WA Fish and Wildlife saga deepens with claims of collusion

By: Jerry Cornfield

Outlets: Washington State Standard

Published: February 14, 2026

Words: 1,295

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 6 days ago

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Two members of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission are pushing back on newly surfaced allegations that they shunned government transparency laws and appeared to have colluded with the leader of a wildlife advocacy group on policy matters.

A scathing 10-page memo says the behavior of commissioners Lorna Smith and Melanie Rowland posed “serious risks” to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, “especially when it comes to avoiding a conflict of interest and …

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