WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT -- An expert birder and physician from Spokane is one of two new members of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission named by Gov. Jay Inslee.

Although the appointments have not been officially announced, the governor's office has confirmed that Kim Thorburn, former chief health officer of the Spokane Regional Health District and an officer in the Spokane Audubon Society, has been named to fill an long-vacant seat.

Thorburn has been heavily involved with the state Fish and Wildlife Department's restoration and monitoring of sage and sharp-tailed grouse in the Eastern Washington.

David Graybill, an angler from Seattle with life-long ties to fishing the upper Columbia region, will fill a seat vacated by Rollie Schmitten of Lake Wenatchee, appointed in 2009.

Schmitten was a director of the former state Department of Fisheries in the 1980s before becoming the National Director of Marine Fisheries.

Graybill has been a salmon advocate and organizer and is known for his FishinMagician.com updates.

Pending is the resignation of Miranda Wecker of Naselle and the announcement of her replacement, officials confirmed. Wecker is a former commission chair who was first-appointed in 2005 and reappointed.

The new appointments take affect on Monday, although they must eventually be confirmed by the Washington Senate. 

The Fish and Wildlife Commission is a nine-member panel that directs policy for the Fish and Wildlife Department. 

The commission is meeting today and Saturday in Moses Lake. On the agenda is a long list of proposals related to hunting seasons.

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