OPERATION CODY- An undercover investigation into WA's commercial poaching

[ucwarden]

You know, with the right hair cut you could look a little like Sam Elliott...

Can you say... "Beef, its whats for dinner!"

 

"Elk, it's what's for dinner"?

[Elkaholic daWg]

There are actually two articles in the Yakima paper:

http://www.yakimaherald.com/photosandvideos/latestphotos/2562971-8/officers-faced-unexpected-complications-during-culmination-of-operation

http://www.yakimaherald.com/home/2544664-8/fish-and-wildlife-an-agency-split-in-two

For those of you on facebook i think you should post up either of these articles (I personally thought the one with UC's ugly mug was better) for you hunting friends to see. If you ever wanted to fan the flames to get new leadership this is your chance.

"Ugly mug"....I'm hurt.  I thought that was a very becoming look for me.  I was told the more of my face I covered the better I looked.

I really appreciate you advice to people, because I have done about everything I am capable of doing, and yet I haven't seemed to put a dent in their armor.

 I DID that Special T at 530 AM this morning! And Todd......Love the Pic!                  PS .....I have seen Sam Elliot with that hair in the past....

[ucwarden]

There are actually two articles in the Yakima paper:

http://www.yakimaherald.com/photosandvideos/latestphotos/2562971-8/officers-faced-unexpected-complications-during-culmination-of-operation

http://www.yakimaherald.com/home/2544664-8/fish-and-wildlife-an-agency-split-in-two

For those of you on facebook i think you should post up either of these articles (I personally thought the one with UC's ugly mug was better) for you hunting friends to see. If you ever wanted to fan the flames to get new leadership this is your chance.

"Ugly mug"....I'm hurt.  I thought that was a very becoming look for me.  I was told the more of my face I covered the better I looked.

I really appreciate you advice to people, because I have done about everything I am capable of doing, and yet I haven't seemed to put a dent in their armor.

 I DID that Special T at 530 AM this morning! And Todd......Love the Pic!                  PS .....I have seen Sam Elliot with that hair in the past....

I left all of that on the barber shop floor two years ago

[blackdog]

I think this all goes back to the merger. Who was the director of Wildlife at the time of the merger and what role are they playing today? Who was the Director of Fisheries at the time of the merger and what role are they playing today? What role does a former Congressman who once advocated for bringing wolves to the Olympic peninsula play today in this drama? Now ask how Miranda Wecker is entangled in this cluster we have today? When folks voted for the referendum that created the current commission governance we have today they voted for what we have today, a cluster. Blackdog 

[Knocker of rocks]

When folks voted for the referendum that created the current commission governance

I don't remember that

[Elkaholic daWg]

Must have been busy in the Holocene at the time. .......
 From DFW website.......
http://wdfw.wa.gov/commission/
The Commission receives its authority from the passage of Referendum 45 by the 1995 Legislature and public at the 1995 general election. The Commission is the supervising authority for the Department. With the 1994 merger of the former Departments of Fisheries and Wildlife, the Commission has comprehensive species authority as well.

 This was most likely made necessary by the flawed merger of Game and Fisheries departments....

[Sportfury]

Maybe it is time we use the initiative process and request that WDFW gets rolled into the Washington  State  Patrol similar to what  Alaska  has. This would cut out the top, get rid of Wecker, and give these officers the support they need.

[ucwarden]

Maybe it is time we use the initiative process and request that WDFW gets rolled into the Washington  State  Patrol similar to what  Alaska  has. This would cut out the top, get rid of Wecker, and give these officers the support they need.

That idea has been kicked around for decades.  I personally don't support putting F&W Officers into state patrol, as I believe their focus (on fish and wildlife crimes) would be even more diminished that it already is.  I believe the real problem is the top; the governor (who not only hasn't once responded to my allegations, but didn't even respond to my several attempted contacts), the commission chair (Miranda Wecker who seems to fully support Cenci and refuses to even hear the other side) and the director (who is out in a week).

[Elkaholic daWg]

  It's been mergers and initiatives (hounds, trapping, baiting) that has created the monster we now have.  I believe the 1995 thing was to re create the game commission after the merger....Alaska is a totally different animal as far as ANY type of enforcement per square mile and officers need all the authority they are afforded

[Knocker of rocks]

Maybe it is time we use the initiative process and request that WDFW gets rolled into the Washington  State  Patrol similar to what  Alaska  has. This would cut out the top, get rid of Wecker, and give these officers the support they need.

Why would transferring enforcement to WSP get rid of Miranda Wecker?  By your example of Alaska and Oregon, those states have transferred enforcement duties to the State Police, but retain F&W departments.  The same would probably happen here.

[JimmyHoffa]

Maybe it is time we use the initiative process and request that WDFW gets rolled into the Washington  State  Patrol similar to what  Alaska  has. This would cut out the top, get rid of Wecker, and give these officers the support they need.

Oregon has it merged with State Patrol.  They would rather do SP stuff than mess with wildlife.  They can keep plenty busy and not have to leave the car to run around in the woods.  I think there are three counties that don't have much of a sheriff's dept, so they were kind of letting SP pick up the slack.  Basically no game warden type activity--super easy to poach from what I've heard.

[blackdog]

Once more with feeling, who was the director of Wildlife pre merger and what is his role today?

[ucwarden]

Once more with feeling, who was the director of Wildlife pre merger and what is his role today?

I believe it was Curt Smitch, until 1998 when Jeff Koenings took over

[ucwarden]

Maybe it is time we use the initiative process and request that WDFW gets rolled into the Washington  State  Patrol similar to what  Alaska  has. This would cut out the top, get rid of Wecker, and give these officers the support they need.

Why would transferring enforcement to WSP get rid of Miranda Wecker?  By your example of Alaska and Oregon, those states have transferred enforcement duties to the State Police, but retain F&W departments.  The same would probably happen here.

It wouldn't get rid of her, but she would no longer have any influence/power over enforcement officers.  You are right, that in Oregon the "game wardens" work for OSP, while the natural resource management is under ODF&W.

I don't like what I see in Oregon, as the wildlife troopers are still troopers and when traffic issues become a problem, they are out checking to make sure semis are chained up etc., instead of remaining focused on catching poachers.

[bearpaw]

I think it would be a huge mistake to merge wildlife with WSP! Anything we can do to keep the focus on "wildlife only" will benefit our wildlife more.