Beaver legislation just water over the dam

Bad news, and good, for anyone waiting for the state to bring them a large, buck-toothed rodent under Rep. Joel Kretz’s Beaver Relocation Bill.

The bad: Gov. Chris Gregoire vetoed the bill last week, using the first full veto of her governorship to send the proposal to the legislative scrap heap. The good: Gregoire said the bill isn’t really needed because the state Department of Fish and Wildlife can already trap beavers that are causing problems in one location and move them somewhere else. The department can work with interested landowners and get them beavers without setting up a program, she said.

That comes as a surprise to Kretz, who says he’s been trying for seven years to get F&W to haul a couple of dam-building critters up to his property near Wauconda after they’ve been nabbed for making trouble elsewhere.

“They called yesterday and wanted to set up an appointment to bring ‘em,” Kretz said. He’s anxious to see how this works out.

But the real issue isn’t whether a legislator who can exert pressure on a state agency can get a couple of beavers, he said. It’s whether average folks who’d like to improve the water retention systems on their land can get that kind of help.

F&W will likely want to scout the landscape of any property owner who wants a beaver, so don’t be asking to relocate a pair to your backyard wading pool so they can paddle around with the kids.

The idea of grabbing up miscreant beavers and putting them in a rodent relocation program caused some chuckles during the session. Spin Control will cop to making light of delinquent beavers causing trouble in the ‘hood, and Kretz is the first to admit it was “an offbeat kind of bill.”

But it did point out the quirkiness of state law, which allows folks to trap beavers that are causing problems – but not to transport them anywhere. So they get trapped alive in humane cages, then killed, because they can’t go back where they were and can’t be taken anywhere else by anyone except a state agent.

Kretz said he had people calling and offering to bring him some beavers they’d caught, but he declined: “I didn’t want somebody getting a beaver citation.”

Disappointed that his bill was vetoed after passing both houses by huge margins, Kretz was still able to joke about the department’s objections. “I don’t think their arguments hold water,” he quipped.

Ba-dum, dum.

What’s in a name?

The governor was in Spokane last week to turn five bills into laws with strokes of her pen. As is common at bill signings, folks who had worked really hard to get these things passed would pose for the camera then take a souvenir pen. These were popular pieces of legislation, and success has many parents, so the pen holder was refilled several times.

If the state starts drifting toward red ink next year, they might want to take a look at the governor’s pen budget.

But we were curious to see just what name the governor signed. She asked recently to be known as Chris Gregoire – which is OK by us, because everyone should be called what they like, within reason.

When she signs bills, however, she’s still Christine Gregoire. So what gives?

Gubernatorial spokesperson Lars Erickson (whose business card also has her moniker as Christine) said that’s the formal name for official documents. Lots of people are known by one name, and sign officially with another, he added.

Go ahead and ask

Speaking of Gregoire, she will be answering questions live on public television and public radio Tuesday evening. “Ask the Governor” will try to get questions from as many callers as possible, starting at 7 p.m.

She’ll be in a studio in Seattle, but the show airs on KSPS-TV from Spokane and KWSU-TV from Pullman. For those who just want to listen, it will also be on KSFC 91.9 FM in Spokane.

Making a list

Rep. Cathy McMorris was one of 18 candidates to get a campaign check last week from the Susan B. Anthony List, a conservative group that supports candidates opposed to abortion as a countervailing force to EMILY’s List, which supports abortion-rights folks.

EMILY isn’t capitalized because the liberal media likes her better. She’s actually an it, an acronym for Early Money Is Like Yeast, a theme for giving candidates money when they start, so they have a chance to stay in the race.

But what about Susan B? Most people remember her face on the $1 coin, and some know she got that honor as one of the nation’s earliest champions of women’s rights. Not as many know that her stance on abortion was definitely against.

Our bad

Readers who tried to catch GOP Senate candidate Mike McGavick’s speeches on the Web would have had trouble last week because the site address in the column was wrong. It should have read www.mikemcgavick.com.