Commission will hear comments on 2020-2021 hunting seasons at March meeting in Kennewick

TRI-CITIES - The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will invite public comments on 2020-2021 hunting season proposals during their meeting in Kennewick on March 13. The public will be able to watch the meeting live from a link on the Department website, wdfw.wa.gov, or player.invintus.com/?clientID=2836755451&eventID=2020031002.

The commission meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, March 13 with presentations and hearings on:

• Changes to the migratory waterfowl and gamebird season regulations
• Changes to deer, elk, and other big game species hunting seasons
• Changes to landowner hunting permits, multi-season deer and elk permits, and raffle hunts
• Changes to cougar management harvest guidelines
• Proposal to abolish a rule relating to the spread of elk hoof disease 

The Commission will take open public comment in the morning and will take public comment on these specific items throughout the meeting. They are scheduled to make final decisions regarding these and other hunting season proposals at their April meeting in Olympia.

The Commission is asking individuals to consider the advice from the Washington Department of Health regarding the COVID-19 virus by staying home if they are sick or have underlying health conditions.
 
If members of the public are concerned about attending this meeting in person but wish to provide their comments on any of the hunting rule proposals, the Commission has extended the period for written public comment through March 31. Written comments may be emailed to wildthing@dfw.wa.gov.
 
Consistent with health authorities’ guidance, the Commission is canceling a previously scheduled wolf committee meeting, rescheduling a hatchery policy evaluation review workshop to a date to be determined, and rescheduling the review of the Columbia River Salmon policy to the June Commission meeting in Yakima. The Commission is also modifying an in-person meeting of the Columbia River Salmon Policy workgroup to a teleconference meeting on Wednesday, March 11 at 1 p.m. 
 
The Wildlife Committee will continue to meet at 7 a.m. Friday morning.
 
A revised meeting agenda is available at wdfw.wa.gov/about/commission.
 
The meeting will be recorded and may also be viewed from home either live or afterward at the public’s convenience.
 
The Commission encourages the public to monitor the Department’s website for further schedule changes that may be needed to help protect public health.
 
The Commission is a citizen panel appointed by the governor that sets policy for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). WDFW is the primary state agency tasked with preserving, protecting, and perpetuating fish and wildlife and ecosystems, while providing sustainable fishing and hunting opportunities.