Contact List Regarding Spring Bear

[brokentrail]

I contacted the commission today and confirmed that the vacant Eastern WA spot has been open since December of 2020.  I then asked who to talk to about the fact that the Governor has violated the RCW regarding appointment to the commission since it specifically states that he SHALL appoint three positions in January of odd years and that if a position becomes vacant during that persons term he SHALL appoint a new person within 60 days.  In either case, he violated the RCW.  I was told "I suggest you reach out to the Governors Boards and Commissions office. They can be reached at 360-902-4111 or by email at GovernorBoardsandCommissions@gov.wa.gov."

If you are contacting people, this is another thing to bring up.  By violating the RCW, the Governor has left Eastern WA without proper representation.

I contacted them and asked "I would like an explanation as to why the vacant Eastern, WA commission seat has been left vacant, for a year, which is against
RCW 77.04.030
 that states it should have been filled?"

[Torrent50]

Do the senators in my district (31) have any input on this confirmation vote??  I don't want to email them if they can't say or do anything about it.

I don't know if mine have a say or not either,  but I emailed them anyway and will continue to do so.   They are my elected representatives and if nothing else,  they work with those that have a say.  Maybe those with the power to make a difference will listen to their own colleagues if they won't listen to us.   

[Torrent50]

I just received a phone call from Representative MaCewen's office.  He is one of my reps that I emailed.  The person I talked to said that they have received several letters about this decision and he has been working to get details.  He also said that they just found out that the 9th position has not been filled and will be drafting a letter to be signed by Rep MaCewen to the Governor asking why he has not filled the position in violation of the RCW and push him to fill the spot.  He wasn't sure how this would affect decisions that have been made in the past without the eastern half of the state being properly represented but stated that he would keep in touch with me about what happens.

I was also told that they are drafting legislation to be presented at the session starting in January to remove the setting of hunting seasons and regulations from the Commission and make it part of the legislative process as is done in most other states.  I'm not sure exactly how I feel about this, knowing some of the other decisions that the legislature makes.  But, they would be less likely to make a decision based on emotion and ignore the science.  The one thing it would provide is many more pressure points for us, as citizens, to apply pressure to make quality decisions.

[Stein]

I just received a phone call from Representative MaCewen's office.  He is one of my reps that I emailed.  The person I talked to said that they have received several letters about this decision and he has been working to get details.  He also said that they just found out that the 9th position has not been filled and will be drafting a letter to be signed by Rep MaCewen to the Governor asking why he has not filled the position in violation of the RCW and push him to fill the spot.  He wasn't sure how this would affect decisions that have been made in the past without the eastern half of the state being properly represented but stated that he would keep in touch with me about what happens.

I was also told that they are drafting legislation to be presented at the session starting in January to remove the setting of hunting seasons and regulations from the Commission and make it part of the legislative process as is done in most other states.  I'm not sure exactly how I feel about this, knowing some of the other decisions that the legislature makes.  But, they would be less likely to make a decision based on emotion and ignore the science.  The one thing it would provide is many more pressure points for us, as citizens, to apply pressure to make quality decisions.

That sounds a bit spooky to me.  I think that would ensure it would be emotion and politics over science.  Maybe that's better than one guy naming the people, who knows?  It would be better to have some sort of process to ensure a more balanced commission, like certain groups get to nominate a member and there is a balanced membership.

[Rainier10]

Is there a way to get Jim Shockey, avid black bear hunter, and SCI involved in this battle?

[harveymarv]

the famous Nikki at WDFW emailed me and said I could lodge a complaint with the board of commissions, which I did:

Good morning,
 
Your comments have been forwarded to the Commission.
 
If you would like to listen to the meetings and view the materials surrounding the Spring Bear decision please see the meeting dates of October 21-23, November 15 and November 19 linked below.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/commission/meetings/2021
 
If you have a specific complaint about a commissioner, I would suggest you reach out to the Governors Boards and Commissions office. They can be reached at 360-902-4111 or by email at GovernorBoardsandCommissions@gov.wa.gov.
 
Please let me know if you have any additional questions.
 
Much appreciated.
Nikki

I also submitted a recommendation for Rylan Weythman for appointment to the WDFW commission - his info and a link to the form are in the other thread.

I also wrote my representatives and asked them to oppose the confirmations of Lorna Smith and Fred Koontz.