Comments to the Governor’s Orca Task Force
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This year, Governor Inslee convened a task force to examine ways to help the struggling southern-resident killer whales. At the end of that process, task force members requested public input on recommendations in a range of areas. Here are the comments we submitted:
The Task Force has done a good job of focusing on some key values that will help orca recover.
First, the Task Force should continue to focus on “swift near-term actions.” Salmon and orca recovery will take a long time, but there are positive steps we can take in the near term.
Second, the Task Force should place emphasis on “estimated cost to implement.” As salmon-recovery advocates know, there is a much longer list of projects than available funding. With the recent decision on culverts and the demands of the Southern Resident orca, these demands on resources are increasing. The Task Force should be rigorous in focusing on where we get the most environmental benefit for every dollar.
Here are our thoughts on the recommendations and approaches we think hold promise for orca and salmon recovery.
Communication campaigns
The Task Force report mentions “funding communication campaigns” (p. 6), that are designed to “inform the public about Southern Resident orcas.” Given the extreme funding deficiencies, I strongly discourage spending resources on these efforts. While targeted efforts to specific audiences, like whale watching operators or boat owners, can have benefit, general communications efforts are extremely ineffective, and the results have been consistently poor.
As Communications Director at the Department of Natural Resources, I supported several public outreach efforts and now feel they were largely a waste of money. Since underfunding for projects is a consistent worry, it would be better to spend resources where we know they can have a direct impact, not on ad campaigns that provide little benefit.
Download the full Legislative Memo