Pay Attention: Inslee Appoints Radicals to WDFW Commission

[buckfvr]

You won't affect the mind of a zealot via email.

The peeps at the top are money *censored*s.  The peeps in the middle are useful idiots.

If you don't affect their money, or their sponsors money, you will have no affect.

We all know how to cut off the money, most just aren't willing to go there.  Try it.  Give up on this state for a year.  You'll survive and will have made an actual statement.

Sad, but simple.

   Yes its that simple.

[madcow41]

These are the Natural Resource Committee members that will either vote to Recommend or Not Recommend Inslee's appointment nominees.

It's a very safe bet that the Republicans will vote against these radical appointees.  PLEASE DON'T WASTE THEIR TIME.  They are on our side.

Instead, contact the D's and urge them to have Inslee & Co. find better, far more balanced choices for our Commissioners.  Please understand that you will be fighting an uphill battle since the the Chair is a big time animal rights and anti-hunter guy and the Vice Chair is basically a socialist. 

•   Senator Andy Billig (D)    Andy.Billig@leg.wa.gov  Senate Majority Leader

Senate Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks Committee

•   Senator Kevin Van De Wege (D)  Kevin.VanDeWege@leg.wa.gov  (Chair)
•   Senator Jesse Salomon (D)  Jesse.Salomon@leg.wa.gov (Vice Chair)
•   Senator Christine Rolfes (D)  Christine.Rolfes@leg.wa.gov
•   Senator Judy Warnick (R)  Judy.Warnick@leg.wa.gov (Ranking Minority Member)
•   Senator Shelly Short (R)   Shelly.Short@leg.wa.gov
•   Senator Jim Honeyford (R)  Jim.Honeyford@leg.wa.gov

I would focus on your elected official instead of emailing the commission. https://app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/

If you aren’t their constituent they have no reason to listen to you. Also I recommend mailing in concerns, include a return address and request a response.

[Special T]

I just saw this posted up on FB And thought it was pretty good on this subject.

Washingtonians for Wildlife Conservation
·
We need your help NOW! We need to stop Governor Inslee’s two new appointments to the Fish and Wildlife Commission that may be in violation of RCW 77.04.040. This RCW says that the governor shall seek to maintain a balance reflecting all aspects of fish and wildlife, including representation recommended by organized groups representing sportfishers, commercial fishers, hunters, private landowners, and environmentalists, yet the hunting community was NOT communicated with on these appointments. Contact the following members of the Senate Natural Resources Committee and Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig to retain balance on YOUR Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig
https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/memberEmail/3/0

Senate Natural Resources Committee
https://leg.wa.gov/.../Commi.../AWNP/Pages/MembersStaff.aspx

The Democrats in the Senate will not be swayed by the argument that  these two are animal-rights extremists.  They dont give a damn about that, in fact, most Democrats feel the same way and Koontz and  Smith do.  Our best arguments lie in the  RCW.

RCW 77.04.040
Commission—Qualifications of members.
Persons  eligible for appointment as members of the commission shall have  general knowledge of the habits and distribution of fish and wildlife  and shall not hold another state, county, or municipal elective or  appointive office. In making these appointments, the governor shall seek  to maintain a balance reflecting all aspects of fish and wildlife,  including representation recommended by organized groups representing  sportfishers, commercial fishers, hunters, private landowners, and  environmentalists. Persons eligible for appointment as fish and wildlife  commissioners shall comply with the provisions of chapters 42.52 and *  42.17 RCW.



1.  When Bob Kehoe was removed from the Commission, he was not replaced with  a person from the commercial fishing industry, now they have no  presentation on the Commission in violation of 77.04.040.

2. The  hunting community, recreational fishing community, and commercial  fishing community was sought out for our recommendation on these to  appointments in violation of RCW 77.04.040.

3. By appointing two  more animal-rights/environmental minded Commissioners it throws the  Commission out of balance in violation of RCW 77.04.040.

