SPOKANE, Wash. — Washington State wildlife advocates Sunday announced the launch of a new wildlife nonprofit.
Wildlife advocates created the new nonprofit, Washington Wildlife First. The nonprofit demands reform of state wildlife management. WWF is specifically dedicated to reforming Washington’s environmental and wildlife management agencies, starting with the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“State wildlife management must shift from a model of consumption to a model of conservation and recognize the realities of the dual crises that we face today - rapid climate change and unprecedented biodiversity loss,” said Spokane resident Chris Bachman, the advocacy director for WWF. “We need agencies that value science, respect nature, and prioritize the protection and restoration of natural ecosystems.”
The WWF is one of the few environmental organizations whose sole purpose is dedicated to state agency reform. The nonprofit plans to first reform the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“Department management is dominated by an outdated mindset that does not reflect the values of the people of Washington,” said Seattle area resident Claire Loebs Davis, managing partner of the law firm Animal & Earth Advocates, and board president of the WWF. “Its leadership has sacrificed the interests of current and future Washingtonians to cater to the demands of commercial interests. Powerful politicians and tiny factions of the hunting and fishing community.”
The WWF launched a website here earlier this week. It is registered as a Washington nonprofit and has applied for federal tax-exempt status.
