Washington Wildlife First's Giving Tuesday

Our tiny grassroots nonprofit is making big waves! Washington's wildlife is facing mounting threats, including climate change, habitat loss, and a massive global decline in biodiversity. Our mission is to ensure that the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is prepared to meet those challenges. We aim to transform Washington’s management of its fish, wildlife, and natural spaces from a model of consumptive use to an ethic that values science, respects nature, and prioritizes the preservation of natural ecosystems.

For too long, WDFW's main focus has been on serving those who see wildlife merely as a “resource” to be consumed or a nuisance to be removed. This focus has led to a lack of resources and attention paid to non-game species, persecution of the carnivores necessary to maintain healthy ecosystems, hunting limits that are set without sufficient population data, a disregard for ecosystem health, a failure to consider the interests and values of all Washingtonians -- 67% percent of whom recognize that wildlife has intrinsic value beyond its use to humans. 

A change is long overdue and cannot come soon enough if we are to help our wildlife survive this century: WDFW must focus on conserving fish, wildlife, and natural ecosystems -- and serving all Washingtonians, rather than just a privileged few. 

Why do we need to reform WDFW? Read our top 10 reasons. 

We have made enormous progress toward our goals over the past year. We worked with a coalition of wildlife advocacy and environmental organizations to persuade the Washington legislature to earmark $300,000 for a WDFW Accountability and Reform Study. This study is a necessary first step for reforming WDFW and making it transparent, accountable, and respectful of its staff, science, and the public. We helped change the balance of the Fish and Wildlife Commission from a rubber stamp to a thoughtful group that is not afraid to ask difficult questions and demand best available science. And we have grown our coalition to include more than 60 wildlife advocacy and environmental groups that fight for the reform of state wildlife management.

We have several ongoing initiatives that will advance our mission even further:

• We worked with other advocacy groups to submit a petition to the Fish and Wildlife Commission that would stop reckless overhunting of cougars and bears. 
• We drafted a proposed rule to protect wolves from arbitrary killing in response to livestock-wolf conflict when producers are not taking reasonable precautions -- a false "solution" without scientific support. The rule would also prohibit WDFW from shooting wolves at random, killing wolf pups, and killing wolves on public lands.

For more information on our accomplishments, please see our 2022-2023 Annual Report. 

We need your support!  Please help us continue our fight for Washington's biodiversity on our public lands!

We must have your help to continue our work! We are especially grateful for your ongoing monthly support if you are able, but any amount you are willing to give will increase our ability to reform Washington's treatment of wild animals. We will put every penny to good use!