April 26th 2009, The Wild Steelhead Coalition is pleased to announce Bill McMillan as our 2009 Conservation Award Winner.

The WSC Conservation Award is presented to an individual or group that, through their actions and/or accomplishments, have made a significant and noteworthy contributions to to protection and propagation of wild steelhead.

Bill's lifetime commitment to steelhead advocacy is recognized and admired through his persistence and success at bringing steelhead issues to the surface, thus building awareness and understanding of the plight of wild steelhead and what we can do to become more conservation minded anglers.

Please join us in a celebration Bill's work and achievement as we present him with the award at the 2009 Wild Steelhead Coalition event on May 9th at our annual fund raiser and screening of Rivers of a Lost Coast. Details on the right hand side of this column.

• Hoh River Wild Steelhead on the Brink

• Podcast of the May 9th WSC fundraiser radio plug on KJR

• The Adipose March-April 2009 Edition

Excerpt:

We are writing you to respectfully request that Whole Foods Market abstain from the purchase and sale of wild steelhead. The Wild Steelhead Coalition (WSC) is an organization that is dedicated to increasing the return of wild steelhead to the rivers and waters of the Pacific Northwest. The WSC has been working to ban the intentional harvest of wild steelhead, a Washington State symbol, since our inception in 2000, and selling them for food defeats these efforts.

• Entire letter sent to Whole Foods Inc.

WSC Lifetime Members

Steve Choate
Wayne Schiffman
Bill Robinson
Tim Pask
Andrew Turner
Keith Beverly

• Petition to Protect Wild Salmon written by Alexandra Morton

I would like to share a letter that outlines the case against 5127 written by Wild Steelhead Coalition Trustee John McGlenn. As the President of the Wild Steelhead Coalition, I request that our Senators and Representatives DO NOT support this ill-conceived Bill. This will turn back the clock of progress that as been made to have a public input to the fish and wildlife of our great state. 5127 will make our fish and wildlife more vulnerable to increasing environmental and usage pressures. Please keep the Fish and Wildlife Commission intact!

Sincerely,

Wild Steelhead Coalition
Rich Simms
President

Let’s Keep the Fish and Wildlife Commission
by John McGlenn

In 1995 the legislature forwarded Referendum 45 to broaden the authority of the citizen Fish and Wildlife Commission for a public vote. It passed in every county of Washington. Now the legislature is considering passage of Senate Bill 5127 that would overturn the 1995 vote of the people and reverse progress we have made to strengthen the grassroots support for Washington’s Fish and Wildlife. SB 5127 would reduce the number of Commissioners, shorten their terms and strip them of all significant responsibility and authority.

SB 5127 would blatantly reject a decision made by the voters as recently as 1995. It would also put fish and wildlife at risk from harmful policies that inevitably arise in a government system such as ours where elected officials face immense political pressure from special interests.

Setting policies and adopting wildlife classifications and regulations for managing fish and wildlife are tough assignments. New housing, industrial developments, agriculture, timber and mineral extraction, hydropower and transportation routinely compete for the habitat and water essential for healthy fish and wildlife populations. Commercial and recreational fishing and hunting opportunities must also be balanced with the long-term health of the resource. Our elected leaders deal with a vast array of complex issues from all reaches of industry and society and sometimes, by necessity must make compromises they would prefer not to make. However, a citizen Commission appointed by the Governor, with the background, knowledge, longevity and sufficient authority provides the necessary expertise and independence to buffer fish and wildlife policies from these inevitable pressures.

SB 5127 would not produce cost savings. Instead the long-term negative impact to the state’s fish and wildlife resources would translate into significant net economic costs. Funding for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and other natural resource agencies is and remains embarrassingly low. All of our natural resource agencies, including WDFW, receive only 1.4% of the general fund. Citizens provide about one-third of the entire WDFW budget through license fees, and therefore should retain their voice in policy decisions. Non-profit organizations such as the Audubon Society, Ducks Unlimited, Nature Conservancy, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Puget Sound Anglers and many other groups partner with the Department and support programs through significant volunteer-hours. The Commission is the Department’s key link with individual citizens and volunteer organizations. Commission public workshops and hearings are vital forums in which the public’s voice is heard. Also, commissioners often make themselves available to citizens and stakeholder groups at no cost to the state.

I had the privilege of serving on the Fish and Wildlife Commission for 12 years under three Governors. Those years gave me an immense appreciation for the difficult challenges facing our Department to both maximize opportunity for all while putting conservation first. I learned that a passion for fish and wildlife and the need for independence to protect and sustain them are essential ingredients for an effective Commission. Nothing is perfect in this complex world, but the Commission system has served our fish and wildlife well since 1933. Qualified citizen appointees who place the resource first and require staff to manage based on the best science available will continue to produce the sustainable policies Washington citizens demand. Please retain our citizen Fish and Wildlife Commission structure with authority by urging your legislators and the Governor to oppose SB 5127.

• To Find and Contact your Legislator