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Wildlife committee reviews plan to classify 108 unclassified species; staff say coyote rules likely unchanged
Summary
Staff told the Washington Pacific Wildlife Commission wildlife committee they are reviewing about 108 unclassified species to recommend placements (protected, game, or deleterious), and stressed classification alone would not immediately change hunting seasons; commissioners asked for clear public fact sheets amid concern about coyotes and other flashpoint species.
At a meeting of the Washington Pacific Wildlife Commission’s wildlife committee, staff described progress on a multi-month project to review roughly 108 species currently labeled as “unclassified” and recommend how to formally classify each one.
"I passed out a handout that has a list of, I think, a 108 species that are currently in the list," said Mick Cope, the department program manager, describing the inventory that staff are still refining. He told commissioners the majority of candidates are reptiles, amphibians and small mammals and that recommendations will be vetted with enforcement partners and legal counsel.
Why it matters: classification changes determine which regulatory bin a species occupies — for example, whether it is designated protected wildlife, classified as a game animal, or treated as a deleterious exotic — and that in turn determines the subsequent rule processes the agency will use.
Staff emphasized that classification is only the first step. "The classification really is the…
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