Gov. Inslee appoints two new members to influential wildlife commission

An influential commission overseeing the management of state fish and wildlife has two new members, both of whom are retired biologists.

Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday appointed Steve Parker to an Eastern Washington position on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission. Parker is a retired fisheries biologist who spent much of his 45-year career with the Yakama Nation and lives in Yakima County, according to a WDFW news release.

Inslee also appointed Woodrow “Woody” Myers, Jr. to an at-large Washington position. He lives in Spokane County and retired from WDFW after 40 years as an ungulate research biologist.

Inslee reappointed Barbara Baker to a Western Washington position. Baker was first appointed to an at-large position to the commission in January 2017.

Parker replaces Kim Thorburn, of Spokane, who served on the commission since 2017. Myers replaces Don McIsaac, who was also appointed in 2017.

“The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is a pivotal player in activities that affect the quality of life of Washingtonians,” Myers said in a news release. “It is truly a privilege to be appointed, and I am eager to get started on the critical work of the Commission. I look forward to furthering the use of science to set policy directing fish and wildlife management in our state.”

The WDFW commission is a nine-person citizen panel appointed by the governor to six-year terms. Appointees are subject to confirmation by the state Senate, which is in session. Members are official upon appointment and serve as voting members on the commission while awaiting Senate confirmation.

In recent years, the commission has wrestled with thorny issues, ones that touched on ethics, culture and biology. Most notably was the commission’s decision to end a longstanding spring bear hunt, despite the fact that agency biologists briefing the commission had recommended the continuation of the hunt.

Thorburn, the outgoing Spokane commissioner, was a vocal critic of the decision to end the hunt. Mark Pidgeon, the president of the Hunters Heritage Council, praised her time on the commission.

“You look at Kim and she went into that commission with ears full open,” he said. “She learned a lot on that commission. She was willing to listen to everybody.”

The Heritage Council wrote a letter supporting the appointment of Parker.

“We strongly recommended Steve Parker,” Pidgeon said. “We’re highly behind him. We think he will make an excellent commissioner.”

Pidgeon declined to comment on Myers’ appointment, saying he’ll “have to wait and see what happens with him. I don’t know him very well.”

Samantha Bruegger, the executive director of Washington Wildlife First, noted that both new commissioners seemed to be “active hunters and fishers,” a fact she called “interesting.”

Washington Wildlife First, a nonprofit dedicated to reforming state wildlife management, didn’t write letters of support for either appointee.

“I think they have strong credentials. They have a lot of experience in the field,” she said. “I think we will see how they apply that experience going forward.”

The commission meets next March 16-18 in Wenatchee.