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Ruckelshaus Center urges governance, funding and tribal‑coordination reforms for WDFW
Summary
The William D. Ruckelshaus Center told the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on Jan. 21 that its organizational review of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, based on roughly 100 interviews, finds structural governance problems, funding confusion and gaps in tribal coordination that require major reforms or a change in agency structure.
The William D. Ruckelshaus Center told the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on Jan. 21 that its comprehensive review of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), based on more than 100 interviews, identifies structural governance problems, confusion about funding and a need for clearer tribal coordination and scientific transparency.
The center presented three governance options: maintain the status quo; convert WDFW into a cabinet agency; or keep a commission structure but implement multiple significant, simultaneous reforms to address appointment processes, commissioner roles and resourcing. The center cautioned that maintaining the commission without comprehensive reforms is unlikely to be viable if there is insufficient political will in the Legislature and governor’s office to pursue major change.
Dr. Julia Carbone, director of the Ruckelshaus Center, said the review was designed as an organizational assessment with…
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