OLYMPIA – The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission is scheduled to take action on the protective status of four wildlife species at a public meeting Feb. 26-27 in Olympia.

The commission, a citizen panel appointed by the governor to set policy for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), will convene in Room 172 of the Natural Resources Building at 1111 Washington St. SE in Olympia. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. both days.

An agenda for the meeting is available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/commission/.

During the meeting, the commission will consider WDFW’s recommendations to keep greater sage-grouse and western gray squirrels on the state’s threatened species list and snowy plovers and northern spotted owls on the state’s endangered species list.

The department’s listing recommendations are included in the recently updated periodic status reviews for each species. The report for greater sage-grouse can be found online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01757/, while the review for the western gray squirrel is available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01758/. The reviews for the snowy plover and northern spotted owl are available online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01751/ and http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01752/ respectively.

The commission also will receive briefings and take public comments on salmon management actions over the past year in Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay as well as in-season management of Hood Canal chum salmon.

In other business, shellfish managers will provide a briefing on proposed season changes for clams and oysters on 20 Puget Sound public beaches. The commission will take public comments on those proposals before making a decision.

Additionally, WDFW staff will provide a briefing on 10 proposals to acquire land for fish and wildlife habitat and public recreation. The department will seek potential funding from state and federal grants for approved projects later this year.