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In his opinion piece “Oregon wildlife commission poised to make the most consequential decision in a decade” (Weekend Edition, March 16), Adam Bronstein ignores data and science and provides no solutions for future funding for fish and wildlife in our state.

The work of ODFW is primarily supported (57%, 2023) by revenue generated by hunting and fishing licenses and tags. These funds are put to use by ODFW’s biologists for true conservation and biology — supporting habitat and restoration, protecting wildlife migration, and ensuring a vibrant fishery. Additionally, these activities brought an estimated $1 billion in revenue to the state in 2020.

Hunting and fishing are neither recreation nor consumptive. Oregonians care deeply about their food and where it comes from, and there is no better example than the opportunity to harvest organic meat from the land, while putting significant money into conservation. Additionally, one wonders where catch and release fishing falls into this “consumptive” descriptor?

Our commission and its director indeed have challenges ahead of them, but blowing a larger than $1.2 billion hole in the state’s budget and economy while searching for other ways to monetize wildlife viewing should not be on the list. We face a real challenge in the face of ungulate populations below population objectives while the number of cougars are more than twice the objective, and wolves are thriving.

As Oregonians we need to embrace the constructive pursuit of food sovereignty, our outdoor heritage, and the real work to be done rather than promote fear and an uncertain future for wildlife.

Michael Stadnisky

Bend