Summary: SAF and WDFW hearing requesting the dismissal of Washington Wildlife First’s lawsuit challenging the Washington Game Management Plan is scheduled for this Friday.
On Friday, October 9, Thurston County Superior Court will hear motions. The Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation (“SAF”) and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s have moved to dismiss the current case. This lawsuit by Washington Wildlife First’s lawsuit challenges the Washington Game Management Plan (“GMP”).
What is the Game Management Plan Lawsuit about?
Back in February 2026, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission voted unanimously to adopt the 2026 GMP. The GMP itself does not authorize any specific action. It merely contains a series of broad goals that are to serve as guidance going forward. These include:
- reducing poaching crimes;
- maintaining hunter satisfaction;
- incorporating new science into management;
- increasing comment opportunities;
- perpetuating species; and
- managing the species for a variety of aesthetic interests, including hunting;
For individual species, the GMP also incorporates several general goals:
- ensuring sustainable populations and functioning ecosystems;
- providing for a variety of recreational, educational, and aesthetic purposes;
- securing a sustainable harvest for individual species; and
- reducing conflicts between humans and wildlife when necessary.
These goals implement WDFW’s statutory mandates, which require the agency to conserve wildlife in a manner that does not impair it and maximize recreational hunting opportunities.
Washington Wildlife First Challenges the GMP
Washington Wildlife First contends that these goals go too far. It claims that the game management plan violates the State Environmental Policy Act, which requires decision makers to consider environmental consequences, and the public trust doctrine, under which the state—not private individuals or entities—holds the authority to regulate wildlife.
SAF recognized the dangerous precedent that Washington Wildlife First is seeking to create. If setting those goals was a bridge too far under the law, then achieving them is out of the question. That would mean that the state could not authorize a sustainable hunt. So SAF intervened in the case earlier this year.
What is happening at the GMP Lawsuit Hearing?
When SAF intervened, we moved to dismiss the case. Our legal team cited a lack of standing and failure to state a claim for which relief can be granted. The court will be ruling whether Washington Wildlife First can proceed with its lawsuit or it must be dismissed.
Legal Standing and Injury Requirements
“Standing is a threshold requirement that everyone filing a lawsuit bears the burden of proving before the court can hear their case,” said Michael Jean, Litigation Counsel for Sportsmen’s Alliance. “The law limits our courts to hearing ‘cases and controversies.’ So a plaintiff must show that they have suffered an injury, which was caused by the defendant, and the court can redress that injury with a favorable ruling.”
SAF argues that because WDFW has not taken any specific action to implement the goals identified in the GMP, the plaintiffs suffered no actual harm.
Legal Defenses and the Public Trust Doctrine
“‘Failure to state a claim for which relief can be granted’ is another legal defense,” Jean continued. “In its simplest terms, it means that if the court were to assume that everything the plaintiff alleges is true, the defendant did not violate the law, and the plaintiff is not entitled to any relief from the court.”
SAF has argued that there is no violation of the law, primarily because Washington courts have established that the violation of the public trust doctrine occurs only when the state relinquishes its authority to manage wildlife to private entities, and that has not happened here. WDFW is exercising its regulatory authority over wildlife by setting those goals, which are entirely consistent with the statutory mandate.
“We are looking forward to making our case to the court,” Jean concluded.
Issues like these are at the heart of the Sportsmen’s Alliance mission, and we will continue to monitor this important matter. Don’t stand on the sidelines—join us as a member or as a donor of the Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund in protecting tomorrow’s hunting, fishing, and trapping heritage today.
The Game Management Plan Lawsuit guarantees hunting, fishing, and trapping for the American sportsman now and forever. We’re there when sportsmen need us most. As the only organization specifically created to protect the individual hunter, angler, and trapper – no matter the threat. We will never compromise when it comes to defending our way of life in the courts, in the legislatures, in the public square, and at the ballot box. We make this promise to the American sportsman: we will never give up and never give in while proudly securing our future against those seeking to destroy our values, beliefs, and traditions. Stay connected to the Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