4. RCW  77.04.040 was put in place to keep balance on the Commission, so all  Washingtonians have a fair shot at enjoying the outdoors.

The  Commission is the citizens’ representation on wildlife management,  please help us restore fair citizens’’ representation on the Commission.

[Wsucoug]

I just saw this posted up on FB And thought it was pretty good on this subject.

Washingtonians for Wildlife Conservation
·
We need your help NOW! We need to stop Governor Inslee’s two new appointments to the Fish and Wildlife Commission that may be in violation of RCW 77.04.040. This RCW says that the governor shall seek to maintain a balance reflecting all aspects of fish and wildlife, including representation recommended by organized groups representing sportfishers, commercial fishers, hunters, private landowners, and environmentalists, yet the hunting community was NOT communicated with on these appointments. Contact the following members of the Senate Natural Resources Committee and Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig to retain balance on YOUR Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig
https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/memberEmail/3/0

Senate Natural Resources Committee
https://leg.wa.gov/.../Commi.../AWNP/Pages/MembersStaff.aspx

The Democrats in the Senate will not be swayed by the argument that  these two are animal-rights extremists.  They dont give a damn about that, in fact, most Democrats feel the same way and Koontz and  Smith do.  Our best arguments lie in the  RCW.

RCW 77.04.040
Commission—Qualifications of members.
Persons  eligible for appointment as members of the commission shall have  general knowledge of the habits and distribution of fish and wildlife  and shall not hold another state, county, or municipal elective or  appointive office. In making these appointments, the governor shall seek  to maintain a balance reflecting all aspects of fish and wildlife,  including representation recommended by organized groups representing  sportfishers, commercial fishers, hunters, private landowners, and  environmentalists. Persons eligible for appointment as fish and wildlife  commissioners shall comply with the provisions of chapters 42.52 and *  42.17 RCW.



1.  When Bob Kehoe was removed from the Commission, he was not replaced with  a person from the commercial fishing industry, now they have no  presentation on the Commission in violation of 77.04.040.

2. The  hunting community, recreational fishing community, and commercial  fishing community was sought out for our recommendation on these to  appointments in violation of RCW 77.04.040.

3. By appointing two  more animal-rights/environmental minded Commissioners it throws the  Commission out of balance in violation of RCW 77.04.040.

4. RCW  77.04.040 was put in place to keep balance on the Commission, so all  Washingtonians have a fair shot at enjoying the outdoors.

The  Commission is the citizens’ representation on wildlife management,  please help us restore fair citizens’’ representation on the Commission.

I saw this too. Was anyone here behind the FB post? I have a few questions and a couple recommendations.

[Karl Blanchard]

Tagging for reference. Gonna fire off some emails and calls after work. We need to take back OUR game management.

[Skyvalhunter]

Emails sent. I had to use a Spokane address to send a message to Andy Billig

[Tpetie3509]

There is some good dialogue on Meateater Podcast #252 https://www.themeateater.com/listen/meateater/ep-252-a-sideways-thumb-on-2020 starting at the 30 minute mark.

I know there are several of people that have dedicated much more time to battling the commission in this state than I, and for that I thank each and every one of you.

The anti groups are banded together and have a solid plan with form letters, attending our commission meetings from out-of-state, and being downright proactive. We can piss and moan all we want about what will or won't work but realistically the path forward has to be calculated and organized on our end to combat this and make any sort of dent.

We need someone that is willing to spearhead this to some degree and get everyone on the same page.

I am willing to bet there is someone on this forum that has the education/background to write up a formal letter that we can send to our local legislators/senators to have our voices heard,
someone who has the information of who/when/where to contact, and the message needs to be clear and concise that we have a voice in this state as outdoorsman and that we are not pleased with what is going on in Olympia on our behalf. The use of Zoom for the commission meetings means that a lot more of us should be actively watching and commenting on them, with respect and integrity in order to not be pushed to the side as "insert anti phrase here".

