7th District Legislators Pine for Local Control of Wolf Management

There is broad agreement among Washington's 7th district legislators, at least insofar as gray wolves are concerned.

East of Highway 97, there reputedly lives a healthy, fast-stabilizing and sometimes disruptive (or worse) wolf population. Legislators here want state law to reflect the attitude of federal watchdogs, who insist gray wolves are in much less trouble than before existentially. Here is a guide - a partial guide, anyway - to wolf-related bills percolating in Olympia. All of them strive to establish "local control of wolf management in the state's northeastern counties." 

Bill: H.B. 1311

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Sponsor: Rep. Andrew Engell (R-Colville)

Synopsis: Under Engell's proposal, gray wolves would be downgraded from "endangered" to "sensitive." (Only the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife can make that adjustment.) The wolf population would still enjoy certain hard-and-fast protections, according to Engell, but he says it's high time for WDFW to employ a little more flexibility.

Bill: H.B. 1442

Sponsor: Rep. Hunter Abell (R-Inchelium)

Synopsis: Abell's bill would pave the way for a bouquet of options on policing wolf-livestock-human conflict. Abell says he hears about this from local governments and law enforcement - they are "specifically asking us for more flexibility as they are the ones with boots on the ground responding to these conflicts." 

"If the state is going to be negligent in its duty to its citizens, let's at least give our local officials the ability to respond and manage. The fact is, the goals of wolf management aren't going to change but perhaps the methods of wolf management can."

Bill: S.B. 5354

Sponsor: Sen. Shelly Short (R-Addy)

Synopsis: This is the upper chamber companion to Abell's legislation. On Feb. 17, the bill will be subject to a hearing in the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.

Like Abell, Short wants to wrest decision-making power away from detached bureaucrats and into the hands of local and county officials. The Colville Tribe is an example, she says, of local management par excellence.

Click here and here for additional wolf legislation sponsored by Short.