Washington Wildlife First

Learn more about us at www.wawildlifefirst.org.

Help Us Fight Washington's Extinction Crisis

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Washington's wildlife is fighting for survival. Although the state has listed fewer than 40 wildlife species as “endangered,” a comprehensive report by NatureServe estimated that 228 of Washington’s 1,729 fish and wildlife species are at risk of extinction. 

The largest threats to wildlife are climate change and habitat loss and degradation. These problems may seem too overwhelming to fight. But there is much that we can, and must, do to fight the state’s extinction crisis. 

In the past, the Washington legislature allocated $23 million in funding to protect biodiversity, which is a good first step. But we must also change how Washington “manages” its wildlife, discarding the century-old model that primarily focuses on producing plentiful game for hunters, trappers, and anglers. Those days are past. We must transition to a new paradigm that recognizes the critical importance of protecting resilient ecosystems—and healthy populations of species, both great and small. 

That is the mission of Washington Wildlife First. Our goal is comprehensive reform, to ensure that the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is fulfilling its mandate to “protect, preserve, and perpetuate” Washington’s fish and wildlife. But we are also working to change the state’s approach one species at a time, with a recognition of how they are all interconnected.

Olympic Marmots and Gray Wolves. As apex predators, wolves are vital to preserving ecosystem health and helping other species to flourish. For example, a recent petition identified the return of wolves to the Olympic Peninsula as critical to the survival of the Olympic marmot, a rare species that lives only on the peninsula. 

Washington’s wolves are facing increasing threats from poaching and tribal hunting, while the areas around us are waging all-out war on their wolf populations. Our wolves need more protections, not fewer. Yet the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is attempting to weaken protections for the state’s wolves by prematurely down-listing them from “endangered” to “sensitive” on the state endangered species list, in violation of Washington’s wolf recovery plan. Washington Wildlife First is leading the fight to defeat this proposal and ensure that we continue to protect our wolves and give them a real chance at recovery.

Salmon and Killer Whales. Several species of Chinook salmon are designated as either threatened or endangered on both state and federal endangered species lists. As wild chinook decline, so do the Southern Resident Killer Whales who depend on them.

Yet the Department continues to prioritize human consumption over all else, pushing these species to the brink by continuing to allow commercial and recreational fishing. To feed insatiable human demand, the Department is also increasing state hatchery production by 50 million—even though it knows that increased hatchery production poses a grave threat to the future of wild fish, and by extension, the Southern Resident killer whales. Washington Wildlife First has taken WDFW to court to force it fully evaluate and disclose the environmental consequences of these reckless policies.

Snowshoe Hare and Canada Lynx. The story of the Canada lynx is a cautionary tale. Shockingly, WDFW continued to allow “recreational” lynx trapping until 1991, until fewer than 200 lynx remained in the state. Now there are only about 50 lynx are left, and they are on both the state and federal endangered species list.

Lynx are threatened by climate change and habitat fragmentation, but they also require healthy populations of snowshoe hare. Lynx prey almost exclusively on snowshoe hare, which is also a crucial species for other imperiled carnivores, including the endangered Cascade red fox. Snowshoe hare populations have been declining for decades, and WDFW has no information about the health of the state population. Nevertheless, it still recklessly allows hunters and trappers “bag” five snowshoe hare each day, with no seasonal limits.

Washington Wildlife First will continue the pressure on the state Fish and Wildlife Commission to reevaluate and reconsider these types of hunting, trapping, and fishing policies that have been on autopilot for decades, to determine whether they those a threat to species and ecosystem health.

Who will be next? Unfortunately, the Department has not learned from past mistakes. It continues to allow the hunting and trapping of many species labeled as “Species of Greatest Conservation Need,” including the American badger, bighorn sheep, and Harlequin duck. This recklessness must stop.

The task before us is daunting, but we are in this fight for the long haul. Please join us in our battle to protect Washington's imperiled species, by signing up to learn more, emailing us to volunteer, and making a GiveBig donation.