January 20, 2017
CapitalPress.com
5
WDFW hoped shooting 5 wolves would stop attacks Progress made on
Mexican potato access
Department
spends $134,999
on operation
By JOHN O’CONNELL
Capital Press
By DON JENKINS
Capital Press
Washington wildlife man-
agers hoped shooting five
wolves in the Profanity Peak
pack would end the attacks
on livestock, but eventually
killed seven when depreda-
tions continued, spending
$134,999 in the process, ac-
cording to a report by the De-
partment of Fish and Wild-
life.
The report presented Fri-
day summarizes WDFW’s ac-
tion’s last year in the Colville
National Forest in north-
eastern Washington, where
wolves attacked at least 10
cattle and probably killed at
least five more.
Most of the information
already had been reported,
though WDFW previously
had declined to disclose how
many wolves it originally in-
tended to shoot.
WDFW initially an-
nounced it would remove
part of the pack. The mission
grew into total pack removal
when depredations continued,
though four wolves were still
alive when WDFW called off
the hunt in mid-October.
The report also updates
how the much the depart-
ment spent. WDFW had pre-
liminarily tallied the cost at
$119,500.
Most of the money,
$73,440, was spent on heli-
copters, while $52,431 went
for department salaries and
equipment. WDFW also spent
$9,128 to hire a trapper for 11
days. Although the trapper did
not capture any wolves, the
hiring showed ranchers that
WDFW was willing to go out-
side the department for help,
according to the report.
The operation was the
third time WDFW has shot
wolves to protect livestock
since 2012. WDFW hoped a
lethal-control policy devel-
oped last spring by an adviso-
ry group that included ranch-
ers and environmentalists
would bolster public support
for department actions.
Emotions, however, re-
mained high. WDFW em-
ployees, ranchers and one
member of the advisory group
were threatened, according to
the report.
Some
environmental
groups said they were out-
raged by the killing of wolves,
especially on public lands.
Ferry County officials and
some ranchers said lethal con-
trol was overdue.
According to WDFW, the
pack had a history of attack-
ing livestock, and its territory
overlapped 11 federal grazing
allotments with 1,500 cow-
calf pairs.
As the 2016 grazing sea-
son neared, however, WDFW
was unable to track the pack.
The pack’s only member fit-
ted with a radio-collar, an
adult female, had moved to
the south with a male wolf to
form a new pack.
“With the approach of the
summer grazing season, ad-
dressing that situation became
a priority for WDFW wildlife
managers,” according to the
report.
WDFW captured, collared
and released an adult male
June 9 and an adult female
June 12. By then, cows were
in the forest.
WDFW reported see-
ing cattle about 2 miles
from where the female wolf
was captured, but were not
alarmed. The pack’s previous-
ly known den was more than
10 miles away.
By the end of June,
WDFW concluded the current
den was actually 4 to 5 miles
from where cattle had been
released.
Washington State Univer-
sity Large Carnivore Con-
servation Lab Director Rob
Wielgus told The Seattle
Times in August that the Dia-
mond M Ranch had intention-
ally released cows “on top” of
the den. WSU administrators
repudiated the comment, say-
ing it was inaccurate and had
contributed substantially to
growing anger and confusion.
The first depredation was
confirmed July 8. The rancher
added a range rider and “ar-
ranged for additional people
Photos courtesy of Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Washington wildlife managers examine a calf killed by wolves Aug. 3 in the Colville National Forest.
This and other attacks led the state to shoot seven wolves.
The Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife recently issued
a report detailing the decision to
kill members of the Profanity Peak
wolfpack.
to help monitor the cattle,”
according to WDFW.
On Aug. 3, WDFW con-
firmed a fourth depredation
by the pack, the threshold for
considering lethal removal.
The department confirmed a
fifth attack the same day.
WDFW Director Jim Un-
sworth approved a recom-
mendation by Eastern Wash-
ington Regional Director
Steve Pozzanghera to shoot
up to three adults and two
pups, hoping that would be
enough to stop the pack from
feeding on cattle. At the time,
WDFW believed the pack had
11 members, though the num-
ber was later revised to 12.
WDFW shot two adult fe-
male wolves Aug. 5 from a
helicopter. WDFW also tried
to trap and hunt for wolves on
the ground, but were unable
to find anymore in the rugged
timberlands in the following
two weeks.
Unsworth called off the
hunt Aug. 18 — more than
two weeks after the last wolf
attack. The next day, howev-
er, WDFW documented four
depredations. Unsworth di-
rected the department to try to
kill the entire pack.
From a helicopter, WDFW
shot one wolf Aug. 21 and
three more Aug. 22, includ-
ing an adult female that was
found injured Aug. 25 and
dispatched, according to the
report. The seventh wolf was
killed Sept. 27. The final con-
firmed attack on livestock was
Oct. 3.
DENVER — Potatoes USA
officials say an “important and
very positive step” has been
taken in the industry’s 15-year
effort to gain access to all of
Mexico for fresh U.S. potato
shipments.
Precisely how significant
the development will prove to
be remains to be seen.
U.S. potato exports to Mex-
ico have been allowed only
within 16 miles of the U.S.
border, except for a brief pe-
riod in 2014 when the market
was opened. Mexican courts
granted an injunction against
fresh U.S. potato shipments
shortly after full access was
granted, based on Mexican
growers’ claims that some
phytosanitary issues had not
been properly addressed. The
restriction was reinstated and
has remained in place since.
On Jan. 13, Mexico’s ag-
riculture department, called
SAGARPA, published a pest
risk assessment for U.S. po-
tatoes and a sheet offering re-
quirements for shipping fresh
U.S. potatoes beyond the 16-
mile zone. According to Pota-
toes USA, the publication will
set the rules governing fresh
U.S. potato shipments beyond
the 16-mile zone until a per-
manent decree is formalized,
which should take 60 to 90
days.
“Can people export? We
don’t know because the pro-
cess by which that is to occur
based on the document has
not yet been clearly defined
by the Mexicans,” said Po-
tatoes USA Chief Marketing
Officer John Toaspern. “They
made these publications, but
they haven’t sorted out the ex-
act process.”
Toaspern also offered the
caveat that officials are still
determining if the previous
legal actions by Mexican po-
tato growers will prevent fur-
ther imports, and additional
lawsuits could result in new
injunctions against U.S. pota-
to exports.
“It is very much in flux,”
Toaspern said.
Opening all of Mexico to
fresh U.S. spuds would be a
major victory for the U.S. po-
tato industry.
Even with access restrict-
ed to within 16 miles of the
border, Mexico is the second
largest market for fresh U.S.
potatoes. Toaspern said open-
ing Mexico would also bene-
fit Mexican consumers, who
would enjoy a broader supply
and variety of potatoes.
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