Washington State's "public safety Clause" in the current Intitiative -655 that forbids hunters from using hounds when hunting Cougars is being exploited by the State Fish& Wildlife Dept.................A blatant and purposeful misinterpretation of the clause with the goal of killing up to 109 Cougars in areas of the State where there might be a PERCEPTION OF A COUGAR/HUMAN CONFLICT PROBLEM.............Hear this loud and clear,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,there does not have to be an actual problem, simply Fish & Wildlife concluding that there could be a problem....................Talk about a corrupt and larcenous group of elected officials and you are talking about this Washington State crew..............They make our inept and petty Federal Congressmen and Senators look like choir boys in comparison........... Washington State FWS showing a blatant disregard and abuse of the peoples will and vote in manipulating the clause to serve their narrow minded and error filled management policy for our majestic Cat

Hammering the Final Nail in Washington's I-655 Coffin
  
In 1996, Washington voters overwhelmingly passed Initiative-655 to ban the inhumane practice of hunting cougars with hounds. So as to not place the citizenry at undo risk, I-655 also included a "public safety" clause. This provision allowed the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to utilize hounds to track and kill those individual cougars which posed a threat to the public's safety or preyed on domestic animals. Over the years, this crack in Washington's cougar protection wall has been exploited over and over again by parties who can't stand to have others tell them what they can or can not do. The most recent assault on I-655's hounding ban comes from WDFW itself with their current proposed rule changes to Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 232-12-243.

No longer even pretending that they are acting for the safety of the people, WDFW officials want to, in effect, provide recreational opportunities for hound-hunters by allowing them to kill up to (at this time) 109 cougars in those areas of the state where there might be a perception of a cougar problem. This is what WDFW wants to base their new cougar eradication program on--perceptions--not actual cougar problems or public safety threats, but baseless opinions and vague feelings; your basic "boogeyman in the closet" syndrome.

Just last month, cougar researchers from the University of Washington and Washington State University stated in a forum for WDFW officials and other policy makers that the current excessive killing of adult cougars in Washington is creating "sinks" where younger cougars, less skilled at avoiding humans, are moving into these newly vacated territories and getting into trouble. These eminent biologists also informed attendees that cougars are a self-regulating species, which if left alone would balance their population numbers according to the availability of suitable habitat and their primary prey species--deer.

Unfortunately, WDFW has decided to ignore advice based on the latest, and best, scientific data on cougars and instead push for the Fish and Wildlife Commission's approval of WAC 232-12-243. If approved, this rule change will actually increase the likelihood of human-cougar conflicts, put the public at greater risk, and negate any short-term benefits rural residents might experience from a properly implemented livestock and pet protection program.

If you are a Washington resident and want to help stop this betrayal of the public's trust, please consider attending the upcoming Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission hearing to voice your objections.


Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission Hearing
August 5th & 6th  --  Hearing starts at 8:30 a.m.
Natural Resources Building
Conference Room # 172
1111 Washington Street S.E.
Olympia, Washington 98504

Contact MLF's Washington Field Representative Bob McCoy at bmccoy@mountainlion.org if you are planning on attending