The Conservation Coalition of Washington has unearthed public records that highlight the involvement of anti-hunting organizations in shaping Governor Inslee's recent and recalled appointments to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
If you don’t remember, in the last days of Inslee’s governance, he would make an unexpected reappointment of Timothy Ragen and appointment of Lynn O’Connor, removing Molly Linville from the Commission and leaving James Anderson in a state of limbo. Most in commercial, tribal, and sportsmen leadership anticipated that Ferguson would make these appointments and were taken aback by a lack of collaboration and recommendation in the selection process.
Due to outcries from diverse representation (tribes, commercial, andd recreational) for their exclusion with these midnight appointments, Ferguson would pull back the appointments before serving their first commission meeting of their term and confirmation by the Senate. He would follow RCW 77.04.040, seeking “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,” and enter a lengthy interview process.
At his 60-day deadline, he would reappoint Linville and Anderson and replace Tim Ragen with Victor Garcia. The backlash from anti-hunting groups following Ferguson’s recall and after the new appointments was intense. But email records show that the desires of Animal & Earth Advocates and Washington Wildlife First likely had a heavy hand in the late January decision because what they specifically asked for was exactly what had played out into fruition.
They pushed Governor Inslee to specifically reappoint Ragen and replace one of the two other commissioners: “As you know, we strongly support the reappointment of Commissioner Tim Ragen (who was one of only three votes against this illegal delegation), but strongly urge the Governor to consider the replacement of at least one of the other two Commissioners, both of whom have served nearly full six-year terms.”
They were quite clear that a decision needed to be made before Inslee left office: “When he takes office, our next governor will face many competing priorities, so Commission appointments might be significantly delayed if left for the next administration. Of greater concern, if you do not make these appointments before you leave office, there is a risk that the next governor will reverse all the progress you have made—for example, by returning us to the day when only hunters and anglers sat on the Commission, shutting out the vast majority of Washingtonians who do not hunt and fish but care deeply about the future of our wildlife.”
The emails suggest that these organizations and their allies had a high level of influence on our former Governor and his decisions related to commission affairs and, by extension, the policies, rules, and even the dysfunction that have resulted. These groups would lead one to believe that hunters and anglers control the commission and the department, but following the paper trail will make it clear that those sentiments couldn’t be further from the truth
