Merger of WDFW & Parks into DNR

The following message from Ed Owens, our Legislative Advisor, is critical if the Departments of Fish & Wildlife and Parks & Recreation are to survive !  There is not much that I can to it.

  Respond as he requests, as individuals and if you belong to an organization, have your president send a message on its behalf. Also, involve everybody you know in responding.

  The Email formula for legislators in both Houses is as follows:

  last name(dot)first name @ leg(dot)wa(dot)gov

example: prentice.margarita@leg.wa.gov

Ed Owens Message is below: 

The Senate bill calling for the merger of WDFW & Parks into DNR remains bottled up in the Senate Natural Resources Committee.  Multiple title only bills
dealing with "natural resources" have been introduced - any one of
them could be used as the policy vehicle to merge WDFW & Parks into
DNR and that's now the likely event to occur.  The Senate budget released
yesterday zero's out the WDFW budget, reduces the agency operating budget
by $10.5 million and transfers all WDFW functions to DNR.  No proof has
been presented that the state "saves" $10.5 million in operating
costs by these actions.  Making these budget provisions will require
passage of a policy bill - you can bet one will come down the road quickly - we
just don't know what vehicle (bill) will be used.

This is deadly and serious business - EVERY FISHING, HUNTING AND RELATED PROGRAM AND EVERY DEDICATED FUND IS AT RISK FOR TERMINATION OR
REDUCTION.  The majority of hunters and fishers in Washington State agreed to surcharges
on their licenses to keep these important functions in place last
year.  Your support of the department will be wiped out if the Senate
Budget is allowed to advance with the merger language in it - the House version
of the budget does not (yet) contain this language. 

You, your organizations and all of the members or your organizations (and their friends and family) ABSOLUTELY need to get involved NOW.  The only
"target" at the moment is the merger language in the Senate
budget.  A simple "I oppose merger of the natural resource
agencies" will suffice.  It's been about 15 years since the old
department of fish and department of game were merged to create WDFW. 
We're still dealing with the ugly consequences of that merger.  We don't
need another super agency ... that's not government reform.  Creating another
super agency while doing harm to the already existing programs willingly funded
by hunters and fishers is not responsible wildlife management. 

The first order of priority is for everybody to contact EVERY member of the Senate Ways & Means Committee with the message LOUD AND CLEAR
STATED that the hunters and fishers of the state are adamantly opposed to
merging WDFW into DNR.  The second order of priority is then for all the
rest of the members of the Senate to "hear" that message as well as
your legislators in the House. 

Individual direct web-based emails can be sent through http://apps. leg.wa.gov/ rosters/Committe eMembersByCommit tee.aspx... 

A list of Senators and their non-web email address is at https://dlr. leg.wa.gov/ MemberEmail/ Default.aspx? Chamber=S

The in-state toll-free Hotline number for those wanting to call their legislators is 800.562.6000.

The 22 members of the Senate Ways & Means Committee are:

Senator Margarita Prentice (Chair)

Senator Karen Fraser (Vice-Chair, Capital Budget)

Senator Rodney Tom (Vice Chair, Operating Budget - author of the merger effort)

Senator Joseph Zarelli (Ranking Minority)

Senator Dale Brandland

Senator Mike Carrell

Senator Darlene Fairley

Senator Mike Hewitt

Senator Steve Hobbs

Senator Jim Honeyford

Senator Karen Keiser

Senator Adam Kline

Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles

Senator Joe McDermott

Senator Ed Murray

Senator Eric Oemig

Senator Linda Evans Parlette

Senator Cheryl Pflug

Senator Craig Pridemore

Senator Debbie Regala

Senator Phil Rockefeller

Senator Mark Schoesler