Chelan and Okanogan County conservationists named to state Fish & Wildlife commission

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Chelan and Okanogan County conservationists named to state Fish & Wildlife commission
By Jefferson Robbins -01/25/2022785

OLYMPIA — Gov. Jay Inslee yesterday appointed three new members to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission, two of whom are from North Central Washington.

John Lehmkuhl, a former U.S. Forest Service research wildlife biologist from Wenatchee, fills the commission’s Eastern Washington post. He’s a board member of the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, with a PhD in forest science, who’s served on the agency’s Wildlife Diversity Advisory Council since 2015.

Melanie Rowland, an environmental attorney from Okanogan County who previously worked for the National Marine Fisheries Service Office, fills one of the commission’s at-large positions.

The current chair of the nine-member commission, Larry Carpenter, filed his resignation earlier this year but stayed on board until all vacant commissioner posts could be filled. Molly Linville, a Douglas County rancher who’s currently co-chair of the commission, will serve as full chair until the board votes on its leadership.

Three wildlife commission seats are reserved for Eastern Washington residents, three for representatives from Western Washington, and three for at-large commissioners. The seats awarded to Lehmkuhl and Rowland had been unfilled since January 2021, leading to disputed votes on the commission, such as a tie vote that failed to reauthorize a spring bear hunt for 2022.

Wildlife commissioners are appointed to six-year terms. The nominations require state Senate approval, but commissioners and other state officers can commence work prior to a Senate vote.