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Support lukewarm for Wildlife, State Parks agency merger

The Columbian
Published: December 30, 2010, 12:00am

Gov. Chris Gregoire’s proposal to merge state agencies that oversee parks, fish and wildlife has drawn a lukewarm reception from local legislators.

Two weeks ago, Gregoire suggested consolidating the State Parks and Recreation Commission and Department of Fish and Wildlife into a new Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Rep. Brian Blake, D-Aberdeen, likened the proposal to “putting two handfuls of mud together and making another mudball.”

Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, pointed out the differing objectives of the parks agency and WDFW, saying “The last time I knew, you couldn’t hunt in state parks.”

Still, Orcutt said the merger has “a bigger risk of going through” than consolidation efforts of the past because of the state’s ongoing budget crisis.

Gregoire said the merger would save $2.5 million in the second year of the upcoming biennium.

Mergers are nothing new in Washington fish and wildlife management.

A merger in 1994 combined the departments of fisheries, which managed salmon and sturgeon, and the department of wildlife, which oversaw animals in addition to steelhead and trout.

Another significant change came in 1996, when Referendum 45 transferred the power to hire and fire the director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife to the Fish and Wildlife Commission, which is appointed by the governor. The idea behind the commission is that decisions on hunting and fishing regulations should be made in public and insulated from influence by elected politicians.

Gregoire’s restructuring would return the power to appoint the director of the new, merged agency to the governor, with commissions for parks and fish and wildlife having only advisory power.

That idea troubles Orcutt, who said he prefers keeping management of fish and wildlife under a commission that has a relatively narrow focus.

Blake said he’s “somewhat baffled” that Gregoire is proposing sidestepping the Fish and Wildlife Commission because she appointed all of its current members and that he’ll need to study Gregoire’s proposal before deciding whether to support it.

“They may be able to show me how this merger makes sense,” he said.

Sports and commercial fishermen may line up on different sides of the merger debate.

Kent Martin of Skamokawa, a commercial fisherman active in fishery management issues, favors a return to having the governor appoint the fisheries manager.

The current Fish and Wildlife Commission “has spent an awful lot of time and energy micro-managing,” Martin said.

However, the sports fishing-oriented Coastal Conservation Association favors keeping the current commission structure. “That power was given by a vote of the people. It’s important,” said Bryan Irwin, executive director of the Northwest chapter of CCA.

Blake and Rep. Dean Takko, D-Longview, said the current commission favors sports fishing on the Columbia River over commercial fishing.

“There’s no doubt this commission is hostile to commercial fishing,” Blake said. “They’ve all but said it.”

Several hunter-oriented bloggers oppose the merger, fearing that non-hunters or even animal rights organizations would gain clout. Dave Workman of the Seattle Gun Rights Examiner wondered whether Gregoire or the Defenders of Wildlife, which advocates for endangered species, would end up setting hunting policy.

Orcutt said that a higher priority for him than a merger is to eliminate duplication of effort by natural resource agencies in reviewing forest practices.

“We could reduce Fish and Wildlife down to managing fish and wildlife,” he said.

Sen. Joe Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, said he needed to see more details about the proposal before deciding whether to support it. However, Zarelli said he’s concerned that parks and the WDFW “functionally are two different types of animals.”

Last week, the Parks and Recreation Commission issued a statement saying it supports keeping itself an autonomous agency.

The Parks and Recreation Commission suggests charging fees to enter parks. Under the proposal, people would be able to buy an annual state parks entry permit when they renew vehicle licenses. Fee levels haven’t been established, said parks spokeswoman Virginia Painter.

Currently, vehicle owners can make a contribution to parks when they renew licenses.

Other highlights of the Gregoire proposal:

The merged agency would also include the Department of Natural Resources’ law enforcement unit, which employs seven agents including two in Southwest Washington.

The new agency would also include the DNR’s Natural Heritage Program, which researches endangered plants and wildlife.

Another inclusion would be the Recreation and Conservation Office, which manages grant programs to create outdoor recreation and for salmon recovery. The office has 58 employees.

RCO Director Kaleen Cottingham — who was appointed by Gregoire — said she supports the merger.

“We need to have one front door” where groups can apply for grants for recreation, she said.

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