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Public commenters accuse WDFW leadership of targeting commissioners; commissioner confirms federal lawsuit
Summary
At the April 17 Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting in Olympia, multiple public commenters alleged the department investigated commissioners for meeting with wildlife advocates; Commissioner Lorna Smith disclosed she filed a federal lawsuit naming the director and deputy director over alleged retaliation and First Amendment violations.
Fran Santiago Avila, science and advocacy director for Washington Wildlife First, told the commission it had filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Director Kelly Suswin and Deputy Director Amy Windrope used department resources to target commissioners who met with wildlife advocates. "This is not a dispute over wildlife policy," he said, and urged the governor to investigate and replace the director.
Claire Lopes Davis, executive director of Washington Wildlife First, described language in internal materials she called the "null memo" and said the director’s use of…
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