ENDANGERED SPECIES — The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission has voted unanimously to allow people without a special permit to shoot a wolf caught in the act of attacking a pet or livestock.

The emergency rule was enacted in an urgently called teleconference meeting that started at 1 p.m.

See story just posted by S-R Olympia Bureau reporter Jim Camden, who sat in on the teleconference.

Click “continue reading” below for all the details from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Also:

See the fact sheet the commissioners were briefed with (click on “Summary and attachment” under Agenda).

See my posts leading up to the meeting and link to today's news story from S-R Olympia Bureau reporter Jim Camden advancing the meeting.

See another story that broke today: Feds ready to delist wolves from ESA protections.

UPDATED 3:45 p.m. 4-26-13 with details from WDFW

ENDANGERED SPECIES — The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission has voted unanimously to allow people without a special permit to shoot a wolf caught in the act of attacking a pet or livestock.

The emergency rule was enacted in an urgently called teleconference meeting that started at 1 p.m.

See story just posted by S-R Olympia Bureau reporter Jim Camden, who sat in on the teleconference.

Click “continue reading” below for all the details from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. 

Also:

See the fact sheet the commissioners were briefed with (click on “Summary and attachment” under Agenda).

See my posts leading up to the meeting and link to today's news story from S-R Olympia Bureau reporter Jim Camden advancing the meeting.

See another story that broke today: Feds ready to delist wolves from ESA protections.
  

WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT — Lawmakers in Olympia apparently have worked out a compromise for dealing with two wolf-related bills still alive in the 2013 Washington Legislature.

Both of the measures have wide support in Northeastern Washington as well as the endorsement of Washington Department of Fish and Wildlfie biologists, but their linkage has been stalled by some groups in on the West Side.

According to reports from legislators:

Senate Bill 5193, authorizing a state wolf vehicle license plate to collect money earmarked for non-lethal wolf management programs has been maneuvered out of committee and is expected to be adopted Friday.

Senate Bill 5187, which would allow people to kill a wolf without a permit in the case of a wolf attack on pets or livestock, will be presented to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission with a recommendaton to be enacted immediately by an emergency rule.  

As reported in my blog this morning, the special commission teleconference is set for Friday at 1 p.m., but the discussion has narrrowed to just the provisions of SB5187 now that the Legislature has taken action on the non-lethal control measure. 

• People keenly interested can listen to the meeting live via telecommunications at WDFW regional offices in Spokane, Ephrata and Yakima.

If this works, it's win-win for legislators and wildlife managers. West Side Dems can vote on the non-lethal control option which is not controversial without having to vote on a lethal control measure that would stir up pro-wolf groups like a pack in a sheep pen.

The non-elected Fish and Wildlife Commission is being asked to make the more controversial decision, which many people see as important to qwelling the anger and frustration with burgeoning wolf packs in northeastern Washington.

ENDANGERED SPECIES – A day before the Washington Legislature’s deadline for bills to be considered by the opposite house, two wolf-related proposals are still alive.

But despite their merits and being approved by the state Senate, they’re gasping in the House — as a new crop of wolf pups is being born in dens across the East Side.

Senate Bill 5187, sponsored by Sen. John Smith, R-Colville, would allow rural dwellers to kill a gray wolf caught in the act of attacking or threatening livestock or another domestic animal, no permit required.

This bill, supported by Washington Fish and Wildlife Department biologists, would go a long way in reducing the public tension in northeastern Washington, where locals feel they are being unfairly saddled with the dangers and impacts of wolf recovery.

The bill has essentially died in committee, but Smith said it has a chance of being tied in with another wolf bill that could move.

SB5193, also introduced by Smith, would allow the State Wildlife Account to be used for compensating owners of livestock for damage caused by wolves. It also would create a new account to be used for livestock predation claims. 

An important part of this bill would remove the condition in existing law that a livestock owner must raise livestock for sale to qualify for wildlife damage compensation.

Here's a roundup of the S-R's top outdoors stories in the past week:

Technology, volunteers boost northeastern Wash. whitetail deer study

• Photo essay on deer trapping for research

Adventure focus of Fly Fishing Film Tour coming to Spokane

• Hank Patterson, Crazy Reese find humor on the fly

FIELD REPORTS: Fishing rule changes on WA Fish and Wildlife Commission agenda

OUT & ABOUT: Mackinaw to be gillnetted for research at Priest Lake

Conservation groups join gun lobby boycott of Pa. outdoors show

Landers: Bird watching an activity worth feeding — responsibly

Weekly Hunting & Fishing Report

STATE PARKS — Washington's Discover Pass, a vehicle permit required in state parks and other public lands, is getting help from a public relations firm to boost lagging sales.

The pass was created by the Washington Legislature to fund the State Parks System.

A public relations firm, Weber Shandwick, has a $157,500 state contract and a mission to promote social networking is building a new website to encourage visitors to post pictures, videos, stories and recommendations from their trips to Washington's more than 100 state parks.

