On Thursday, February 5th, 2015, Conservation Northwest wolf conflict specialist Jay Kehne and policy lead Paula Swedeen were at the Washington state capitol testifying on wolf bills in front of House and Senate committees.
More than seven wolf-related bills have been proposed during the current legislative session. Though it’s unlikely these bills will advance in their current form in this highly budget-focused session, we have concerns that if passed, some of these proposals would be a setback for the sustainable recovery of wolves in Washington and their management based on sound science and predator biology.
The exception to this is House Bill 1676, legislation regarding conducting research on the effects of wolf predation on ungulate populations. Conservation Northwest believes that peer reviewed and published scientific data is vitally important for good decision making when it comes to wolf and wildlife management. We support this proposal to fund new studies that help the state and other stakeholders better understand the impact wolves have or do not have on deer, elk, moose and other ungulate populations in Washington state.
via Update on Proposed Washington Wolf Legislation — Conservation Northwest.