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| Members of the newly appointed Predator Policy workgroup at their first meeting this week in Sacramento. |
February 24th marks the first meeting of the newly formed Predator Policy Workgroup - a team of 10 members appointed by the California Fish and Game Commission. WES' founder and CEO, Rebecca Dmytryk, was among those chosen to participate in this select group.
Noting much of the science upon which current regulations are based is quite outdated, at its June 12, 2013 meeting, the Commission's Wildlife Resource Committee directed staff to form a subcommittee to help identify regulations and policies for possible reform. This drew significant interest from stakeholders who supported the reform to better reflect current science and the values of today's Californians.
In response, the Wildlife Resource Committee proposed appointing a balanced group of stakeholders to vet current regulations and policies and help draft regulatory options for consideration by the Commission.
At its December, 2015 meeting, the Commission announced its appointments to the Predator Policy Workgroup, Josh Brones with Sportsmen's Alliance, Noelle Cremer with the California Farm Bureau Federation, Rebecca Dmytryk, President and CEO for Wildlife Emergency Services and President of the Humane Wildlife Control Association, Jennifer Fearing from the Humane Society of the United States, Bill Gaines, Gaines and Associates, Mark Hennelly, representing California Waterfowl, Rick Hopkins, Senior Conservation Biologist at Live Oak Associates, Erica Sanko with the California Wool Growers Association, Jean Su, from Center for Biological Diversity, and Sonoma County Agricultural Commissioner, Tony Linegar.
In the coming months, the PWC will be reviewing California's wildlife management policies and regulations and drafting new regulatory concepts based on biological impact, moral and ethical concerns and structural integrity. These recommendations will then be reviewed by the WRC before being presented to the Fish and Game Commission for adoption.
Also this week, WES' founder traveled to Nevada to give three talks about living with coyotes. Two of the presentations were sponsored by the Carson City Parks and Recreation and one by Trail Safe Nevada. There were approximately 50 people in attendance at each event.
3 comments:
Thank you for taking this on this very important project, despite what I'm sure is an already outrageous schedule. Please reach out to your supporters for any assistance you need.
Thank you! Yes, between the rescues and trying to grow our company there is barely any free time, but, this was too important to pass up. I am so honored to be a part of it. I think I'll serve the committee well, having connections within the field of wildlife rehabilitation, and knowing quite a few wardens who, in the end, must implement the regulations, and then of course my first-hand experience in successfully resolving human-wildlife conflicts. It's very exciting!
Having Rebecca Dmytryk on this workgroup is fantastic, but many of us animal and wildlife advocates feel the workgroup is stacked 6 to 4 in favor of hunters and ranchers. Because there is no way the 4 who might advocate for predator will ever have a majority vote, it was a huge mistake to agree to have a vote if consensus cannot be reached. Rebecca, keep up the good work, and thank you for taking the time to be there for wildlife and other animals. Katie Cather
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