Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (March 17, 2017)
March 17, 2017 CapitalPress.com 3 Wildlife Services says it’s working to avoid future wolf harm Poison capsule By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press The state director for USDA Wildlife Services in Oregon said the agency has removed M-44 cyanide poi- son traps from “areas of im- mediate concern” following the unintended poisoning of a wolf in Wallowa County in February. Director Dave Williams said Wildlife Services has reviewed what happened and shared that information with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, which manages wolves in the state. The two agencies are in ongoing dis- cussions about how to prevent another wolf death, Williams said. “We don’t feel good about that,” he said. Williams said Wildlife Services has removed M-44s from areas identified by ODFW as places wolves are present. ODFW officials con- firmed that took place. “We appreciate that Wild- life Services has voluntarily removed M-44s,” ODFW Wildlife Division Adminis- trator Doug Cottam said in a prepared statement. M-44 Cyanide Traps M-44-style traps, also known as Canid pest ejectors, or CPEs, were first developed in the U.S. in the 1930s as a way to autonomously control pest species. Lure head Bait/lure material Trigger lock ring Surface grade Trigger Piston Ejector body Spring When the animal pulls on the baited lure head, the trigger releases the piston. Under pressure of a mechanical spring, the piston strikes the poison capsule, ejecting a lethal dose of sodium cyanide into the animal’s mouth. Ground spike Sources: www.predatordefense.org; www.smithandgeorg.com.au; www.aphis.usda.gov “We also recognize we want to increase our commu- nication between our agen- cies,” he said. “We want to develop a more effective system to ensure that Wild- life Services’ staff working in areas with wolves know what Alan Kenaga/ Capital Press ODFW knows about wolf ac- tivity.” OR-48, a 100-pound male from the Shamrock Pack, died Feb. 26 after it bit an M-44 device, which fires cya- nide powder into a predator’s mouth when it tugs on a bait- ed or scented capsule holder. Wildlife Services set the trap on private land in an attempt to kill coyotes. The federal agency kills predators or other wildlife that damage or pose a threat to property, livestock or hu- mans. The agency describes M-44s as an “effective and environmentally sound wild- life damage management tool,” but the wildlife activist group Predator Defense calls them notoriously dangerous. The devices are designed to kill canids such as coy- otes and foxes. The cyanide powder reacts with saliva in an animal’s mouth, forming a poisonous gas that kills the animal within one to five min- utes. Brooks Fahy, executive director of Predator Defense, said M-44s indiscriminately kill dogs attracted by the scent and are a hazard to children or others who might come across them in rural areas. The Wallowa County in- cident is complicated by Oregon’s management and protection of gray wolves over the past decade as they entered the state from Idaho, formed packs, quickly grew in population and spread geo- graphically. Previously, Wildlife Ser- vices did not use M-44s in what the state designated as Areas of Known Wolf Activ- ity. After wolves were tak- en off the state endangered species list in 2015, it was ODFW’s understanding that Wildlife Services would con- tinue to avoid using M-44s in such areas. “We discussed our con- cerns specifically regarding M-44s,” ODFW spokesman Rick Hargrave said last week. “We didn’t want those devices in those areas. “We believed it was clear what our concerns were,” Hargrave said. Williams, the Wildlife Ser- vices state director, said he wants to focus on preventing another wolf death rather than “who messed up here.” He said the Wallowa County case was the first time the agency has killed a wolf in Oregon. Overall, the agen- cy has recorded “lethal take” of “non-targeted” animals — ones it didn’t intend to kill — in 1.3 percent of cases, he said. He said the agency twice unintentionally caught Ore- gon wolves in foothold traps, which nonetheless allowed ODFW to put tracking collars on them before releasing them unharmed. “Some of our tools are more forgiving than others,” Williams said. He said Wildlife Services puts on workshops to help ranchers protect livestock with non-lethal methods. In one case two summers ago, agency personnel spent 260 hours over four weeks help- ing protect a sheep flock from Umatilla Pack wolves, he said. The work allowed ODFW to avoid having to kill wolves due to depredations, he said. Meanwhile, the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association