WA Fish and Wildlife panel confronts high tensions and harsh testimony – Washington Standard

Posted on April 21, 2026 by Al Bergstein

The never ending drama of the State Wildlife Commission continued with an open session allowing comments from both sides in the controversy. We urge the Governor to take steps to remove Director Kelly Susewind. The Governor never had any need to follow the lead of the hunters associations as they hated him from the beginning and never would have voted for him in the past or the future. These attacks on Commissioners nominated for their environmental protection stance and the ability to follow science rather than the hunting communities perceived needs to kill bears. This continues attacks across the country on environmental protection under this radical regime in Washington D.C. that fuels this behavior.

Commissioner Smith is a local environmental activist from Jefferson County. I’ve known her and worked with her and her husband Darrell for decades. She was part of the team that lobbied congress to get Protection Island turned into a National Wildlife Refuge in 1982. She has fought for wolf and cougar protection along with protecting bears from slaughter. This hunting often leaves orphaned cubs in its wake. There is no one more qualified to fight to protect the issues of the environment than her. If the Governor abandons her, it will be a stain on his supposed environmental credentials for the rest of his term.

From the Washington Standard:

Surly public comments are a staple of Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission meetings, revealing the deeply personal stakes of those fighting over how far the state should go in protecting various species or allowing for hunting or fishing.

But last week’s session carried a slightly harsher tone, fueled by an investigation into whether commissioners violated open meetings and public records statutes ahead of a decision in 2022 to ban spring bear hunts, and a federal civil rights lawsuit filed against the agency’s director by a commissioner targeted by the probe.

The meeting took place Thursday to Saturday in Olympia. Speakers vented grievances with decisions of the citizen panel, actions of individual members and leaders of the Department of Fish and Wildlife, which the commission oversees. Some called for commissioners to resign, others for agency Director Kelly Susewind to be fired.

Read more at

Washington Standard Article

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Filed under: Eastern Washington, Endangered Species, Environmental Activism, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Government, Politics | Tagged: , | Leave a comment »

WA Fish and Wildlife commissioner accuses agency director of retaliation – Washington Standard

Posted on April 5, 2026 by Al Bergstein

In a lawsuit, the commissioner and a wildlife group leader say department leaders manufactured allegations against them because they questioned their decisions.

The ongoing passion play attacking the environmental “wing” of the Washington State Fish and Wildlife Commission continues. This battle between the environmental wing and the hunters wing has gone from bad behavior to truly ugly.

To understand this issue, other than reading the good article on the Standard, found here: Washington State Standard Article you have to understand that this stems from a debate over whether hunters should continue to be allowed to kill bears in our state.

The commission, which is nominated by the Governor, has been a lightning rod for hunting groups nationwide. The current Commissioner, Lorna Smith, who lives in Jefferson County and has been employed by an NGO that is anti-bear and cougar hunting, is under attack by these hunting forces and oddly enough, the head of WFW department, Kelly Susewind and Deputy Director Amy Windrope. The Commission is in charge of overseeing Susewind’s department!

To add to all this, Governor Ferguson, who ran on an environmental ticket, in an early move to apparently throw an olive branch to the hunting community, fired former commissioner Tim Ragen. That act enraged environmentalists who said that Ferguson was reneging on pledges to help the very people who got him elected.

There is so much more to this soap opera. It wouldn’t be so pathetic if the killing of bears weren’t at stake. Do we really need to hunt this animals for money anymore?

Please read the Standard’s piece for a more detailed overview.

Filed under: Environmental Activism, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Government | Tagged: , , , , , | 4 Comments »