Big Tent Committee weighs wording changes to charter to broaden 'conservation community' and include tribes

John Lemekuhl, chair of the Big Tent Committee, opened the April 16 meeting in Olympia by reading the committee’s short description and asking members whether it still reflected the group’s work.

"The Big Tent is seeking common ground and promoting collaborative work among fishers, hunters, wildlife appreciators, and the conservation community," Lemekuhl read and asked whether the wording matched the committee’s mission. He said he preferred to hear the commissioners’ views before making any changes.

Commissioner Steve Parker said he wanted the committee to be proactive in finding opportunities to promote collaboration rather than waiting for staff to bring initiatives. "I think those of us in the Big Tent committee could be thinking along those lines," Parker said.

Former chair and current Commissioner Barbara Baker welcomed the discussion but warned words matter. She noted that naming separate groups could be read as excluding others. "What happens is the people that are fishers, hunters, and wildlife appreciators all assume that they are part of the conservation community too," Baker said, urging careful phrasing.

Several commissioners proposed moving the phrase "conservation community" to the front of the sentence and adding clarifying language so tribes and other stakeholders are not excluded. Deputy Director (name not given) said there appeared to be consensus for moving "conservation community" to the front and recommended staff return with several sentence options.

The committee agreed to ask staff to draft alternative phrasings and return them for consideration. Chair Lemekuhl asked staff to note suggestions including adding "the entire conservation community," consideration of the word "stakeholders," and explicitly mentioning tribes as part of the umbrella term.

The committee did not vote on a specific change at the meeting. Members agreed the topic should be refined by staff and considered again at a future Big Tent or full Commission meeting.

Next steps: staff will prepare alternate wording for the committee’s charter/description and circulate options to commissioners for review before a future meeting.