PUBLIC LANDS — A Washington Discover Pass — required for parking in state parks and most other state lands — is valid for two vehicles starting today, according to legislation signed this afternoon by Gov. Chris Gregoire.

The change took effect immediately. Holders of previously issued annual Discover Passes may enter a second vehicle license number on their existing pass.

The rule making the $30 annual pass valid for only one vehicle was largely criticized by consumers after the state recreation land pass was enacted in July 2011.

Pass transfer between two vehicles also applies to vehicle access passes (VAPs) issued free with purchases of annual fishing and hunting licenses for access to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) recreation lands and water- access sites.

Read on for more details from Washington State Parks.

PUBLIC LANDS — It's a wish coming true for Washington State Parks visitors.

The Washington state Legislature has passed a bill allowing one Discover Pass to be shared among two vehicles.

House Bill 2373 passed the House this afternoon by a vote of 60-37, with most Republicans voting in opposition. Having earlier passed the Senate, it goes next to the governor.

The Discover Pass is a $30 annual state parks parking pass created by the Legislature last year to raise funds to keep parks open as well as contributing to state wildlife lands. Bill supporters say allowing two cars per pass will make it more affordable and may encourage more people to buy it.

According to the Associated Press, opponents objected to a provision in the bill expanding an optional $5 vehicle registration fee to mopeds, off-road vehicles, buses and trucks, saying the fee’s opt-out nature may fool people into contributing the money against their wishes.

SHELLFISH — Just kidding with the headline. I know the difference between clams and waterfowl.

But for a long time, it seems, ducks have had more protection than the great goeduck of Washington's beaches.

Numbers of the largest, oldest and most bizarre-looking wild clam species in the state have been going downhill, says the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“Geoduck poaching is particularly damaging because the species grows slowly over a long period,” said WDFW director Phil Anderson.

The delicacy is the largest burrow clam species in the world and has been recorded as living as long as 146 years.

WDFW and the Department of Natural Resources announced this week in a joint statement that they will undertake new efforts aimed at “preventing poaching, evaluating environmental factors that may be contributing to the decline, seeking legislative budget support for additional field enforcement and reviewing harvest regulations.”

The key may be whether they get the $500,000 they're requesting for increased enforcement.

The goeduck can grow up to two pounds by the time it is five years old.  The ones that live into their 100s can reach 10 pounds and fetch $160 per pound on the retail market.
  

STATE PARKS — The Washington state House has passed HB 2373, which would allow two cars to share one Discover Pass, a $30, year-long parking pass for state parks and some other state lands. 

Unlike a similar bill that recently passed the Senate unanimously, the House bill would add a $10 registration fee on all recreational vehicles until 2015 to go toward state parks. 

Supporters said the bill would make it cheaper for families to visit state parks while replenishing park coffers.  

Opponents said it would implement a tax on recreation vehicles in the guise of a fee.   

The bill would allow families to buy a Discover Pass transferrable among any family vehicle for $50, and would exempt disabled veterans from having to buy the pass. 

The measure is headed for the Senate.
  

WINTER SPORTS — The Washington Legislature is toying with proposals that could divert dedicated gas-tax funds from established and popular Sno-Park programs. These are the programs, such as those at Mount Spokane, that plow parking areas and groom trails for snowmobiling, cross-country skiers, snowshoers and other winter recreation.

Some recreation groups say there's nothing to fear from the proposals, but the issues should be carefully followed.

See the latest on what some contend is an attempt to raid an important winter recreation component of the state's economy in this story by Scott Sandsberry of the Yakima Herald-Republic.

WILDLIFE LAWS — The Washington Legislature is considering numerous bills that relate to hunters, anglers and wildlife.

Andy Walgamott of Northwest Sportsman Magazine posted this update on last week's activity.

ENDANGERED SPECIES — Washington lawmakers last week began consideration of a pair of bills that deal with wolves.

Senate Bill 6139, which was requested by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlfie, would set a cap of $50,000 per year on the compensation the agency could pay from its wildlife account for claims related to wolf attacks on livestock.

Dave Ware, WDFW Game Division manager, said the bill seeks to balance the needs of humans and wildlife. It would also add the gray wolf to the state's definition of big game.

Senate Bill 6137 would provide an affirmative defense for killing a wolf caught in the act of attacking livestock. The defense would be allowed only where wolves have been taken off the federal endangered species list — the eastern third of the state — and only if the WDFW was notified within 72 hours.

Both bills have been discussed by the Senate Committee on Energy, Natural Resources and Marine Waters.

See details in this story by the Capital Press.

RECREATION — East Siders don't are having a tough time this week handling appointments to Washington panels.  

Okanogan County commissioners wrote a letter to Gov. Chris Gregoire criticizing the appointment of Jay Kehne to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission because they said he didn't reflect their values, particularly about wolves.

