On Jan. 12, Gov. Jay Inslee ordered the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission to commence rulemaking on wolf-livestock conflict after the commission denied a petition from animal rights groups calling for the rule. Déjà vú.

After the commission denied a similar petition from many of the same groups in 2020, Inslee also ordered rulemaking. Staff complied and worked two years to develop a rule that was then rejected by the commission.

Each time, the commission agreed with the Department of Fish and Wildlife that the existing protocol from the Department’s Wolf Advisory Group adequately guides wolf-livestock conflict management.

Gray wolves in Washington have recovered to such an extent that the WDFW recommends their down-listing from state-endangered status, even as some wolves must occasionally be killed to deal with conflict.

Inslee’s meddling in gray wolf management wastes resources, harms communities and creates liability that costs us state taxpayers. The commission chair, a lawyer herself, has more than once stated publicly that a rigid rule about management best left to a tailored situational response is just asking for a lawsuit.

The concern is compounded by the fact that the signing rule petitioner is an animal rights attorney who has previously unsuccessfully sued the WDFW over predator management. Inslee even went so far as to acclaim her in his order to the commission.

Ideologically driven bad judgment? Shouldn’t the governor serve everyone in the state, not special interests out to damage the state?

Kim Thorburn, MD, MPH

Spokane, Wash.

Editor’s Note: The author is a former fish and wildlife commissioner and a retired doctor.