdfw home page website where it shows the long term funding plan and there is a gal sitting in the flowers with binocs watching wildlife I wonder what percentage their going to propose to raise the cost of her license to watch wildlife I must have missed that in the proposal

[wolfbait]

Time to sell some wolf tags..

[jstone]

Wolf and seal tags