A Wyoming State Legislature Committee had the opportunity to address the public’s overwhelming demand to ban snowmobiling over wildlife—but didn’t.
State Wildlife Management
Hunters Need Predators
Recent research on ungulate diseases like CWD calls into question the wisdom of states’ permissive, in some cases unrestricted, hunting and trapping of cougars, wolves, coyotes and bobcats. If the whole of nature is good, no part can be bad. It’s time for all hunters to recognize predators as allies, not competitors.
Wild Ground is Common Ground
In a recent op-ed, Will Marlier pushes back against the narrative often repeated in the wildlife management community that interest in hunting is waning because young/urban people are disconnected from nature and too immersed in their screens.
Why Florida’s Right to Hunt Amendment is Unnecessary
Wildlife for All has joined with other groups in opposing a so-called “Right to Hunt” ballot initiative in Florida that would tie wildlife managers’ hands and privilege hunters and anglers over the majority of the public. Read more here.
The Role of Wildlife Governance in Rewilding
State wildlife agencies are failing to restore and protect wildlife because they prioritize hunting, fishing and trapping over ecological conservation, according to a new study in the journal Bioscience.
Wyoming Wolf Torture Incident Highlights Need to Drastically Reform State Wildlife Management
Wildlife for All and partners renewed our call for Wyoming and other states to overhaul their wildlife management policies in the wake of an incident of a wolf having been captured and tortured in Wyoming.
A Proposed VT Bill Would Add Nonhunters to the Fish and Wildlife Board
A bill in Vermont would democratize wildlife policy making by adding nonhunters to the state wildlife board. This NY Times article links it to similar efforts to shake up wildlife management in other states.
Webinar: Beyond Wildlife Policy to Social Justice: Rethinking Wildlife Management in the U.S.
Join us for a one-hour introduction to Wildlife for All, a national campaign to reform wildlife management in the U.S. Tuesday, April 25, 2023, 11 am PST/2 pm EST.
Hunting group files lawsuit against Washington wildlife commissioner, says more legal actions to come
By Eli Francovich
The Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation has sued WDFW Commissioner Lorna Smith, claiming that she is “pushing an extremist view of fish and wildlife management and is adamantly opposed to the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.”
Are Butterflies Wildlife? Depends Where You Live
By Catrin Einhorn
“‘State agencies are really at the forefront of conservation for wildlife,’ said Scott Black, executive director of the Xerces Society, a nonprofit group that advocates for insect conservation. ‘But in these states where they can’t work on insects, or in some cases any invertebrates, they don’t. So, you see things just languish.'”
State wildlife management: A crisis of legitimacy
By Charles Fox
“The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish supports itself by selling off the public’s wildlife for recreational killing. But the vast majority of New Mexicans who do not hunt or fish never agreed to this arrangement, and have virtually no say in how their wildlife is managed.”
Wildlife management in New Mexico needs modernizing
By Bryan Bird & Kevin Bixby
“The time for the [New Mexico Department of Game and Fish] to pivot from being a relic of the past to a modern, wildlife conservation agency is long overdue. With the number of species moving toward extinction growing daily, the need is urgent. The Legislature needs to pass modernization and commission reform legislation while also approving license fee increases. It can do that with HB 184 and HB 486.”
Game Commission reorganization should become law
By Christopher Smith
“House Bill 184 would improve the State Game Commission, the appointed body that oversees the Department of Game and Fish. The legislation, which already passed its first committee, would help create a commission that represents all New Mexicans and insulates wildlife policy decisions from political whims and financial influence.”
Bills aim to overhaul New Mexico Game and Fish management
By Nathan Brown
Two bills focused on reforming wildlife management were recently heard before a New Mexico House Committee. HB 183 would have abolished the state’s Game and Fish Department, while HB 184 would change the way that seats are allocated on the State Wildlife Commission. HB 183 was defeated, but HB 184 made it out of the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee on a 6-3 vote.
Hunting group to sue Gov. Inslee alleging biased commission appointments
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission is finally starting to represent the values of all Washingtonians, yet fringe hunting groups have decided to sue the Governor because they feel that the 2% of Washington residents who hunt are not “represented” on the Commission. Almost 50% of the Commissioners are hunters.
Walter Medwid: Fish & Wildlife is unlike any other department in state government
Wildlife for All Advisory Committee member Walter Medwid wrote commentary for the Vermont Digger to highlight the necessity of reforming the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board.
“The largely uncredentialed Fish and Wildlife Board holds broad regulatory and public policy authority over all game species without the benefit of the public’s voice at the table.”
Port Townsend Washington recognizes rights of orcas
Last week, the city of Port Townsend acknowledged the endangered southern resident orcas who call the region home had rights.
New Mexico needs modern wildlife management
By Kevin Bixby
Kevin Bixby, the Executive Director of Wildlife for All, explores the inadequate and dated system of wildlife governance in New Mexico in this op-ed. “To protect our wildlife and stave off extinctions here, modernization is imperative.”
A Legislature Removing Sportsmanship, Democracy, and Soul of the People from the State
By Michael McFadzen, Amy Mueller, and Francisco J. Santiago-Ávila
“Wildlife is not the province of consumptive users; wildlife concerns us all. And respecting wild animals means moving beyond harm to care. It means allowing wildlife to thrive, for everyone’s sake.”
Should Utah pay $50 bounties on coyotes killed in controversial contests?
By Brian Maffly
“Late fall marks the resumption of Utah’s wildlife killing contests, where an unknown number of coyotes and other animals are shot by teams angling to take the largest haul of dead “dogs” stacked in the bed of their pickups by the end of the day.”
Events such as these are legal because wildlife managers are trained to ignore the interests of individual animals and only focus on the impacts on populations and species.