The state of Washington is navigating the complex politics of wildlife protection—in this case, wildlife means the territory of an estimated 16 wolf packs.
Eric Wagner reports on the tense, ongoing debate over the habitation of wolves in the state of Washington. Wagner begins the article by recounting an encounter between the "Dirty Shirt" wolf pack in July 2015 that left four cattle dead. Instead of killing the animals, wildlife officials moved the wolves to a different part of their territory. Wagner explains the incident's importance:
"And even though tempers still simmer, the incident shows the difference between wolf recovery in the Northwest compared to the Rocky Mountains or the Southwest. Washington, with its generally more progressive politics, was able to adopt policies that would have had little traction in the Interior West. But even here, thanks to stark urban-rural political divides, the effort’s successes come by way of a very delicate and ongoing balancing act."
The article details the political map that corresponds to the 68 wolves and 16 known packs that live in Washington. That number has a lot to do with the state's management plan, adopted in 2011, "which explicitly aims to expand the wolf population rather than limit or destroy it, and adopts the region’s most ambitious recovery goals," according to Wagner. But the state is split along strong rural vs. urban political lines on the issue.
FULL STORY: Washington welcomes wolves back — across deep political divides

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

HSR Reaches Key Settlement in Northern California City
The state’s high-speed rail authority reached an agreement with Millbrae, a key city on the train’s proposed route to San Francisco.

Washington State Legislature Passes Parking Reform Bill
A bill that would limit parking requirements for new developments is headed to the governor’s desk.

Missouri Law Would Ban Protections for Housing Voucher Users
A state law seeks to overturn source-of-income discrimination bans passed by several Missouri cities.
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