Washington’s proud outdoor heritage is under unprecedented attack. At the center of this crisis is the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission (WFWC), where a fanatical faction of anti-hunting commissioners has been exposed by the Sportsmen’s Alliance for engaging in a pattern of corruption, collusion, and secrecy.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance has led the way in this fight against this systematic destruction of the sportsman’s way of life. Through aggressive litigation, the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation (SAF) has unearthed a mountain of evidence revealing the WFWC’s blatant disregard for the law and the citizens they are sworn to serve. This is what we have discovered.
Background
Our fight began after the WFWC’s surprise November 2022 vote to permanently cancel the state’s spring bear hunt, a decision made without proper public notice or scientific justification. To uncover the truth behind this shocking move, the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation submitted a comprehensive Public Records Act (PRA) request in September 2023.
When the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) slow-walked the request for over 16 months, the Sportsmen’s Alliance was forced to sue in January 2025 for delay on public records. The subsequent release of over 40,000 internal emails and text messages revealed “corruption on steroids”, showing clear evidence of illegal activity and secret backroom deals.
Impact to Hunters
The evidence unearthed by the Sportsmen’s Alliance revealed widespread abuse of power designed to dismantle Washington’s hunting heritage. The corruption has directly impacted hunters and anglers through several egregious actions:
- Violating Open Meetings Laws and Collusion: Our investigation revealed that Commissioners Barbara Baker, Lorna Smith, Melanie Rowland, and John Lehmkuhl repeatedly violated the state’s Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA). They employed a “daisy-chain” tactic to secure majority votes on major policy decisions behind closed doors, often weeks before public meetings. Worse, documents show them actively colluding with anti-hunting, animal-rights organizations like Washington Wildlife First to craft legislation and policy, while abandoning science in favor of political extremism.
- Potential Felonies via Records Destruction: The corruption escalated to the level of potential criminal conduct. The Sportsmen’s Alliance filed supplemental evidence with the governor detailing how commissioners appeared to destroy or intended to destroy public records—a felony under Washington law. Evidence included Commissioner Baker using a “code” to signal colleagues to “delete” sensitive text messages.
- Exclusion and Contempt for Sportsmen: The exposed communications reveal the commissioners’ open disdain for the citizens they serve. Commissioner Lehmkuhl stated he “never wants to hear another public comment on spring bear hunting again,” while Chair Baker explicitly wrote that she does not support the recruitment of “any current users of our natural resources,” excluding established hunters and anglers.
- Illegal Regulatory Attacks: Moving beyond the spring bear hunt, the commission proposed new, highly restrictive cougar and bear regulations. The Sportsmen’s Alliance challenged these rules, arguing that rigid harvest caps combining hunting take with human-conflict kills are unnecessary, unscientific, and likely illegal under state law, directly limiting hunter opportunity.
Where We Stand Now
The Sportsmen’s Alliance remains the leading entity fighting for transparency and the future of hunting in Washington. Our legal actions and discoveries have forced the issue into the spotlight:
- Commissioner Removal Petition: We have formally petitioned Governor Ferguson to remove the four corrupt commissioners for cause, citing evidence of lawbreaking, secrecy, and contempt for the public trust.
- The PRA Case Appeal: Although the Thurston County Superior Court ruled against us on our summary judgment motion, we are committed to seeing justice done. The Sportsmen’s Alliance promptly filed to appeal the decision to the Washington State Supreme Court, affirming our commitment to government transparency.
- Ongoing Investigation: We continue to comb through the thousands of pages of records uncovered by our lawsuit and have submitted additional record requests to uncover the full scope of the conspiracy, including potential interference from former Governor Jay Inslee. These requests have followed the familiar pattern of only releasing a handful of records every three months while extending the discovery indefinitely – the very issue at hand and reason the Sportsmen’s Alliance had to file a lawsuit in the first place.
Our fight is not over. We will not back down until transparency and accountability is restored to the WFWC and the rights of Washington’s sportsmen are permanently secured.
Help Us Fight for You
Your tax-deductible donation to the Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund directly supports our legal fights in courtrooms nationwide. The Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund was established to represent sportsmen in lawsuits that affect your ability to hunt, fish, trap and own firearms. Its funding ensures the sportsman’s voice is heard above the rhetoric of anti-hunting groups.
Join the fight for your hunting and fishing future by donating to the Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund today!
