A Sign Of Things To Come? Job Cuts At WDFW.

Word is going out to about 110 employees of Washington Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) that their jobs are “at risk”.

The grim news comes as Washington, like Oregon, tries to cope with major revenue shortages. For WDFW, it means a loss of $5 million by June 30th. Another $30 million is being cut from the 2009-2011 fiscal year budgets. That’s assuming things don’t get worse.

WDFW Deputy Director Joe Stohr tells us another revenue forecast comes out in March, so more budget cuts are possible later this spring. In his words, there is “no clear vision of the bottom.”

In all, WDFW expects to eliminate about 170 positions, or 11% of its workforce. Fourty of these posititions are already vacant. The layoffs don’t begin until April and will conclude in June. But Stohr says employees asked to be notified as soon as possible, so the early word is going out now.

The cuts will affect field staff— including hatchery personnel, enforcement officers, biologists and outdoor educators—as well as business operations such as financial management and computer support. The job cuts are spread statewide, throughout department programs and all levels of the agency.

-WDFW Press Release

Stohr says a handful of employees may be offered leave without pay.