insulted-by-arrogant-attitude-of-fish-and-wildlife-officials

[whacker1]

WDFW needs to figure out how to deal with their own budget, because they can't support the biologists and enforcement going forward at present.  I have mixed feeling on the land purchases, until I look at the budget situation.  They are constantly trying to find ways to fund their existing budget and maintain their current level of services, but continually we hear that they don't have the funds to do it all. 

So to take on more obligations when they are in time while they are laying more people off is a conflict of interest and irresponsible even though the pots of money may be separate and coming from two separate places.
They still need to figure out how to maintain existing infrastructure.

Ultimately we will be paying for this maintenance via increased license fees, taxes, etc.  We have 40+ pages on the revisions to the special permit application process in a few different threads, which WDFW aready admitted to being a source of additional revenue.  Fiscal responsibility is not something WDFW has been very good at in the last 15 or so years.

[Wacenturion]

You have to understand WDFW's mindset.  Buy it now, protect it now, worry about it later.  You see they are only concerned about the initial positive PR that says they have saved the day....acquired a piece of critical land for wildlife and will protect it in perpetuity.  What that really means is that WDFW doesn't really care about what responsibility comes with it, cause truth be know the powers to be in wildlife management really don't know how to  properly manage it. 

If you took them on a field trip and asked simple questions about what to generally do management wise on a particular piece....like types of plants, where to plant, soil type, precipitation and on and on..........they would be clueless.  They don't believe getting ones hands dirty by planting shrubs, driving tractors ...you know actually doing physical labor is something that elitist biologists should have to do.  I guess their motto should be the ol' "a mind is a terrible thing to waste"..lol. 

 In the end they'll just excuse away the lack of actual management like they always do because lack of funds or whatever.  It's their culture.   

[Shootmoore]

You've hit the nail on the head WaCent.

One can look at the Bridgeport bar to get an idea.  Once a great piece of property, with a solid pheasant release site (escapement helped spread pheasants all across the Bridgeport Bar) well tended wheat and corn fields providing food for upland birds (both native and pheasant) and waterfowl.  There used to be 3 guys working that property.

Now the pheasant release has been done away with, the house and buildings are all run down and they have 1 guy full time and a part time guy working the same property.  The wheatfields are weeded up, the brush lines are overgrown and the fields have more invasive weeds than wheat.  A few scraggly rows of corn are spread out amongst the field.  There are a few pheasant and even the quail that used to use the property keep to the surrounding private ground as the forage is better. 

Hatchery spawning the last few years my dad worked, there were 6 to 8 bio's with clipboards, 2 or 3 bio "helpers" that took the fish samples and gave the info to the bio's and 3 or 4 guys that were actually doing the spawning.  A long stretch from back in the day when they would have 8 or 10 guys spawning and maybe 1 bio standing around.  They could produce more fish for less money just like they used to be able to produce more birds on the Bridgeport Bar.

WDFW has gotten way to research and management heavy while they continue to cut projects that work, the workers who actually do the work and buy up land and let it go to waist instead of making improvements to benefit the wildlife and hunters and fisherman.

PS this is not a bio bash, there are good ones out there, but they are overshadowed by the ones with book smarts not field & stream smarts.

Shootmoore

[Wacenturion]

PS this is not a bio bash, there are good ones out there, but they are overshadowed by the ones with book smarts not field & stream smarts.

Shootmoore


Agree......my comments were directed at the elitist ones...the ones in regional offices, Olympia and field bio's who think their job is to be the ordained wildlife experts of the world.

The good bio's are those guys and gals that manage to develop friendships with both landowners and the public and have used their education and experience to make the proper decisions for wildlife and people.  They are never condescending......never!  Not part of their work ethic.  You can tell what category Bio's fall into almost immediately upon meeting them.

[Shootmoore]

"The good bio's are those guys and gals that manage to develop friendships with both landowners and the public and have used their education and experience to make the proper decisions for wildlife and people.  They are never condescending......never!  Not part of their work ethic.  You can tell what category Bio's fall into almost immediately upon meeting them."

Agreed, the sad thing I am seeing is some that are what I considered good ones are getting, for lack of a better word "brainwashed" by the others.  Peer pressure can be a powerfull thing.  I spoke to a bio a month or so ago that I had not seen in years.  I remember her as being interested in shooting and hunting as well as enjoying to fish.  She left the field and went to the Oly office and now its like I don't even know her anymore.

Shootmoore

[Wacenturion]

"The good bio's are those guys and gals that manage to develop friendships with both landowners and the public and have used their education and experience to make the proper decisions for wildlife and people.  They are never condescending......never!  Not part of their work ethic.  You can tell what category Bio's fall into almost immediately upon meeting them."

Agreed, the sad thing I am seeing is some that are what I considered good ones are getting, for lack of a better word "brainwashed" by the others.  Peer pressure can be a powerfull thing.  I spoke to a bio a month or so ago that I had not seen in years.  I remember her as being interested in shooting and hunting as well as enjoying to fish.  She left the field and went to the Oly office and now its like I don't even know her anymore.

Shootmoore

That unfortunately does happen.  People make choices as they progress in their careers.  Some take the easy road, some choose the other.  It's all about one's own integrity...........something that most folks have left at the door.

[Special T]

I believe that the race for grant dollars has hurt all portions of our state government from WDFW to our schools. They think that when the get a grant some how they are earning their way, or more money... I don't see how it computes and i know grant recipients that don't either.... If someone is gonna be at the trough it might as well be them. 

[yelp]

In regards to buying land...what I have heard is state agencies can only offer fair market value. Also private landowners must be willing to sell..it takes two to make a deal.  I have yet to see something like imminent domain used to purchase wildlife habitat. Maybe it is more prevalent in more urban areas.  I also have seen Rocky mountain Elk, Ducks Unlimited and other good organizations buying or assisting to buy large chunks of habitat..not necessarily in Okanogan County but in other parts of the state.

[bearpaw]

I don't know about federal land but the WDFW does pay In leiu Money to counties for the property in these counties because they are not on the tax rolls. In most cases the In leiu money is more than what the county would recieve if the property was on the tax rolls.

I am glad to hear the WDFW do pay something to the counties, but nontheless, that land is no longer productive, so the amount paid in leiu does not make up for the tax revenue created by a family or families living, farming, ranching, and contributing to the local economy.