Private Lands Wildlife Management Area: A Program Review And Recommendations of the Stakeholder Group to WDFW PDF Format - [400K] See also: Washington State hunters' and Landowners' Opinions on the Private Lands Wildlife Management Area Program (PLWMA) PDF Format - [609K]

Private Lands Wildlife Management Area (PLWMA): A Program Review And Recommendations of the Stakeholder Group to Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife August 22, 2003 Discussion Paper: Private Land Partnerships for Hunter Access. August 20, 2004 Introduction: The trial Private Lands Wildlife Management Area (PLWMA) program has been in existence since November 1991, when PLWMA 201 Buck run located near Wilson Creek, Washington was approved by the Commission. Subsequently, the Kapowsin Tree Farm located in Pierce County was approved in 1992 and the Pysht Tree Farm located near Clallam Bay, Washington was approved as a trial PLWMA in 1997. The Fish and Wildlife Commission requested WDFW to conduct a review of the program and report back to them with recommendations.   The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) organized a PLWMA stakeholder group in January 2003 to assist in a program review. Representatives from each of the trial programs, five representatives of various sportsmen organizations, two timber industry representatives, three agriculture interests, two professional wildlife biologists and one representative of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission made up the Stakeholder group. Four meetings were held and at the conclusion, they developed this report, which contains 49 specific recommendations including a recommendation to continue with a PLWMA-like program. The following three questions are the central themes of the review process. Should the PLWMA program be authorized as a permanent program having successfully completed a lengthy trial period? Should the current Fish and Wildlife Commission Policy POL-C6002 be amended and the PLWMAs reauthorized as a permanent program? Should the PLWMA program be terminated? Responsive Management, a private polling firm, conducted a study for the WDFW entitled, Washington State hunters' and Landowners' Opinions on the Private Lands Wildlife Management Area Program," which has been very helpful in the review process. A Copy of this report is available by request to George Tsukamoto, Wildlife Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 600 Capital Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091 Executive Summary: The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission (WFWC) directed the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to conduct a review of the PLWMA program and report back to them on their findings and recommendations. The first trial PLWMA was established in November 1991, when PLWMA 201 Buck run (Wilson Creek) was approved by the Commission. Two other areas, Kapowsin Tree Farm, PLWMA 401 (1992) and Pysht Tree Farm PLWMA 600 (1997) were included in the trial. WDFW organized a PLWMA stakeholder group in January 2003 to assist in the program review. Representatives from each of the trial programs, five representatives of various sportsmen organizations, two timber industry representatives, three agriculture interests, two professional wildlife biologists and one representative of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission made up the Stakeholder group. Four meetings were held. The following three questions were the central theme of the stakeholder group work. Should the PLWMA program be authorized as a permanent program having successfully completed a lengthy trial period? Should the current Fish and Wildlife Commission Policy POL-C6002 be amended and the PLWMAs reauthorized as a permanent program? Should the PLWMA program be terminated? This document represents the recommendations of the Stakeholder group. Altogether, 49 recommendations were formulated, some of which were repeated for their relevance in multiple areas of the program. A summary of twelve primary recommendations of the PLWMA stakeholder group is as follows. A PLWMA-like program should be continued, expanded where appropriate, authorized as a permanent program, be more flexible, and made available to private landowners who wish to work in partnership with WDFW. PLWMA program should be consolidated with other existing private lands programs such as the Upland Wildlife Restoration Program, Road Management, Shooting Preserves, and Public Access (Appendix C). Private lands programs should emphasize "partnerships" and have dedicated staffing and funding to accomplish the program. WDFW Funds will be needed to administer start-up costs and management oversight of PLWMAs. If the program is to be successful, (e.g., expanded in scope and participation) additional staff efforts by WDFW will be needed. This will require programmatic funding, either reallocation of existing departmental funding or generation of new funds dedicated to this task. The name of the program should be changed and shortened to clearly reflect the goals and objectives. We suggest Private Lands Partnership (PLP) program. Commission POL-C6002 needs revision to clearly state the policy and intent of the Fish and Wildlife Commission and set concise goals and measurable objectives for the program. The current guidelines and procedures are not adequate. It is highly recommended that the Department create a PLWMA program standards and guidelines manual that emphasizes achieving a common goal that fosters cooperation, coordination, teamwork, mutual respect and partnership building. The PLWMA Management Plan and Cooperative Agreement must embrace the program standards and guidelines, which establishes the working agreement between WDFW and cooperator unique to the specific project. PLWMA program should provide regulatory certainty (in-so-far as it is possible) to the landowner. The PLWMA management plan is a partnership document that becomes an integral part of the cooperative agreement between WDFW and landowner that should be valid for up to 15 years or more and coincide with the 3-year hunting seasons recommendation cycle. Economic viability of the program is not optional for the landowner, WDFW or the user public. Some low cost or free access hunting opportunities should be maintained through a permit drawing or other process that equalizes the chance that a hunter will receive access to a PLWMA. PLWMAs are best focused on lands that are or might be closed to public hunting and other wildlife recreation opportunities or where wildlife habitat protection and enhancement would be beneficial. A major benefit of the PLWMA program is the conservation of wildlife habitat. Opening of currently closed private or fee-hunting lands to public hunts will benefit hunters on both public and private property. PLWMA wildlife management and public access programs require capital outlay so it is appropriate to maintain landowner opportunity to recoup expenses to accomplish positive public benefits that are agreed to and identified in a PLWMA Management Plan. For the PLWMA program to be successful and attractive to landowners, incentives need to be flexible and financially viable. Provide better public exposure of the PLWMA program through WDFW media sources, marketing plans, and landowners. Place the PLWMA program on the WDFW website. Develop a brochure about the PLWMA program and include instruction about the PLWMA program in the Hunter Education curriculum. Incentives should be reasonable and attainable in scope and funding. PLWMA landowner incentives may include but are not limited to the following: Commission authorized landowner permits for big game that can be raffled, auctioned, sold for access or are discretionarily allocated, however, raffling is the preferred process. Customized limits for upland birds; based on simple, standardized criteria. Customized season length and legal animal descriptions; based on simple, standardized criteria. Free Access Hunts in exchange for habitat work on the PLWMA (Go Play Outside Program). Flexible incentives for cooperatives with adjoining Landowners. Seek to preserve and enhance liability insurance limits for free access providers. Signage and patrolling assistance. Habitat development and technical assistance. PLWMA Wildlife Management Plan development assistance