After more than two years of watching the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission ( WFWC ) make a mockery of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation , the Sportsmen ’ s Alliance Foundation has filed an initial lawsuit to bring law , order and some semblance of sanity back to wildlife management in the Evergreen State . It won ’ t be the last legal action we take in the Pacific Northwest . “ We now have enough legal footing to act against individual commissioners and the commission itself ,” said Todd Adkins , vice president of government affairs for the Sportsmen ’ s Alliance Foundation . “ Our complaint seeks to prohibit and enjoin Lorna Smith from participating as a member of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission due to her ongoing
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violation of state law that prohibits an individual from holding an additional elected or appointed office while on the commission .”
Smith is a longtime member of the Jefferson County Planning Commission ( JCPC ) and has concurrently served on WFWC for the last two years . Washington law is clear : RCW 77.04.040 states that members of the WFWC “… shall not hold another state , county , or municipal elective or appointive office .” Smith ’ s bio on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website points out that she is “ currently serving her second and third terms ” on the JCPC .
“ Sadly , this violation is but one example of how off-the-rails the WFWC operates under the Inslee administration ,” continued Adkins . “ We view this lawsuit as the initial step of a long but important
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Smith led the charge to cancel Washington ’ s spring black bear season .
process to bring sanity and decency back to wildlife decision-making in Washington . It all starts here , but trust me , it won ’ t end here . The animal extremists are going to see a lot of the same in the coming weeks and months .”
Smith was appointed by Gov . Inslee in January 2021 but has not yet been
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WFWC MEETING SCREENSHOT BY BRIAN LYNN ( TOP ); ADOBE STOCK ( BOTTOM ) |