WDFW seeks comments on wolf-deterrence rules
By Terry Murry on Thursday, March 17th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife invites the public to submit written comment on a proposed rule change and a new rule to address wolf-livestock conflict deterrence. The deadline to submit comments is April 1.
In September 2020, Governor Jay Inslee directed WDFW to initiate rule making with the goal of instituting practices that would reduce the number of livestock killed or injured by wolves as well as the number of wolves lethally removed as a result of depredations of domestic animals.
The proposed rule change, if adopted, would amend the language of the state code to require that to authorize lethal removal of wolves, the WDFW director (or WDFW staff designee) would need to confirm an owner of domestic animals has proactively implemented appropriate non-lethal conflict deterrence measures.
The proposal, if adopted, would also create a new rule that directs WDFW staff, in consultation with willing, affected livestock producers, as well as affected federal, state, and tribal agencies, to author conflict mitigation plans that would establish area-specific criteria for the use of non-lethal and lethal measures to mitigate wolf-livestock conflict in areas of chronic conflict.
“If adopted, the proposed change to would align the code with the agency’s long-standing commitment to non-lethal conflict mitigation strategies,” WDFW Wolf Policy Lead Julia Smith said.
To review the rule change materials and share feedback on the proposed rule language, visit https://publicinput.com/U0420#0. Written comments can also be submitted via email to WolfConflictDeterrence102@PublicInput.com, or members of the public can call 855-925-2801, enter project code 3861, and record their input. A public hearing is expected to be scheduled for April.
The final SEIS is planned to be issued in May and the Fish and Wildlife Commission will consider the proposal in May. The rule and/or rule changes that may result from this process are proposed to be effective in January 2023.
