By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Two members of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission have been scolded for violating open meetings and public records laws, but they will not be removed by Gov. Bob Ferguson, and a national sportsmen’s organization which had sought their ouster is furious.
Writing at Facebook in reaction to the announcement, the Sportsmen’s Alliance declared, “Governor Ferguson, Washington’s former Attorney General, has chosen politics over the law when it comes to holding these commissioners accountable. Our evidence exposed these illegal actions, the Knoll memo confirmed them, and an independent investigation validated every claim. Collusion, corruption and perjury are now the accepted standards for the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission.”
The Washington State Standard is reporting that Commissioners Lorna Smith and Melanie Rowland were notified by letter Monday, but either could not be reached or declined to comment. The Alliance had petitioned the governor to oust both commissioners, along with Commissioners Barbara Baker and John Lehmkuhl, alleging misconduct and malfeasance.
The letters, written by Chief Operations Officer Franklin Plaistowe, warned both Smith and Rowland, “You fell short of meeting expectations related to the Public Records Act and, in some instances, the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA).”
Allegations against the two were investigated and a report was issued at the end of July. That investigation was conducted by Transformative Workplace Investigations.
On its Facebook page, the Conservation Coalition of Washington took off the gloves, declaring, “A warning of removal is not enough for people who have boldly behaved the way they have for years—and are still behaving. There has been more than enough to remove them since the Sportsmen’s Alliance submitted their petition back in 2025.
“This is weak leadership and bending to political pressure from powerful interests and likely billionaire involvement,” the Coalition asserted. “We certainly hope, at the very least, that these letters becoming public means Lorna Smith and Melanie Rowland will not be back on the Commission when their terms expire at the end of this year.”
Smith and Rowland were appointed by former Gov. Jay Inslee, the “climate change” proponent who briefly ran for the presidency several years ago, but could not get the necessary public support in the primaries. Inslee was never considered a friend of hunters and anglers.
Smith is now a plaintiff in a civil rights lawsuit, along with Claire Loebs Davis, a founder of Washington Wildlife First, against Fish & Wildlife Director Kelly Susewind and Deputy Director Amy Windrope.
Evergreen State sportsmen have been critical of Smith and Rowland for the past few years, dating back at least to the cancellation of the traditional spring black bear hunting season. As noted by Northwest Sportsman, a popular outdoors monthly devoted to fishing and hunting, “Along the way, last year there was the “Knoll Memo” from a WDFW legal liaison who reviewed evidence against Smith, Rowland and others and issued what might be considered a police affidavit, and out of that came the Transformative Workplace Investigation report, which was released a month ago and partially corroborated the memo’s allegations.”
Hunters especially have been concerned about the cozy relationship between Smith and Davis, who has taken legal actions against the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). The Knoll Memo was produced by Thomas R. Knoll Jr., a WDFW criminal justice legal liaison.
Washington’s consumptive outdoorsmen and women are still just learning of Ferguson’s inaction. Whether this brings them out of lethargy to vote in November remains to be seen. But the frustration is definitely building, and might be best exemplified by what the Conservation Coalition said in its Facebook message: “This was an opportunity for Governor Ferguson to show strong leadership. We believe he chose the easy option—one that could embolden these commissioners further and whatever anti-hunting shills may be next on the roster.”
