State wildlife director Phil Anderson doesn’t work directly for Gov. Chris Gregoire, but he says this administration is the friendliest toward natural resource issues since at least the time of John Spellman.
Anderson, who supervises the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, answers to the nine-member Fish and Wildlife Commission. The commission members are appointed by the governor.
“I’ve had a remarkably good relationship with the governor,” Anderson said in Vancouver in October while stumping for a possible increase in hunting, fishing and commercial fishing fees.
“We’re not a cabinet agency because of our commission structure, but she has included me in every aspect,” he said. “I think we probably have at this juncture in our state, with Gov. Gregorie being there, with Jay Manning being chief of staff — he used to be director of Ecology — probably the most natural resource friendly adminstration in the governor’s office…I can say that clearly between Gov. Gregoire and (former Gov. Gary) Locke.”
Anderson also said John Spellman, governor from 1981 to 1985, like to hunt and fish.
Here are a few other tidbits from Anderson’s meeting with the bi-state Columbia River recreational and commercial advisory groups:
RELATIVE IRRELEVANCE: Washington is facing a $4.5 billion shortfall for the 2011-13 budget cycle. The state’s 13 agencies that deal with natural resource issues get $340 million from the general fund.
“You could eliminate us all and not solve the problem,” Anderson said.
GAME WARDENS: Washington has 140 commissioned wildlife law enforcement officers in the field, plus seven vacant positions. Cutting 20 positions (including the seven) is among the reductions under consideration for the next budget cycle.
But it probably will not happen.
“Enforcement is a pretty popular activity that we do,” Anderson said. “I, frankly, don’t think the Legislature would approve us cutting 20 enforcement officers. I’m not sure I’d agree with that either.”
HATCHERY CLOSURES: Washington runs 87 hatcheries. Closing seven to 11 is under consideration for 2011-13.
“We’re talking about things like eliminating steelhead fishing in Puget Sound,” Anderson said. “Does that make sense along the coast? Going through a process where you do proportional cuts, you take a little bit out of every place, you can only do that so much to where you get to a point you’re not doing anything very well.”
TWO-POLE ENDORSEMENT: The potential license fee increases actually proposes reducing the $24.50 endorsement allowing use of two fishing rods in selected waters to $14.80, a 40 percent cut.
“We had recommended a $10 base for a two-pole endorsement,” Anderson said. “The Legislature thought better of it and put on a $20 base, so that made the out-the-door price $24.50.
“We didn’t sell nearly as many of those two-pole endorsements as we thought we would with the $10 fee. We’re proposing to lower it to an out-the-door price of about $14.”
