After receiving a petition by a coalition of environmental groups, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) has directed the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission (WFWC) to draft new rules concerning wolves and livestock conflicts.
The new rules will look more into nonlethal measures to avoid livestock-wolf conflicts. The commission will now be required to begin a formal rulemaking process, which includes opening a commenting period to the public.
In a letter to Larry Carpenter, chair of the WFWC, Inslee said he appreciated the work of the Department of Fish and Wildlife, but “the potential for future depredations and lethal control actions, under our existing framework, remains unacceptably high. We must move more quickly and decisively to institute practices that will avoid the repeated loss of wolves and livestock in our state.”
