Friday, March 29, 2024

The Washington Outdoor Report - week of Dec. 19

Fish and wildlife commissioner call it quits

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Dr. Fred Koontz, appointed to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission at the beginning of the year, abruptly tendered his resignation on December 13.  Koontz was a curious choice to fill this position by Governor Jay Inslee because his background was working at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle and the Bronx Zoo in New York and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife doesn’t manage any giraffes, elephants or tigers.
Koontz earned the ire of hunters across the state in November after voting against a spring bear hunt WDFW staff recommended going forward with.  There are an estimated 19,000 to 25,000 bears in Washington and the permit only hunt generally results in some 150 harvested animals.  According to WDFW, the hunt is helpful in reducing human-bear conflicts and also reduces predation of young deer fawns and elk calves.  
However, during a public comment period anti-hunters came out in force and spoke out, stating the hunt was cruel and hunters were targeting sows with young cubs even though WDFW staff responded, stating only one lactating sow with cubs had been harvested the previous year.  Koontz’s “No” vote, along with three other commissioners (Barbara Baker, Lorna Smith and Larry Carpenter) prevented the annual hunt from going forward in 2022.
Koontz further alienated himself from both hunters and conservationists during a recent briefing the Commission received about the elk herd in the Blue Mountains of Washington.  Managed to be a herd of 5,500 animals, the herd this year is at a 30-year low of only 3,600 elk and the numbers are poised to go lower.  The main reason?  Predation of elk calves by cougars and to a lesser extent, bears.  WDFW staff reported of 125 elk calves radio collared this spring in the Blue Mountains, only 11 remained alive at the end of November and 77 of them were killed by predators.
In response to this briefing, Koontz stated, “I don’t know how much of a crisis it really is” and suggested managing the herd at a level of 4,500 animals instead of its objective level of 5,500 elk.   Koontz’s sentiment was echoed by Lorna Smith, who pushed back at the thought of managing predators and instead recommended less elk hunting.      
Angry and astonished outdoors media professionals, conservation organizations and hunters immediately took Koontz and Smith to task. Andy Walgamott, Editor of Northwest Sportsman Magazine, detailed some of the public comments made to the Commission at their December 3 meeting.  
One of the speakers quoted in Walgamott’s article was Tino Villaluz, the wildlife program manager for the Swinomish Indian Community.  He said both Koontz and Smith showed a “wanton disregard of the wildlife profession.”  Villaluz also accused the two commissioners of showing a bias against ungulates and went on to tell them “The arbitrary protection of predators cannot continue.”
Brian Lynn, a resident of Eastern Washington and the Vice-president of Marketing for the Sportsman’s Alliance, told me in a recent radio interview that both Koontz and Smith clearly show a bias against hunting and questioned whether they understood the science behind wildlife management or were just denying the science presented to them to support their own positions.  In his words, “Any way you slice it, they shouldn’t be in charge of making decisions that govern the method and means of take and of hunting in the state.”
With Koontz’s departure there are two vacancies on the nine-member commission.  In addition to Koontz’s at-large position an Eastern Washington position has been left unfilled after well-known angler and outdoors media personality Dave Graybill completed his term as a commissioner at the end of 2020.
Reaching out to Governor Inslee’s office as to when these vacancies will be filled, Deputy Communications Manager Mike Faulk responded there is no firm timeline to fill the vacant seats but the Governor’s office will, “continue to work with our partners to identify and appoint strong candidates to these positions.”
It appears only three of the remaining seven commissioners identify as anglers or hunters through their posted biographies at the WDFW website, even though much of WDFW’s role is about providing sustainable recreational opportunities for fishing and hunting and setting regulations for these pursuits.  Asked whether the next commissioners would be hunters and/or anglers Faulk responded, “We will consider anyone who’s qualified but I don’t think it would be appropriate to limit who would be eligible for consideration.”

John Kruse – www.northwesternoutdoors.com and www.americaoutdoorsradio.com

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