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4 CapitalPress.com March 18, 2016 Washington’s wolf population up 32 percent Wolves concentrated in northeast corner By DON JENKINS Loss of trust seen across demographics Capital Press TUMWATER, Wash. — Washington’s wolf population increased by almost one-third in 2015, though progress to- ward meeting the state goal of statewide dispersal lagged, with packs and breeding pairs still concentrated mostly in the northeast corner of the state. The state had at least 90 wolves, up from 68 in 2014, ac- cording to a count announced Monday by the state Depart- ment of Eish and Wildlife. The number of packs in- creased from 16 to 18, while breeding pairs went from ive to eight. Breeding pairs, a male and female with at least two surviving pups at the end of the year, had been steady at ive since 2011. The 32 percent increase in the overall population is in line with the expectations of wild- life biologists. The larger population, how- ever, did not translate into a measurable advance toward meeting the state’s main recov- ery objective — at least four breeding pairs in each of three recovery zones and at least 15 statewide for three consecutive years. Seven breeding pairs are in the Eastern Washington zone. One breeding pair was in the North Cascades zone, while there were no wolves at all documented in the South Cas- cades zone. Some 13 of the state’s wolf packs and 77 of the wolves are clustered in northeast Washing- ton, where most wolf attacks on livestock have occurred. WDEW wolf policy lead Donny Martorello said wolves remain on track to meet the state’s recovery goals by 2021 by continuing to slowly mi- LEGAL PURSUANT TO ORS CHAPTER 98 Notice is hereby given that the following vehicle will be sold, for cash to the highest bidder, on 3/29/2016. The sale will be held at 10:00 am by RETRIEVER TOWING 1768 13TH ST SE, SALEM, OR 2012 HONDA CBR250R M/C VIN = MLHMC4104C5208398 Amount due on lien $3,237.00 Reputed owner(s) Jesse Kinney United Finance Study says “Ag gag” laws reduce consumer trust By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife The wolf population in Washing- ton, which includes the Teanaway wolf pack above, increased by nearly one-third last year, ac- cording to the department. grate from the northeast to the North Cascades and from there to the South Cascades. “It’s a steady progression. It’s not overnight,” he said. “We’re right on the path we expect to be on. I think it’s a sign that we’re on a path to our recovery goal.” Washington identiied four new packs in 2015 — the Loup Loup pack in the North Cas- cades, and the Skookum, Bea- ver Creek and Stranger packs in northeast Washington. The Stranger pack split from the Huckleberry pack in Stevens County. The state did not ind evi- dence that the Wenatchee pack in the North Cascades still ex- isted. Also, the Diamond pack moved across the border to Idaho. Wolves killed seven cattle in 2015 and seriously injured one sheep dog. Six of the dep- redations, including the attack on the dog, occurred in north- east Washington. Depredations were down from 2014, when WDEW con- irmed wolves killed 35 sheep, four cattle and dog. The total does not include suspected but unconirmed livestock losses to wolves. WDEW documented seven wolf mortalities in 2015. Three wolves were legally harvested on the Spokane Indian Reser- vation. One wolf died while being captured for collaring on the Colville Indian Reser- vation. One wolf, the irst known wolf to venture west of the Cascades, was hit and killed by a vehicle on Interstate 90, while another one was shot in self-defense by a homeowner in the Blue Mountains. One wolf died of unknown causes. Criminalizing secret re- cordings of agricultural oper- ations is more likely to breed suspicion of farmers than to shield their public image, a re- cent study found. So-called “ag gag” laws, which prohibit hidden-camera ilming and obtaining employ- ment under false pretenses, substantially reduce trust in agriculture among U.S. con- sumers, according to research- ers from the University of British Columbia. “There are reputation- al consequences. People are likely to be left with a bad taste in their mouths when they’re made aware of them,” said Jesse Robbins, one of the study’s authors. Among participants asked to read an explanation of such laws, the trust rating for farmers was about 20 percent lower than for a control group that read a generic description of hay. Participants informed about the laws were also less comfortable with the current status of farm animal welfare and were more likely to sup- port stricter regulations for an- imal agriculture. The decrease in trust was seen across multiple demo- graphics, regardless of the participants’ political ideology or where they lived. “Rural Republicans had a similar drop in trust as urban vegetarians,” said Robbins. It’s signiicant that even among people positively-in- clined toward farming, such as conservatives and rural res- idents, awareness of “ag gag” laws caused ratings to cross the line from trust to distrust, he said. The impact also extended beyond the domain of animal welfare, with participants ex- pressing less trust in farmers for their environmental stew- ardship, Robbins said. These indings are notable because previous psycholog- ical research has established that trust is a hard-won com- modity not worth squander- ing, he said. “It’s a whole lot easier to lose than it is to gain.” Bob Naerebout, executive director of the Idaho Dairy- men’s Association, said his group recognized such rep- utational risks in 2014 when it decided to support the Ida- ho Ag Security Act, which critics have assailed as an “ag gag” statute. The law was struck down by a federal judge as unconsti- tutionally limiting free speech last year and is now being re- viewed by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Despite the potential effect on consumer perceptions, IDA advocated for the law because it’s meant to protect property rights in agriculture, Naere- bout said. The farm