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Since tribal and non-tribal hunters impact the wildlife
resource over much of the state, it is important that
WDFW and the tribes work cooperatively to develop management
strategies that can meet the needs of both. This process
is complicated because tribal ceremonial and subsistence
hunting and state recreational hunting are two different
philosophies steeped in different traditions and cultural
heritages.
Many tribal governments take an active role in the management
of wildlife resources. Most tribes with off-reservation
hunting rights have a tribal hunting committee that meets
to develop regulations and management strategies. Many
tribes have hired biologists, or have access to biological
staff, that can advise them on the development of management
approaches. Tribes have taken the lead in several areas
on research projects to gather the information that is
needed to better manage wildlife resources. WDFW and
various tribes have worked together to develop herd plans
for key wildlife populations. WDFW has also worked cooperatively
with tribes to rebuild or augment populations that are
below desired levels.
WDFW
Staff from Intergovernmental Resource Management, Wildlife,
and Enforcement Programs meet with tribal representatives
to discuss wildlife and hunting management issues. The
discussions stem from a 1998
Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission policy directing
the department to negotiate with tribes to resolve hunting
issues. Hunting co-management
is also a stated objective within the department’s Game
Management Plan and six area-specific elk
herd management plans, all developed
with extensive public-involvement.
WDFW
and some tribes have entered into cooperative management
agreements
and Memorandums of Agreement/Understanding
to foster and maintain a good working relationship. For
wildlife management, WDFW has entered the following agreements
and MOU’s:
In the spring of 2007, eight of the nine tribes signatory
to the Treaty of Point Elliott and WDFW reached an agreement
for elk harvest in Game Management Unit 418. The state
and the tribes had worked together for years to rebuild
the North Cascade elk herd by implementing a moratorium
on elk harvest, augmenting the herd with elk moved from
Mount St. Helens and enhancing elk habitat. Based on
wildlife survey data and criteria adopted in the North
Cascade Elk Herd Management Plan, it was determined that
the population rebounded to a level that could provide
limited hunting opportunity for bull elk, which took
place in the fall of 2007. The agreement provided a framework
to ensure that there was coordination of hunting seasons
and harvest levels, harvest reporting, and regulation
sharing. |
