Taxpayers Will be Playing a Bigger Role in Funding WDFW

[bigtex]

While the WDFW hunting and license increase failed the legislature has appropriated more general fund (taxes) money to WDFW.

In the 2017-19 budget which wraps up on June 30th the legislature appropriated WDFW with $46,000,000 per year in general fund funding. For the 20-21 budget the legislature has appropriated WDFW with $74,000,000 for 20 and $63,000,000 for 21. Additionally, the federal government's funding of WDFW has increased from $118,000,000 to $141,000,000. The only funding source seeing a noticeable decrease is the wildlife account (license fees) which will decrease by $3,000,000.

Now with all that increased general fund funding comes some pet projects associated with it, such as:
-Roughly half a mill for fire suppression costs on WDFW lands
-Half a mill to counties for PILT payments
-Over a million to fund the new Orca whale programs and laws
-Half a mill for pinto abalone research
-3.5 mill per year for increased hatcher salmon production to increase prey available for orcas
-Between 1.7-2.2 mil per year to be granted from WDFW to tribes for the operation of tribal hatcheries to increase prey availability for orca whales
-Half mill for utility district hatcheries to increase prey availability for orcas

Key take aways:
-The big topic this year was orcas. Anything associated with protecting orcas will get $$
-No pet projects towards actual fur/feather species
-More tax $ to an agency means the general public essentially has a bigger say, sportsman are starting to fund WDFW less and less the past few years. This reverses a trend in the mid 2000s where sportsman were funding a larger percentage of the agency. The $ controls the decisions 

[Fl0und3rz]

The $ didn't seem to have much control over decisions before 2019.  This seems like FUD.

[Iveexcaped3]

Good because the majority of hunters only get to use public lands for x amount of days where everyone else can use them 365 for hiking and what not. But what about all those on the forum saying “I’ll buy tags elsewhere until WDFW gets it together”  WDWF will get paid one way or another.

[B4noon]

Taking in way more money then any other year and still claim they are $7 million short in the general fund and are now saying they will close 8 hatcheries to make up the $7 million.  Hiw do these clowns always seem to need more money and their solution is to always cut the hand that feeds them.  The money generated by hatcheries production far exceeds the cost of operations. How much money does all the admin positions in the NRB generate they never threaten to cut back management.  If they get to the point of closing a hatchery the domino effect will start and Wdfw will not exist after they piss off the legislature and their license buying customers if they cant perform and create fishery opportunities and hunting opportunities how the helhell do they expect to have a customer base.  Priorities are obviously changing in management visions for the direction they plan to head and they are making it loud and clear recreational users are at the bottom of the list I'd make it. A point to email the commission and let them know this is not acceptable

[fishngamereaper]

Awful lot of orca protection in there...guess I won't plan on salmon fishing in the next few years.. writing is on the wall..

[Mudman]

All I see is more $ for Gov. boating!  And more for tribes.   Spend more $ and all is good and fixed....

[B4noon]

Yea they could fully fund Wdfw if they did a buy a fish to feed an orca campaign just follow the name a star platform.  How many of the anti recreational use liberals that arent paying to use the resource 365 days a year would jump at the chance to think they were contributing to something to save a whale.  They could even attach it to license tab renewals like the parks crap have a little box to check if you would like to help feed shamoo.  Of course when they pull there heads out and realize that the orcas arent hungry their actually higher then a kite cause of all the opioids and pollution in the sound they may have to come up with another endorsement to foot the bill of all the management staff

[JBar]

Orcas are part of Inslee's run for president. Of course they're gonna throw more money at it for his run.

[B4noon]

So now after I contact the commission to ask them to keep hatcheries open now I have to send an email to trump and ask him to build a wall to keep the orcas out so we dont have 4 years of inslee can you imagine the federal mandates coming down from him we will have orca protection zones in Kansas