WSR 24-21-127
PERMANENT RULES
DEPARTMENT OF
FISH AND WILDLIFE
[Order 23-18—Filed October 22, 2024, 9:06 a.m., effective November 22, 2024]
Effective Date of Rule: Thirty-one days after filing.
Purpose: Washington department of fish and wildlife is amending WAC 220-417-010 Trapping seasons and regulations to restrict trapping of red fox. The rule closes fox trapping within the exterior boundaries of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie, Okanogan, Wenatchee, and Gifford Pinchot national forests to prevent accidental take of the state endangered Cascade red fox in areas where Cascade red fox are found to be present or may possibly be present in Washington. To protect the Cascade red fox in these areas, we are preventing harvest of the potentially overlapping lowland red fox, which cannot be distinguished from the Cascade red fox without genetic analyses.
Citation of Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 220-417-010.
Adopted under notice filed as WSR 24-14-151 on July 3, 2024.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at the Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's own Initiative: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Date Adopted: September 27, 2024.
B. Baker
Chair
OTS-5496.3
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 21-14-022, filed 6/28/21, effective 7/29/21)
WAC 220-417-010Trapping seasons and regulations.
(1) Statewide trapping seasons:
SPECIES | SEASON DATES | RESTRICTIONS |
Badger, Beaver, Bobcat, Mink, Muskrat, Raccoon, ((Red Fox,)) River Otter, and Weasel | Nov. 1 - Mar. 31 during the current license year | |
Marten | Nov. 1 - Mar. 31 during the current license year | CLOSED in Clallam, Jefferson, Mason, and Grays Harbor counties. |
Red Fox | Nov. 1 - Mar. 31 during the current license year | CLOSED within the exterior boundaries of Mount Baker-Snoqualmie, Okanogan, Wenatchee, and Gifford Pinchot National Forests. |
(2) Participation requirements:
(a) A valid Washington state trapper's license is required.
(b) To be issued your first Washington state trapping license an individual must pass the Washington state trapper education exam.
(c) Licensed trappers must comply with reporting requirements in WAC 220-417-020.