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Commission proposes standing committees, habitat stamp and WMA commercial‑activity review; working groups to flesh details
Summary
Commissioners proposed three standing committees to expand public input, and discussed creating a habitat stamp for WMA funding and clarifying commercial activities on WMAs (including carcass recovery); the commission moved these items to discussion and asked staff to create small working groups.
Commissioners discussed governance and funding reforms intended to improve public engagement and WMA management. Deputy Commissioner Gabe Jenkins presented a concept to establish three standing committees (lands & wildlife; licensing operations & public outreach; enforcement, boating & fisheries) that would meet as needed and not include a quorum, with member appointments staged to avoid quorums and broaden public input.
Jenkins also introduced the concept of a habitat stamp to raise dedicated WMA habitat funding and discussed forming a small working group to explore price points, exemptions and how revenues would be distributed (regional shares versus statewide). Commissioners noted examples from other states (some use resident and nonresident stamps) and urged the staff to provide comparative data.
“It's important to think about how the revenue is applied and whether residents or nonresidents would be required to buy such a stamp,” a commissioner said during public comment; several public commenters said they would support a modest stamp if funds are transparently directed to WMAs.
Separately, commissioners asked the department to explore policy for allowing commercial activity on WMAs related to wildlife carcass recovery and to clarify whether existing commercial guides or outfitters would require new permits; staff recommended combining the habitat stamp and WMA commercial recovery topics into a working group for more detailed work and public input. The commission moved the packages to discussion and asked for working‑group formation with no more than three commissioners.
What’s next: Staff will circulate draft committee rules, comparative habitat stamp examples, and a working‑group charter to inform the next discussion; commissioners were invited to volunteer for working groups.
