WDFW Changes Meeting Plans Regarding New Prospecting Rules

Information just received is that WDFW has canceled the June 2 meeting with the Mineral Prospecting Workgroup to discuss proposed changes to the rules. According to WDFW:

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has decided NOT to pursue any changes to the mineral prospecting rules at this time. Therefore, the meeting of the mineral prospecting workgroup that was scheduled for June 2 is CANCELLED. Please remove that meeting from your calendar.

Instead, WDFW plans to meet with the prospector representatives of the workgroup at the time originally scheduled for the now canceled meeting. The stated purpose of this new meeting is to discuss WDFW's future mineral prospecting rule-making plans and how those plans may relate to their "efforts to obtain a Habitat Conservation Plan for the Hydraulic Program under the Endangered Species Act."

Washington State Miner is following this story and will report more information as it becomes available.