THIS ACTION IS FOR WASHINGTON RESIDENTS ONLY

On January 10th, just six days before leaving office, former Washington Governor Jay Inslee reappointed Tim Ragen and appointed Lynn O'Connor to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission. Veteran commissioner and rancher Molly Linville was removed, and commissioner Jim Anderson was left in limbo without an appointment, although he was slated to continue serving on the Commission until the next Governor made a choice about his decision.

These "midnight appointments" took away from incoming Governor Bob Ferguson's chance to make his own choices for the commission, which had recently and very publicly come under fire following the release of a legislative review. On February 5th, the Senate Natural Resources Committee unanimously voted to rescind the former governor's January appointments, following a letter from Governor Ferguson requesting that the appointments be sent back to his office.

This action came in response to requests from tribes, diverse organizational leaders, and members of the public to engage in a more transparent, thorough, and collaborative appointment process. Ferguson took steps to closely follow the intent of RCW 77.04.040, which suggests that the governor should seek to maintain a balance reflecting all aspects of fish and wildlife, as well as representation through recommendations and engagement with diverse stakeholder groups. This legal framework was ignored by the prior Governor who had left tribal, sportsmen, and rural representatives in the dark for the prior appointments.

On April 7th, after a thorough interview process and evaluation of 14 candidates, Governor Bob Ferguson reappointed returning members Molly Linville and Jim Anderson, and appointed a new member, Victor Garcia, to the WDFW Commission. Anderson, a Pierce County resident, is the former Executive Director of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission and an active angler and hunter. Linville, a Douglas County cattle rancher with a background as a USFWS biologist and former WDFW Wolf Advisory Group member, who grew up hunting and fishing. Both commissioners bring expertise and a history of fairness towards all interest groups, championing conservation and prioritizing science and department staff expertise. New Commissioner Garcia is a retired teacher from Skagit County with a field biology background and experience as a commercial fisherman and sportsman.

We look forward to working with these three commissioners and believe this is a step in the right direction to clear up the dysfunction and personal agendas that have plagued this body. The reappointed individuals were two of the few who maintained transparency, thoughtfulness, and fairness within the commission since 2019, and we believe the new appointment of Victor Garcia will bring more balance to the commission than it has seen in years.

We offer gratitude to Governor Bob Ferguson for taking a collaborative and comprehensive approach to the WDFW appointment process and for listening to the public's concerns about reappointing O'Connor and Ragen, which could have exacerbated the commission's problems. The findings of the Ruckelshaus report were clearly considered with Ferguson’s appointment of these individuals as a hope to address the issues and concerns present on this conflict-ridden and politically polarized commission.

Strong pressure from powerful and well-funded anti-hunting special interests was applied in the weeks and days prior to the official decision, many through larger state media outlets, but Ferguson was able to resist the desperate and loud calls to reappoint Inslee’s prior choices.

Governor Ferguson prioritized bringing function back to this vital body of policymakers with these appointments and listened to not only representatives of larger entities but also the voices of Washingtonians who are most affected by decisions of the WDFW Commission.

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FOR WASHINGTON RESIDENTS ONLY