industry felt it shouldn’t have to tolerate ac- tivists who are willing to de- ceive the public, he said. Sen. Jim Rice, R-Caldwell, said he sponsored the bill be- cause farmers should have a right to determine what activ- ities occur on their properties. “Our purpose wasn’t to protect the reputation of ag- riculture so much as prevent certain types of attacks,” he said. LAMBING SCHOOL Vet students get hands-on experience By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press LAMONT, Wash. — At times it was a little hard to tell who was more nervous during the ear-tagging lesson — the lambs getting the tag or the students who were doing the tagging for the irst time. Seven Washington State University veterinary stu- dents attended the Washington State Sheep Producers lamb- ing school March 12, taught by Jill Swannack, a Lamont, Wash., veterinarian and presi- dent of the organization. The course for the day in- cluded ear-tagging, castrating and docking tails, examining a carcass and observing a birth. The school teaches the students techniques to make lambing go more smoothly, Swannack said. “I hope they come away with what they want to learn,” she said. “They have a long Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Washington State University veterinary students, including Allison Reeder, left, look on as veterinarian and Washington State Sheep Producers president Jill Swannack explains how to ear-tag, castrate and dock lambs March 12 in Lamont, Wash. road ahead of them. What they need to learn is how fun it is to learn.” Sara Packebush, a sec- ond-year veterinary student at WSU, wanted to get a better understanding of lamb pro- cessing and the timing of key procedures. “It’s a really good opportu- nity,” Packebush said. “This is a lot more animals per student than we can get sometimes at the vet school, where there are three vet students on one lamb. Each person gets to handle more than one lamb at a time.” Liz Soler, also a sec- ond-year vet student, want- ed to see how a larger lock would manage. She hopes to go into a rural mixed-animal practice for large and small animals. “It’s really important for a veterinarian to know what a producer has to do, so we can help educate the producers who are less knowledgeable, and also help producers who are more knowledgeable im- prove their management prac- tice,” she said. “We do a lot of book learning in vet school, so it’s really important to get hands-on opportunities.” With new veterinarians entering the sheep industry, Swannack said the school is critical. “The only way to get ex- perience is to experience it,” she said. “That’s why we have traditionally offered a lambing school, so people can learn these skills before they need them.” The organization offers the school in the spring, with as many as three classes, Swan- nack said. The next classes will be April 2 and April 30, also on Swannack’s ranch in Lamont. Legal-12-2-2/#4 Rancher, cattle industry leader Burke dies at age 80 By DAN WHEAT 12-4/#7 Capital Press ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Mary Lou Masterson Burke, a cattle rancher well known for her expertise in water and private property rights, died March 13 in John Day, Ore. She was 80. Burke was born July 3, 1935, in Ellensburg, and grew up on the historic Masterson Ranch, homesteaded by her great-grandfather in 1880, in the Teanaway Valley. She married Pat Burke in 1956 and they ranched and raised their family together in the Teanaway until moving to Eox, Ore., near John Day, in 2006. The family operates ranches near Eox and Ellens- burg. Mary Burke was the irst woman president of the Washington State Cattlemen’s Association and was past president of Kittitas Coun- ty Cattlewomen and Kittitas County Cattlemen. She served on committees of the National Cattlemen’s Association. “She’s been friends of my grandparents longer than I’ve been alive. She was always an inspiration to me, encouraged me to become an attorney and mentored me,” said Toni Meacham, a Connell attorney active in agricultural issues. “She would say, ‘Go forth DRIFT PROBLEMS? TRC’s Hydrate Plus NF, a revolutionary way to spray farm chemicals, is the all-in-one solution for your farm chemical application! • Fast Acting • Total Coverage • Quick Penetrating • Rain Proof in 2 Hours This non-ionic surfactant can be safely applied via ground or aerial spraying with herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers and even foliar applications. In most cases, it replaces the need to use other surfactants, drift control, defoamers, crop oils, spreaders, or stickers. and do good.’ She always told me that,” Meacham said. Marriage interrupted Burke’s college career but she became self taught in water and private property issues and law, and became a knowl- edgeable resource to legisla- tors and attorneys in the 1980s and 1990s, Meacham said. She testiied before Con- gress multiple times on ag- ricultural issues and people across the nation consulted her, she said. Her interest in law was nurtured when she went to work in a law ofice in the 1970s when cattle prices were low. She had a quick grasp of issues and written material. “She read the whole ESA (Endangered Species Act) and could digest it, remember it and see the impacts,” Mea- cham said. She had a distinctive voice, a way with words and Courtesy of Marty Stingley Photography Rancher Mary Burke, of Ellensburg, Wash., and Fox, Ore., was known as a self- taught expert on water and private property rights. She died March 13 at age 80. “could insult people and they wouldn’t even know they’d been insulted,” Meacham said. “She didn’t speak frivo- lously. She always had a point and would get to it even when you thought she was ram- bling.” SAGE Fact #128 The SAGE Center offers free educational tours for school groups all year. Contact the SAGE Center today to book your visit and learn more about Eastern Oregon agriculture, industry, and technology. ROP-32-52-2/#17 Contact us today and be part of the revolution! 800-827-0711 • lube1@texasrefinery.com 12-4/#4 12-1/#6
