Mike Petersen and David Cloe: Support for Washington’s fish and wildlife yields dividends for state

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has a huge task: balance the needs of hundreds of wildlife species, provide great habitat so Washingtonians can fish and hunt, and help our farmers and ranchers in rural communities to live with predators. We need lawmakers to adequately fund the department to fulfill its mandate to conserve wildlife for the good of our state’s natural heritage, outdoor enthusiasts and economy.

Whether one is an angler, a hunter, a hiker, a birdwatcher, or all of the above, we hold a high regard for our native species and our state public lands. We entrust the WDFW with its mission to preserve, protect and perpetuate fish, wildlife and ecosystems while providing sustainable fish and wildlife recreational and commercial opportunities.

Underfunding of WDFW since the Great Recession hinders the ability to protect those opportunities. The share of the state budget has steadily shrunk in the past decade. All told, protecting these natural resources accounts for less than 1 percent of the state’s budget. The Legislature has been allocating less than $50 million in tax money annually to WDFW, yet the need for more conservation officers and habitat restoration is increasing.

The benefits of what WDFW protects include more than $170 million each year from sales taxes on purchases we make to enjoy fish and wildlife. Recreation dollars are also an important part of our economy in Eastern Washington. Washingtonians spend hundreds of millions of dollars fishing, hunting and wildlife watching each year, often in small towns and rural areas.

How can we expect WDFW to manage, restore and let us enjoy everything from salmon, waterfowl and elk to wolves and beavers with an ever-shrinking state budget? In 2017 WDFW undertook an audit, assembled a Budget and Policy Advisory Group with more than 20 diverse stakeholders, including the two of us. An independent audit showed that the department compared well with other state agencies and found no significant fat to trim in its practices or management.

After reviewing the audit and a year of discussion, we’ve taken aim at the real problem of underfunding, an issue that has exacerbated declines in fish and wildlife opportunities, generating understandable frustration. While we’re used to competing over policy decisions like salmon allocations or wolf management, we realize that we all depend on WDFW being strong and successful. We need to fill the funding gap, and better enable the department to serve our fish and wildlife and, thereby, the public.

This year we have asked the Legislature to increase WDFW’s two-year budget by $60 million. A quarter of that amount would come from modest fishing and hunting license increases, the rest from the state.

Washington’s growing population and thriving economy puts unrelenting pressure on our land and waters. The changing climate adds additional stress. From resident orcas to spring chinook, wildlife lovers are seeing habitat lost faster than species can be recovered. Hikers and bikers are looking to state wildlife areas as mountain trailheads get increasingly crowded. Hunters and anglers, who provide significant conservation funding through licenses and excise taxes on equipment, are wondering whether their children and grandchildren can continue cherished outdoor traditions.

All of us want WDFW to provide access to public land and waterways, as well as provide abundant fish and wildlife. We believe WDFW needs more on-the-ground resources to help mediate the wolf-livestock conflicts in northeast Washington. It needs more resources to protect salmon and orcas. If you fly-fish for steelhead or roam the ridges for deer, this is your agency. If you want to see eagles soaring or an elusive lynx, and want to know that wildlife officers are keeping them and our other treasures safe from poachers, this is your agency.

Fish and wildlife are vital to Washington’s quality of life. Now is the time to invest in conservation and outdoor opportunity, not continue to shortchange the legacy we hold in trust for future generations.

Please, tell your state legislators we need a fully funded Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife – for the natural heritage we enjoy today, and that of our children.