It’s not every day that a group of citizens brings forth a bill that increases a fee they have to pay. It’s also not every day that words like falconry, red tail hawks, prey and mice are said in a legislative hearing. Both things happened in this afternoon’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee hearing when SSB 6644 came up for consideration.
“The state is facing a crisis and we want to do our part by paying for the administration services that oversee our program,” said Geoff Hirschi, a member of the Washington Falconers Association, when he delivered his testimony.
Falconry is sport that has been around for a long time and is a partnership between a human and a falcon (a variety of different raptors are considered falcons), where the falcon hunts for the human. Falconry is administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service but that service is will soon come to an end. This bill shifts falconry administration to the State under the Department of Fish and Wildlife and imposes a fee for this purpose. The bill includes provisions to allow out-of-state people to hunt in Washington, and to capture, under very strict conditions, raptors that may not exist in their state. SSB 6644 also clarifies trapping requirements.
The falconry community and the Department of Fish and Wildlife support this legislation fully.
Last month the Senate was lucky to have an actual live falcon when the bill was first heard. Due to time restrictions, the falconers were not encouraged to bring one of their birds of prey today, but here’s a recent picture of Rep. Brian Blake, chairman of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, masterfully handling a falcon.
“The state is facing a crisis and we want to do our part by paying for the administration services that oversee our program,” said Geoff Hirschi, a member of the Washington Falconers Association, when he delivered his testimony.
Falconry is sport that has been around for a long time and is a partnership between a human and a falcon (a variety of different raptors are considered falcons), where the falcon hunts for the human. Falconry is administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service but that service is will soon come to an end. This bill shifts falconry administration to the State under the Department of Fish and Wildlife and imposes a fee for this purpose. The bill includes provisions to allow out-of-state people to hunt in Washington, and to capture, under very strict conditions, raptors that may not exist in their state. SSB 6644 also clarifies trapping requirements.
The falconry community and the Department of Fish and Wildlife support this legislation fully.
Last month the Senate was lucky to have an actual live falcon when the bill was first heard. Due to time restrictions, the falconers were not encouraged to bring one of their birds of prey today, but here’s a recent picture of Rep. Brian Blake, chairman of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, masterfully handling a falcon.
