@wawildlifefirst
Washington Wildlife First is working to transform the state’s management of fish and wildlife to a model that values science, respects nature, and prioritizes the protection and preservation of wildlife and wild fish. www.wawildlifefirst.org
🐻 Fight for WA’s Wildlife & Your Right to Be Heard! The WA Fish & #Wildlife Commission stopped reviewing public rulemaking petitions, handing decisions to the Director. This limits public input & risks overexploitation of wildlife. ✍️ Sign our petition! 🙏🏽 tinyurl.com/DontSilenceW...
🐾Show up for #wildlife in Spokane! 🐾The #WA Commission has limited public input. Its Sept. 27-28 meeting in Spokane is the time to demand a voice in wildlife decisions! Join us for lunch & happy hour too!
Register to speak: tinyurl.com/mehdm4se
RSVP to workshops and events: zeffy.com/en-US/ticket...
🙀The #WA Fish & #Wildlife Commission has delegated rulemaking petitions to Director Susewind, muzzling wildlife advocates' input on critical decisions like the protection of wild #salmon and large #carnivores. We must demand a voice! 📝 Sign the petition: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
We are proud to be a part of this year's
#EarthGivesDay. 🌎
Join us in our mission to reform #Washington’s #wildlife policies to prioritize #conservation and #coexistence over exploitation. 🐾
Help us reach 50 donors before Sep 20 and receive a $2,500 match! ✊
www.earthgives.org/organization...
On 7/19 WA Fish & Wildlife Commission will vote on a proposed rule to reduce cougar hunting to safer & more ecologically sound levels. It's accepting comments on the rule through 6/21 and will hold a hearing @ 4 p.m. 6/21 in Vancouver, WA. Take action: wawildlifefirst.org/protectcouga...
Washington Wildlife First is working hard to defeat this proposal. Please help by making a #GiveBig donation between now and May 12 in the memory of 106M and the Teanaways. Follow us to stay updated and learn more about how you can help! www.wagives.org/organization...
WDFW would label wolves as “sensitive,” devaluing wolves & weakening penalties for killing them. If it succeeds, wolf poaching would carry a max penalty of 90 days in jail & a $1K fine—while killing a “trophy” deer out of season can be punished by up to $10K & 5 years in prison.
Last fall, a poacher ended 106M’s search, and his life. Even with wolf poaching and other mortality on the rise, the WA Department of Fish and Wildlife is defying its own recovery plan by trying to remove protections for wolves as a state #endangeredspecies.
After nearly a year of living alone, 106M decided to strike out to find a new family. He braved the crossing over I-90 and wandered for hundreds of miles in the South #Cascades searching for a mate.
In 2011, the Teanaway Pack became the first #wolf pack in the central Cascade Mountains in 100 years. They thrived for more than a decade near Cle Elum, producing pups who helped colonize the rest of the region. But by 2022, 106M was only remaining Teanaway wolf. 1/5
#GiveBig early to help us overcome resistance from Department leaders who view bears primarily as a source of personal entertainment. Let’s win the battle for Washington’s bears! www.wagives.org/organization...
Susewind became emotional just before the vote, protesting: “Don’t tell me that it is the same thing, and that if I kill a bear in the fall it is the same as if I kill a bear in the spring. It’s just not.”
We won that fight thanks to the courage of some Fish and Wildlife Commissioners—and despite the objections of Department of Fish Wildlife Director Kelly Susewind, a bear hunter upset by the hardship of having to wait until August to kill bears.
In 2022, Washington Wildlife First led a successful campaign to shut down #Washington’s cruel and unnecessary spring bear hunt, which inevitably leads to the orphaning of young cubs. wawildlifefirst.org/washington-f...
We have much more work to do. #GiveBig today and help us continue our fight for the future of Washington’s bears. www.wagives.org/organization...
Last December, we filed a rulemaking petition to protect the state’s bears from overhunting, which the Commission accepted by a vote of 7 to 2. But now the Commission has delayed proposing a new bear hunting rule.
Annual hunting mortality spiked by nearly 50% after the state Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a 2019 rule liberalizing bear hunting seasons, reaching an all-time high of 2,211 bears killed by hunters in 2021.
#Washington is home to somewhere between 18,000 to 21,000 #blackbears but we have allowed hunters to kill more than 10,000 black bears over the past five years.
Please #GiveBig today toward our campaign to protect Washington’s bears! Early giving is open now! www.wagives.org/organization...
But in Washington, we continually disrupt these strong family ties, as we rarely allow bears to live out their natural lives. Most of our bears die at the hands of humans.
Black bears are “ecosystem engineers” who help plants, fish,. and other wildlife flourish. Recent research has revealed that they live in complex societies led by strong matriarchs, in which both related and unrelated bears cooperate to help each other survive.
Please #GiveBig to help Washington Wildlife First protect state carnivores! All funds donated before May 7 will be matched, up to $10,000. www.wagives.org/organization...
Please donate today to join our fight to protect Washington’s natural predators! The official #GiveBig campaign runs from May 7-8, but early giving is open now—and our generous #WaWildlifeFirst board will provide $10,000 to match all donations made during #GiveBig early giving!
Why? Hatred of predators is driven by entrenched misconceptions and age-old fears. Some enjoy killing them. Others create conflicts as they encroach further into carnivore country, & many see predators as competitors, eating the fish and wildlife that humans wish to kill.
Now, WDFW may decrease protections for wolves and embark on large-scale efforts to kill seals, sea lions, and fish-eating birds. The worldwide decimation of natural predators is arguably humankind’s most significant impact on nature, (cont'd)
In 5 years, Washington hunters, trappers, and local and state officials have killed over 10,000 black bears, more than 2,500 bobcats, about 1,500 cougars, and 10s of 1000s of coyotes—which are subject to 24-hour, year-round hunting with no limits or reporting requirements.
WA cougars need your help once more. Last month, our Fish & Wildlife Commission failed to move forward on a rule to curb the exploitation of cougars. On 4/19, the Commission has 1 more chance to advance the rule in time to take effect this year. myemail-api.constantcontact.com/ACTION-ALERT...
During 2024's state legislative session, we sounded the alarm on attacks leveled at our state's wildlife. Our supporters stepped up to help us defeat bills that flew in the face of science, ethical management, & common sense. Final legislative update here: myemail.constantcontact.com/Final-WA-Leg...
A close-up of a cougar in the snow.
There is still time to weigh in on the need for science-based cougar and bear hunting rules in Washington. Mortality for both species has soared in the past few years. Please take a minute to send a message! wawildlifefirst.org/wa-cougars-b...