I'll be watching this closely and doing my part to have our voice heard.

-Todd

[B4noon]

Can we get any support from RMEF they have donated countless acres of land and volunteer hours to wdfw to manage seems like they could have some leverage in future managment of their conservation grants and land transactions

[Bushcraft]

I just saw this posted up on FB And thought it was pretty good on this subject.

Washingtonians for Wildlife Conservation
·
We need your help NOW! We need to stop Governor Inslee’s two new appointments to the Fish and Wildlife Commission that may be in violation of RCW 77.04.040. This RCW says that the governor shall seek to maintain a balance reflecting all aspects of fish and wildlife, including representation recommended by organized groups representing sportfishers, commercial fishers, hunters, private landowners, and environmentalists, yet the hunting community was NOT communicated with on these appointments. Contact the following members of the Senate Natural Resources Committee and Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig to retain balance on YOUR Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig
https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/memberEmail/3/0

Senate Natural Resources Committee
https://leg.wa.gov/.../Commi.../AWNP/Pages/MembersStaff.aspx

The Democrats in the Senate will not be swayed by the argument that  these two are animal-rights extremists.  They dont give a damn about that, in fact, most Democrats feel the same way and Koontz and  Smith do.  Our best arguments lie in the  RCW.

RCW 77.04.040
Commission—Qualifications of members.
Persons  eligible for appointment as members of the commission shall have  general knowledge of the habits and distribution of fish and wildlife  and shall not hold another state, county, or municipal elective or  appointive office. In making these appointments, the governor shall seek  to maintain a balance reflecting all aspects of fish and wildlife,  including representation recommended by organized groups representing  sportfishers, commercial fishers, hunters, private landowners, and  environmentalists. Persons eligible for appointment as fish and wildlife  commissioners shall comply with the provisions of chapters 42.52 and *  42.17 RCW.



1.  When Bob Kehoe was removed from the Commission, he was not replaced with  a person from the commercial fishing industry, now they have no  presentation on the Commission in violation of 77.04.040.

2. The  hunting community, recreational fishing community, and commercial  fishing community was sought out for our recommendation on these to  appointments in violation of RCW 77.04.040.

3. By appointing two  more animal-rights/environmental minded Commissioners it throws the  Commission out of balance in violation of RCW 77.04.040.

4. RCW  77.04.040 was put in place to keep balance on the Commission, so all  Washingtonians have a fair shot at enjoying the outdoors.

The  Commission is the citizens’ representation on wildlife management,  please help us restore fair citizens’’ representation on the Commission.

I saw this too. Was anyone here behind the FB post? I have a few questions and a couple recommendations.

What questions do you have? And recommendations?

[Bob33]

2. The  hunting community, recreational fishing community, and commercial  fishing community was sought out for our recommendation on these to  appointments in violation of RCW 77.04.040.

Is this missing a "not"?

[Wsucoug]

I just saw this posted up on FB And thought it was pretty good on this subject.

Washingtonians for Wildlife Conservation
·
We need your help NOW! We need to stop Governor Inslee’s two new appointments to the Fish and Wildlife Commission that may be in violation of RCW 77.04.040. This RCW says that the governor shall seek to maintain a balance reflecting all aspects of fish and wildlife, including representation recommended by organized groups representing sportfishers, commercial fishers, hunters, private landowners, and environmentalists, yet the hunting community was NOT communicated with on these appointments. Contact the following members of the Senate Natural Resources Committee and Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig to retain balance on YOUR Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig
https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/memberEmail/3/0

Senate Natural Resources Committee
https://leg.wa.gov/.../Commi.../AWNP/Pages/MembersStaff.aspx

The Democrats in the Senate will not be swayed by the argument that  these two are animal-rights extremists.  They dont give a damn about that, in fact, most Democrats feel the same way and Koontz and  Smith do.  Our best arguments lie in the  RCW.

