On Tuesday, Rep. Joel Kretz released H.B. 1639, a bill to create a gray wolf sanctuary on Bainbridge Island.

The largely symbolic legislation is in response to H.B. 1045, a bill that would prohibit the lethal removal of gray wolves in the state. You can read more about H.B. 1045 here.

What H.B. 1639 is exploring is the east-west divide in Washington and the unrealistic expectations of some Western Washington lawmakers regarding the rebounding wolf population. The ranchers of Northeast Washington have borne the brunt of the return of gray wolves and have done so with strength and grace. 

So, in the spirit of sharing the dangers of wolves, H.B. 1639 would designate Bainbridge Island as a refuge for wolves in Western Washington. Rep. Kretz, a rancher and Eastern Washington legislator, has long been a supporter of his neighbors and this is not the first time he has filed legislation promoting an understanding of the concerns about gray wolves. 

 “It always amazes me when legislators with no skin in the game, who live hundreds of miles away surrounded and protected by water, have the gall and gumption to dictate how the rest of us can or cannot protect ourselves, our loved ones and our animals,” Rep. Kretz said. “So, in the spirit of the ‘One Washington” they like to espouse, let’s go ahead and relocate some of our wolves to the cozy confines of Bainbridge Island.”

The Wolf Advisory Group (WAG) already has a plan in place to encourage co-existence between livestock and wolves. The WAG includes stakeholders from the ranching and environmentalist communities as well as state agencies and the plan they created has worked to keep the lethal removal of problem packs or individual wolves minimal. While implementing the recommendations of that plan, ranchers have hired range riders, employed non-lethal deterrents, and kept their cattle away from known wolf pack territories, all of which has helped, but ranchers still suffer losses from their herds.

H.B. 1639 highlights the fact that Western Washingtonians are not exposed to the dangers of gray wolves while Eastern Washingtonians are.

The point is a sensible gray wolf management plan is already in place and it is supported by most of those affected by the predators. Rep. Kretz is simply trying to get his Western Washington counterparts to recognize that fact. As he puts it, “I suppose you could call it a ‘put up or shut up’ moment.”