Former Commissioner Suggests Legislative Fixes For ‘Dysfunctional’ Panel Overseeing WDFW

By Kim Thorburn

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission (WFWC), the governing body of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), is dysfunctional. This was the finding of a legislatively mandated research study by the Ruckelshaus Center that involved interviews with more than 100 WDFW stakeholders.

Quite simply, the WFWC creates conflict, rather than providing leadership to mitigate and resolve it. Adding to the dysfunction are public meetings during which commissioners themselves bicker endlessly about process and interfere with staff duties.

The Ruckelshaus Center report recommends three options to the legislature to deal with WFWC dysfunction: 1) Ignore it and continue with the status quo; 2) Dissolve commission governance and make the WDFW a cabinet department; or 3) Fix the commission. 

I endorse the third recommendation. I believe in commission governance of fish and wildlife conservation and management, but it needs to do what it’s supposed to. Fish and wildlife stakeholders –hunters, anglers, commercial fishers, trappers, animal rights believers, birders, landowners, rural communities, and many others – care deeply and their values must be represented. A functional governing body would open the door to all voices.

I suggest three legislative fixes for the commission. The first is the appointment process. It needs to be transparent and inclusive. Stakeholder voices must be part of the process.

The second is clear delineation of commission roles and responsibilities. Commissioners must undertake governance, honor tribal co-management, and stay out of management.

The third is a mechanism to hold the commission and its members accountable. There must be consequences for overstepping authority, creating conflict, and not following laws and rules of procedure.

The Ruckelshaus Center researchers asked interviewees what would make the WDFW better for us Washingtonians who cherish our fish and wildlife. The study identified the WFWC dysfunction as the biggest barrier to improvement. I hope the legislature will seriously consider their mandated report and fix the WFWC.

Editor’s note: Kim Thorburn lives in Spokane and served on the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission from March 2015 to March 2023.