As your new President, I wanted to introduce myself and provide my vision for what I will be focusing on through fall 2024.

Before this new WAFWP role beginning October 18, 2023, I was your Vice President, the Wildlife Program Rep, and a job rep. I have been with the agency for more than 10 years as a Wildlife Conflict Specialist in eastern Washington, primarily northeastern Washington. Prior to WDFW, I worked as a Research Scientist, taught many wildlife labs/courses at EWU (go Eags!), and was a Wildlife Biologist focusing on everything from habitats to wolves. During my personal time, I enjoy traveling the world meeting with others on wildlife conflict issues (e.g., Namibia for elephant, lion, black rhino and Churchill for polar bear), adventuring, and am a published wildlife photographer.

To help me prepare for this role, I used previous member survey results and feedback from conversations I have had with many of you to help craft what my next year will look like. Here are my objectives for this timeframe. Some of the foundational things that are important to me include increasing communication with members (primarily through our new website), enforcing the CBA (including safety), and propelling WAFWP into a community that is more than just the place you come to when faced with possible discipline.

Since October, I have been working with other Executive Board members to complete objectives on the above-mentioned list. Some of these include appointing Special Committees (Financial Plan, Legislative, 2024 Annual Meeting Planning, and 2024 Member Survey), meeting with new employees/prospective members via monthly New Employee Orientations, engaging with current and prospective WAFWP job reps, sending a 2023 Annual Meeting member survey, initiating training for Executive Board members and job reps, meeting with the budget proviso’d Ruckelshaus Center, reaching out to members of the Fish and Wildlife Commission, meeting with/scheduling quarterly meetings with WDFW Program Directors and the Director’s Office, along with other ongoing items (website content, weekly meetings with our attorney, monthly Executive Board meetings, member concerns, demand to bargain – Spillman, safety concerns, and meeting with key WDFW staff).

This is just the beginning of what I, and the rest of the wonderfully dedicated WAFWP Executive Board, will be working on for you and WAFWP as a whole. Coming soon, we will need your feedback on the Ruckelshaus Center Project, our 2024 Member Survey, collective bargaining items, and legislative session bill tracking updates. Please ensure your email address is your personal (not dfw.wa.gov) and encourage others to log in as well. We will be communicating via your email, through push messages on the cell phone number you provided, and on our website on the Member Home page under Latest News.

Please reach out if you have questions or ideas to help improve WAFWP.

Happy Holidays,

Candace Hultberg (Bennett)

WAFWP President (2023-2025)

email | president@wafwp.org

cell | 509.499.4523

website | wafwp.org

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