Wildlife-damage rules to be adopted this week; a wheat-pac
Washington Ag Today June 1, 2010 The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will meet June 4th via video-conference to consider adoption of new rules designed to address property damage and other public concerns related to wildlife.
The commission took public comments last month on proposals that provide additional assistance for landowners and clarify their options in dealing with wildlife damage. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife developed the proposed wildlife-damage rules in conjunction with a broad-based citizens’ group, including commercial growers and livestock owners.
The June 4th meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. and will be conducted via video-conference at WDFW’s Olympia headquarters and the WDFW’s Eastern Regional Office in Spokane.
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The Washington Association of Wheat Growers has decided to start a political action committee. Blankenship: “We want to be politically active.” That’s Association president Brett Blankenship. He told the recent Washington Grain Commission meeting that he put the idea of a PAC before the Wheat Growers’ board meeting last month and it was met with enthusiasm. Blankenship says they need to be non-partisan but have to get in the game. Wheat growers are concerned about the next session of the state legislature and what may happen to tax exemptions for agriculture in the face of a continuing state budget deficit. Blankenship says even if citizens pass an initiative to make it difficult to raise new taxes that wouldn’t apply to existing taxes. And it is the existing taxes to which agriculture has several exemptions. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on Northwest Aginfo Net.