RCW 77.04.040
Commission—Qualifications of members.
Persons  eligible for appointment as members of the commission shall have  general knowledge of the habits and distribution of fish and wildlife  and shall not hold another state, county, or municipal elective or  appointive office. In making these appointments, the governor shall seek  to maintain a balance reflecting all aspects of fish and wildlife,  including representation recommended by organized groups representing  sportfishers, commercial fishers, hunters, private landowners, and  environmentalists. Persons eligible for appointment as fish and wildlife  commissioners shall comply with the provisions of chapters 42.52 and *  42.17 RCW.



1.  When Bob Kehoe was removed from the Commission, he was not replaced with  a person from the commercial fishing industry, now they have no  presentation on the Commission in violation of 77.04.040.

2. The  hunting community, recreational fishing community, and commercial  fishing community was sought out for our recommendation on these to  appointments in violation of RCW 77.04.040.

3. By appointing two  more animal-rights/environmental minded Commissioners it throws the  Commission out of balance in violation of RCW 77.04.040.

4. RCW  77.04.040 was put in place to keep balance on the Commission, so all  Washingtonians have a fair shot at enjoying the outdoors.

The  Commission is the citizens’ representation on wildlife management,  please help us restore fair citizens’’ representation on the Commission.

I saw this too. Was anyone here behind the FB post? I have a few questions and a couple recommendations.

What questions do you have? And recommendations?

It was with respect to reaching a larger audience. Someone PM'ed me and passed my message along.

[Wsucoug]

We need someone that is willing to spearhead this to some degree and get everyone on the same page.

I would say in general, it seems like we are a fairly unorganized group. Sportsmen need to speak with a uniform voice; very often. We need to speak up even if it isn't "OUR" personal issue that we care about, because one by one, things are going to get picked off by the "others" even if we don't care about that particular issue today.

Without being organized, being the squeaky wheel just won't be loud enough.

[Special T]

2. The  hunting community, recreational fishing community, and commercial  fishing community was sought out for our recommendation on these to  appointments in violation of RCW 77.04.040.

Is this missing a "not"?

looks like it huh

[Special T]

We need someone that is willing to spearhead this to some degree and get everyone on the same page.

I would say in general, it seems like we are a fairly unorganized group. Sportsmen need to speak with a uniform voice; very often. We need to speak up even if it isn't "OUR" personal issue that we care about, because one by one, things are going to get picked off by the "others" even if we don't care about that particular issue today.

Without being organized, being the squeaky wheel just won't be loud enough.

For some time I have advocated joining a sportmen focused group, volunteering for that group and or a t a bare min make sure you write letters when some one posts something like this up.

basically yes you are correct otherwise sportsmen are too organized or lazy.

[cougforester]

Here’s what I wrote. He’s actually my state senator. I’m not the best word smith but hey, better than nothing.

Senator Billig,

Please reject the appointments of Lorna Smith and Fred Koontz. If these appointees are confirmed, RCW laws will be broken. RCW 77.04.040 discusses the goals and objectives of the commission and how it intends to represent a broad swath of citizens in the state. This includes environmental protection groups, however also includes alli incredibly important parts of natural resource user groups like hunters, recreation and commercial anglers, private landowners, bird watchers, hikers, etc.

If these two people are confirmed, the commercial fishing will not have a significant voice on the commission. This is in violation of RCW 77.04.040. Little if no input from organized hunters or recreational/ commercial fisherman was solicited prior to appointing these people. This is in violation of RCW 77.04.040. If these two people are confirmed, the commission will be out of balance in favor of heavily “environmental” minded, predator heavy, anti hunting minds that violates 77.04.040 by not maintaining a balance of reflecting all aspects of fish and wildlife.

Please make the right choice and do not confirm these two appointments. Washington’s ungulate population, hunting and fishing heritage, and hundreds of millions of tax dollars generated by license sales, excise taxes from hunting equipment, and economic value from commercial fishing depends on your decision.

Thank you for your time.
From a concerned citizen and your constituent,
XXXXX