I-713, a measure banning trapping in Washington State, was presented to the voters in a manner that glossed over facts, played games with the truth and misled the voters in a number of ways.  For example:

• The proponents lied to the press and voters when they claimed that mole and gopher traps would not be made illegal.  Then they attempted to get the state legislature to "correct" their "mistake."  Mole traps remain illegal.

• The Pro-713 TV campaign was pulled off the air by virtually every television station in the state because it depicted cruel trapping practices not legal in Washington state.  

• An investigation into potentially illegal campaign finance practices continues.  

• The proponents ignored the cold, hard reality that there are social, cultural, economic and regulatory financial costs attached to their initiative.  There are no funds to pay for enforcement of the measure and it is highly unlikely that funds will be made available by the legislature for enforcement purposes.

• At least one homeowner has been turned in for trapping moles.  The investigation of the case is complete and the case is now in the hands of the Pierce County Prosecutors Office.  The homeowner could be slapped with penalties of up to $5,000 and a year in jail -- just for trapping a mole.  Other investigations are underway.

• The No-on-713 campaign warned that the Tribes and Federal government could not  forced to comply with the measure.  The Federal government has advised Washington State that they intend to ignore the provisions of I-713.  The Tribes are expected to follow suit.

    There are additional examples but these serve to illustrate the point that I-713 was poorly written and ill-conceived.  The measure was not based on sound science nor thoughtful consideration.  It was a boilerplate initiative based on political rhetoric imported into the state by national animal rights groups who poured a million dollars into the state against slightly over $410,000 spent fighting the measure by its opponents.  And the citizens of the state are left holding the bag and bear the brunt of the impacts of the measure while those that paid for it have moved on to other states with their flawed political agenda.

    Nearly every major newspaper in the state, except for a small handful, advised their readers to "vote no" on the measure.  Rural counties overwhelmingly voted against the measure while the King County/Seattle metroplex voted for the measure.   The opponents to I-713 warned of potential public health and legal problems with the measure.  Now, the state Public Health Department refuses to issue permits for disease control trapping and the Initiative is being challenged in court as illegal under the Washington State Constitution.

    We have organized information related to I-713 in this archive into eleven groups and links to each content area and major elements within each area are presented below.  Each highlighted element (except those in blue) are active links to documents in our database.

Background

Initiative 713 Issues & Problems

Why Vote No

Washington State Voters Guide

Media Editorials & Related Articles

Endorsements Against 713

Statements in Opposition to I-713

    Over 400 organizations, public opinion leaders, scientists, elected officials, wildlife management societies, organizations and professionals, former directors of fish and game and others opposed Initiative 713.  the "Statements in Opposition to I-713 section of this archive presents a representative sample of statements issued against the measure during the course of the campaign.  

Seattle City Council

Follow the Money

I-713 Sponsors

Citizen Comment

    Wildlife management issues evoke strong feelings from all sides of a discussion and I-713 is no exception.  The committee opposing the measure received numerous letters raising issues of concern, or making important points in opposition to the initiative, from all across Washington State.  A representative cross-section of these letters is presented in this section of the archive.  Please contact us if you are seeking specific information not included in this archive.

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