Tuesday, Sen. Bob Morton, R-Kettle Falls, asked the governor to rescind her recent appointment of Seattle resident Ted Willhite to the state Recreation and Conservation Funding Board.

“Mr. Willhite is listed on the board roster as being from Twisp and his appointment fills a spot intended to represent the interests of Eastern Washington,” Morton said. “But this is preposterous! Mr. Willhite owns a second residence near Twisp, but he lives and works in Seattle. This is not fair to our side of the state and it shuns good Eastern Washington candidates for service on this board who would eagerly and honorably promote and protect our interests.”

The mission of the board is to provide leadership and funding to help protect and enhance Washington's natural and recreational resources.

“The board has four Western Washington members and only one from our side of the state, Yakima,” Morton said. “The governor needs to set this right. I await her response.”
  

PUBLIC LANDS — The Washington State Senate Energy, Natural Resources and Marine Waters Committee Monday (Jan. 9) voted unanimously to refer a bill to the Ways and Means Committee that would make the Discover Pass transferable between two vehicles.

The Discover Pass was established by the 2011 Legislature as a vehicle access requirement for state parks and most other state lands in an effort to raise funding for state park management.

Under the proposed legislation, the cost would remain the same, but the pass would be transferable between two vehicles at the same address.

The Discover Pass is required on vehicles to access state parks, heritage sites, wildlife and natural areas, and any recreation lands or water-access sites managed by Washington State Parks, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Under current law, the Discover Pass costs $30 annually and $10 for a daily pass per vehicle.

The current fine for not displaying a Discover Pass on a vehicle while on state recreation land or a water-access site is $99.

Read on for more details from reporter Maida Suljevic of the Washington Newspaper Publishers News Bureau in Olympia.

GOOD DOG — Visitors who have chosen Fridays to visit the Olympia office of state Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, usually get a few “pointers” from a pro who has a good nose for what's going on.

Schoesler's front man is Ruger, a young vizsla pointer.

“I got him last fall and he was hunting with me at 7 months old,” Schoesler said. “I couldn't have asked for more out of dog three years older.  He was just great.

“But my wife told me when I got him that I'd have to take him to Olympia with me. I leave the farm and live in a camp trailer while the Legislature is in session. My landlady loe dogs, so it works out.

“But I bring Ruger into the office every Friday. He meets constituents and keeps us grounded.”

PREDATORS — Mitch Friedman of Conservation Northwest has concerns about hunting cougars.

Nevertheless, he was disappointed by the Washington Legislature's failure to pass a bill to extend a pilot program that has allowed the use of hounds for limited cougar hunting in Northeastern Washington.  The bill died on the vine last week despite bipartisan support.

On Friday, Friedman wrote his well thought-out reaction to the situation and where the state and people in northeastern Washington should go from here.

“Cougar hunting can’t not be controversial,” Friedman said. “On one hand, they are gorgeous cats that, as apex predators, play critical roles in the balance of ecosystems, assuring that conservationists and animal lovers have strong feelings about them. On the other hand, this silent and powerful stalker gives people who live or raise livestock around them strong feelings of a different sort.”

PUBLIC LANDS — Driven by the need to fund state parks, The Washington Legislature Thursday approved a new Discover Pass, which visitors will need to drive into state parks, state DNR lands and state wildlife areas.

The bill, SB 5622, goes to Gov. Chris Gregoire for her signature.

The $30 annual pass and a $10 day pass for those who don't buy it would raise $64 million, with $54 million going to state parks and the rest divided between two other agencies that manage state lands, the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Hunters, fishermen, boaters, campers and snowmobilers who already pay to use state lands through license fees or registrations, would not be required to have the pass, except for access to most state parks.

Also, parks would be required to have some days during the year designated for free access.

The bill passed the Senate Wednesday on a bipartisan vote, but in the final vote of approval, House Republicans voted against it.

POACHING — While Washington legislators continue to butt heads on many issues in Olympia, they joined in refreshing unanimity last week to drop the hammer on people who go wild slaughtering big game.

Both the House and Senate voted unanimously for HB 1340, which expands the definition of unlawful hunting in the first degree — a class C felony.

Under current law, offenders must have a previous wildlife misdemeanor within the past five years to get hit with that charge.

Once Gov. Chris Gregoire signs the bill — everyone expects her to join the unanimous vote — someone who poaches three or more deer, elk, moose, mountain goat, caribou, cougars, black bears or grizzly bears within 24 hours or “course of events” could be charged on the spot in the first degree.

“I’m sure we’ll have a number of times to apply it this year, unfortunately,” WDFW Deputy Chief of Enforcement Mike Cenci told Northwest Sportsman Magazine.

Cenci used a KIRO 7 TV report on convicted poacher James Cody Stearns, “The Headhunter,” to educate lawmakers on the need to pass the bill.