By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
A lawsuit challenging the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (WDFW) Game Management Plan (GMP), launched by an organization which has frequently tangled with the agency and is involved in a lawsuit against the director and deputy director, was dismissed with prejudice by a Thurston County judge, bringing cheers from sportsmen.
Washington Wildlife First’s (WWF) lawsuit was tossed for lack of standing to challenge the management plan, according to a release from the Sportsmen’s Alliance. The Alliance had filed a motion to dismiss the case, which is exactly what Thurston County Superior Court Judge Anne Egeler did last week.
Northwest Sportsman magazine is reporting “The 216-page plan covering deer, elk, moose, cougars, bears, ducks, turkeys, furbearers and other pursued animals was approved unanimously in February by the Fish and Wildlife Commission and represents an update from previous multi-year plans.”
But hunting does not appear to be WWF’s priority. On its website, the group declares its purpose to be “Transforming Washington’s Wildlife Policy to elevate science, recognize the intrinsic value of individual animals, and prioritize protecting, preserving and perpetuating wild lives.”
“We are the only nonprofit organization dedicated to shifting Washington’s wildlife policy from an exploitation-driven model to a science-grounded, democratic framework that centers care, consideration, and respect for wild animals and the ecosystems they depend on,” WWF says about itself. “What sets us apart even more fundamentally is our belief that wild animals are not “resources” to be “managed,” but living beings deserving of care and respect.”
But WWF, critics contend, has had far too much influence with at least one member of the Fish & Wildlife Commission—Lorna Smith—and a report released in late July by Transformative Workplace Investigations “found violations of state public records and open meeting laws; undisclosed meetings with advocacy groups suing the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, which the commission oversees; and breakdowns in trust between some commissioners and WDFW leadership,” according to the Spokane Spokesman-Review.
TGM has covered the controversy here, here and here.
Northwest Sportsman quoted Brian Lynn, vice president of marketing and communications for the Sportsmen’s Alliance, who stated, “Washington Wildlife First is just following the radical anti-hunting playbook of filing frivolous lawsuits to destroy scientific wildlife management in favor of their ideological belief system.”
For decades, game management in Washington has been a hot-button issue among sportsmen and women. With another general deer hunting season opener this Saturday across the state, this news is just the latest chapter in the fight.
The Game Management Plan covers a lot of ground. What appears to irritate opponents to the management scheme in Washington is the language of state statute, which is included in the management plan:
“RCW 77.04.012 states that:
• The Commission, Director, and the Department shall preserve, protect, perpetuate, and manage the wildlife and food fish, game fish, and shellfish in state waters and offshore waters.
• The Department shall conserve the wildlife resources in a manner that does not impair the resource. The Commission may authorize the taking of wildlife only at times, places, or in manners or quantities, as the Commission’s judgment does not impair the supply of these resources.
• The Commission shall attempt to maximize all citizens’ public recreational hunting opportunities, including juvenile, disabled, and senior citizens.”
Elsewhere in the GMP, the duties of the Fish & Wildlife Commission are spelled out in RCW 77.04.055, and among them is this:
“The commission shall maximize fishing, hunting, and outdoor recreational opportunities compatible with healthy and diverse fish and wildlife populations.”
