The Northwest Sportsman explains why hunters and anglers in Washington (specifically, Central Washington) should care about the House’s budget cuts. These projects are important for preserving habitat for wildlife and land where sportsmen and women can recreate.
Excerpt: “As you might imagine, politics were involved in cutting the Central Washington projects. Recent years have seen a lot of pushback in the 509 about state land buys, so it’s not a coincidence that these six particular acquisition projects were sidelined.
That’s unfortunate, because this fantastic part of the Evergreen State represents some of the best land left for wildlife and wildland-based recreation in the state.
This past harsh winter highlights the need for winter range. The tough salmon seasons Pugetropolis was just handed are, in part, a result of compromised habitat reducing productivity and thus constraining opportunity. And the loss of more and more land across Washington to trespass fees highlights the critical and growing need we all have for access.
I hope that the House and Senate come together to fund these six projects, as well as follow the guidelines for allocating state funds, as was agreed to last year.”
Read the full article in the Northwest Sportsman.