According to some, there are no established wolf pairs breeding in Oregon. Other reports state that wolves have been seen in eastern Oregon. Established, seen or rumored, they are coming. With a wolf population in Idaho growing at a rate of as much as 30% a year in some places, it might be safe to guess that wolves are present in eastern Oregon, just not “verified”.
As many of you probably already know, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is once again promising to remove the gray wolf from the list of endangered animals. This would include Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington and a small area of northern Utah. Whether this delisting occurs remains to be seen as USFWS has promised in the past and not delivered. Coupled with the fact that animal rights groups don’t want the wolf removed from protection and threatening more lawsuits, it’s anyone’s guess if and when this would happen.
According to provisions of the USFWS and the Endangered Species Act, before the wolf can be officially taken off the list in any of these states, they have to have a wolf management plan acceptable to the USFWS. In other words, this plan has to convince the feds that each state is managing the wolf in a way that would continue to sustain a wolf population.
Oregon is looking at HB2295, a wolf management bill. According to an article in the Statesman Journal, the bill would categorized the wolf as a game species.
Provisions would allow ranchers to kill wolves attacking their livestock without a permit, allow for compensation for lost livestock, and allow for the management of wolves through controlled hunts and trapping and allow trappers pursuing other animals such as coyotes to incidentally take wolves.
Eleven people testified at a hearing of the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources, with 10 voicing opposition to the bill and one for it. That didn’t seem to change the attitude already present in the committee.
“There will come a time when we have to do something,” said Rep. Arnie Roblan, D-Coos Bay, the chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The article stated that the legislature isn’t interested in dealing with this issue now. Ranchers and their representatives though had things to say about the proposed bill.
Representatives of the Cattlemen’s Association, the State Grange and Oregon Farm Bureau said HB 2295 doesn’t go far enough.
“The biggest problem I see with this is it doesn’t allow a livestock producer to protect his property,” said Mike Colton, a Baker City cattleman. “You have to give us some daylight. You have to give us some tools.”
Representatives for the groups proposed an amendment that would allow ranchers and farmers to kill wolves when they are harassing, threatening or pursuing livestock, not just caught in the act of attacking.
Oregon should take a look at neighboring states and take a lesson. As long as it has taken the feds to take another step toward delisting the wolf and as difficult a time as it has been to develop a plan the USFWS agrees to, now is the time to act. Wyoming has been trying unsuccessfully for some time to come up with a plan that protects property rights, saves the ranching industry and pleases the USFWS, which seems to have a history of buckling under the pressures put on them by wolf advocate groups.
Oregon should roll up their sleeves and get the job done now and protect the livestock industry.
Tom Remington
