THE FOLLOWING IS A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
Fish and Wildlife Commission meets Aug. 13–15 in Long Beach
LONG BEACH, Wash. — The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will hold a hybrid meeting Aug. 13 to 15 in Long Beach in Pacific County. During the meeting, the Commission will hear the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Director’s report; decide on the agency’s requests and portions of the 2027-2029 budget for the 2027 state legislative session, two land transactions, and streaked horned lark periodic status review; as well as receive a briefing on options for a public workshops facilitator.
The meeting will be held at the Chautauqua Resort & Conference Center (304 14th St. NW, Long Beach, Wash. 98631) and will be live streamed online. The meeting agenda and details about attending virtually are available on the Commission webpage.
Thursday, Aug. 13, will begin with Big Tent, Habitat, Fish, and Wildlife committee meetings. The first agenda item is ongoing development of tools to improve decision-making in the Big Tent Committee’s decision-making project.
Committees will also hear updates on topics including alternative energy siting, permitting, and guidance; invasive northern pike management; estimating recreational fishery harvest using electronic catch record cards; proposed recreational scallop harvester rules; Puget Sound Dungeness crab non-reporting penalties; state rules for threatened and endangered species; and state rules on lethal removal of wolves that attack domestic animals.
The full Commission will convene Friday, Aug. 14 for an open public input opportunity followed by the report from WDFW Director Kelly Susewind.
The Commission will then decide on the agency’s requests and the maintenance and performance-level portions of the 2027-29 budget for the 2027 legislative session.
Continuing Friday afternoon, the Commission will consider and decide on proposed land transactions in Pacific and Douglas counties, including potential additions to the Johns River Wildlife Area and the Big Bend Wildlife Area.
Next, the Commission will decide on the Periodic Status Review for the streaked horned lark. Finally, the Commission will receive a briefing on the scope of work for potentially hiring a public workshops facilitator.
The Commission meeting will continue Saturday, Aug. 15, for an open public input opportunity followed by meeting debrief, future meeting planning, and an executive session.
All members of the public are invited to share their perspectives and participate in WDFW public feedback opportunities regardless of race, color, sex, age, national origin, language proficiency, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, or basis of disability.
The meeting will be recorded and published on WDFW’s Commission webpage so the public can watch afterward at their convenience.
THIE FOLLOWING IS A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
Commission meets Aug. 13-14 in Salem
SALEM, Ore.—The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will meet Thursday and Friday, Aug. 13-14 in Salem.
See the meeting agenda at https://myodfw.com/articles/commission-agenda-august-13-14-2026
On Thursday, Commissioners will visit projects showcasing work underway with partners to recover salmon/steelhead and lamprey in the Willamette Basin. To join the Tour, be at ODFW Headquarters at 8 a.m. Vans will load and leave the parking lot at 9 am. Members of the public may join the tour but must provide their own transportation and lunch.
Friday’s business meeting starts at 8 am at ODFW Headquarters, 4034 Fairview Industrial Drive SE in Salem. The meeting will be livestreamed on the meeting agenda page and at ODFW’s YouTube channel.
To testify remotely about an item on the agenda, sign up at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting (Wednesday, Aug. 12 by 8 am) using the forms found on the agenda page. To testify in person, sign up using the paper forms provided at the meeting.
To testify about a topic not on the agenda, register for public forum online at least 48 hours before the meeting (by Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 8 a.m.). Sign up at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting to testify online for an agenda item or in public forum.
On Friday, the Commission will consider:
Commercial Dungeness crab rules: Revised rules would strengthen ODFW’s approach to reducing the risk of whale entanglement, including: an electronic vessel monitoring requirement for commercial crab vessels, additional criteria and guidelines for approving experimental fishing gear permits, and a minor modification to commercial crab surface gear allowances.
Trap check interval times: Proposed rules would establish requirements that traps set to capture bear or cougar under the damage or public nuisance statute must be checked and animals removed within a specific time interval (at least once every other calendar day but not exceeding 56 hours). Use of traps will continue to be a prohibited method for bear and cougar hunting seasons.
Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund (OCRF) Wildlife Crossing Funding: Approving funding for the Trans Pacific Parkway Wildlife Crossing Project on a roadway running from US 101 along the Coos Bay North Spit northwest of North Bend in Coos County. Funds come from Lottery Revenue bonds meant to support habitat connectivity projects in priority areas. The funding would support culvert crossings benefitting state- and federally-threatened Coastal Pacific Marten (a Species of Greatest Conservation Need) and other species including black-tailed deer.
An Executive Session will be held pursuant to ORS 192.660(2)(f) to consider information or records that are exempt by law from public inspection, as well as to consult with legal counsel concerning legal rights and duties of a public body with regard to current litigation or litigation likely to be filed as authorized by ORS 192.660(2)(h). The executive session is closed to the public. Media wishing to attend should contact the Director’s office at (503) 947-6044.
