Why It Matters: State fish and wildlife agencies in the Pacific Northwest are facing significant budget pressures amid economic challenges and competing demands for decreasing state general funds. In Oregon and Washington, directives for cuts and proposed reductions threaten core conservation programs, habitat management, and recreational access that sportsmen and women rely on.
Highlights
- In preparation for the 2026 legislative session, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek directed ODFW and other agencies to prepare budget reduction scenarios at 1%, 2.5%, and 5% levels to address the anticipated budget shortfall.
- Washington Governor Bob Ferguson proposed a 2026 supplemental budget with targeted cuts to natural resources, including reductions in WDFW funding for enforcement, biodiversity programs, and shifts in hunting/fishing management costs.
- As legislators in both states begin their difficult negotiations over 2026 general fund allocations, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has been helping to highlight the importance of the American System of Conservation Funding and the benefits that sportsmen and women bring to each state while engaging in agency led budget committees and caucus meetings in both states.
Pacific Northwest state fish and wildlife agencies are navigating tough fiscal realities as the 2026 legislative sessions approach. With considerable portions of funding coming from state general funds and looming state budget cuts, these agencies are anticipating upcoming program adjustments to match state reductions.
In Oregon, Governor Tina Kotek’s September 2025 directive required immediate actions such as suspending non-essential out-of-state travel and slowing spending through vacant positions and reduced supplies. This was followed by an October memo instructing agencies to conduct a budget exercise proposing cuts at the 1%, 2.5%, and 5% levels to help close the anticipated budget shortfall.
In Washington State, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) sought sustained or increased support in its supplemental requests, including increased fish and wildlife enforcement funds. However, Governor Bob Ferguson’s proposed 2026 supplemental budget proposed several cuts to WDFW funding including biodiversity and enforcement spending. It is anticipated that these adjustments could bring reductions to hatchery operations, upland bird programs, and broader conservation efforts in resource management.
As Oregon and Washington lawmakers begin to negotiate general fund distributions in the 2026 sessions, they will confront the challenge of balancing looming fiscal restraints while attempting to protect outdoor access and wildlife. Amid these challenges, the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF) remains the most reliable backbone for state agencies – powered by sportsmen and women’s license fees and federal excise taxes on equipment via the Pittmann-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson Acts. By increasing recruitment of sportsmen and women state agencies can improve funding internally through the ASCF, bolstered in the West by non-resident hunters who, in many states, frequently account for over 60% of license revenue.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation will continue providing educational insights into the ASCF, working with our caucus members, and participating in agency advisory groups highlighting and celebrating the indispensable contributions of hunters, anglers, trappers, and shooting sports enthusiasts as America’s foremost conservationists.