views the Wallowa County incident as a matter of agency to agency interaction and is “staying on the sidelines” in the investigation, said Todd Nash, a Wallowa County rancher who is the group’s wolf policy chairman. Live- stock producers, of course, have a keen interest in the state’s wolf management poli- cies and outcomes. “It’s never a good time po- litically to have a dead wolf,” Nash said. Glyphosate-resistant tumbleweed poses problem for farmers and direct seeding practices, in which seeds and fertilizer are planted into the stubble of the previous crop with mini- mal disturbance of the soil. Executive Director Kay Meyer said a couple strategies have emerged to cope with glyphosate resistant Russian thistle. There’s no “silver bullet,” she said, but some farmers may be able to break the weed cycle by rotating in other cash crops rather than By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press as WeedIt and WeedSeek- er can optically identify and spray only growing weeds, not bare ground. Such systems can reduce chemical use by 80 percent, Meyer said, and the savings might allow growers to use more expensive chemi- cals other than glyphosate. The technology is expen- sive, but in some cases farm- ers might jointly purchase and share the system, she said. Courtesy of Lynn Ketchum/Oregon State University Judit Barroso, weed specialist at OSU’s Columbia Basin Agricultur- al Research Center at Pendleton, removes Russian thistles (tum- bleweeds) from a research plot. Barroso is researching ways to control the weed in wheat fields. Some Russian thistle populations in the northeastern part of the state have developed resistance to glyphosate, a commonly used herbicide. delay the onset of glyphosate resistance by rotating the use of different herbicides or us- ing other weed control meth- ods. Blake Rowe, CEO of the Oregon Wheat Commission, said dryland growers in Ore- gon and Washington are close- ly following Barroso’s work and are trying to figure out the next step in research. Pos- sibilities may include revised chemical strategies or timing, or planting cover crops that would compete with Russian thistle and perhaps weaken it. A return to cultivation is pos- sible, he said. “We’re looking at this one pretty hard,” Rowe said. The Pacific Northwest Di- rect Seed Association, based in Colton, Wash., has been monitoring the findings as well. The organization is a nonprofit that helps growers transition to no-till farming 15-5/16 x 10 x 2 18-3/4 x 14-3/8 x 3 ROP-11-3-1/#7 An advocate of direct seed- ing and no-till farming hopes Northeastern Oregon wheat growers don’t give up the practice in wake of news that patches of Russian thistle, or tumbleweed, have developed resistance to glyphosate, the herbicide commonly used to control weeds in wheat fields. Judit Barroso, a weed sci- entist at Oregon State Uni- versity, recently published her research that confirmed what some growers have been worried about since they first reported trouble controlling Russian thistle with glypho- sate in 2015. Barroso collect- ed thistle samples from 10 lo- cations in Morrow, Sherman and Umatilla counties; three from Morrow County turned out to be glyphosate resistant. Barroso said those popu- lations probably were treated much more frequently than others sampled, and had de- veloped tolerance to the her- bicide. Glyphosate is the ac- tive ingredient in Monsanto’s widely used Roundup weed killer. Farmers who grow on a summer fallow rotation typ- ically spray their fields after harvest and while the field lies fallow. The practice kills weeds without tillage, which can cause erosion. Russian thistle competes with wheat plants for water and nutrients, and can reduce yield. When it dries, breaks off the stem and tumbles with the wind, it can spread seeds across wide areas, meaning glyphosate-resistance could spread as well. Barroso advises growers to follow the grain-fallow-grain pattern year after year. Austri- an peas may be an option for some, she said. Cover crops may break disease cycles and build up soil, but some producers are worried they would take too much moisture from land that otherwise would lie fallow, she said. Technology may hold an answer as well, Meyer said. New spot spray systems such CALL FOR PRICING AND AVAILABILITY. Delivery Available 503-588-8313 2561 Pringle Rd. SE Salem, OR WE SPECIALIZE IN BULK BAGS! BAGS: • Seed Bags • Fertilizer Bags • Feed Bags • Potato Bags • Printed Bags • Plain Bags • Bulk Bags • Totes • Woven Polypropylene • Bopp • Polyethylene • Pocket Bags • Roll Stock & More! HAY PRESS SUPPORT: • Hay Sleeves • Strap • Totes • Printed or Plain • Stretch Film (ALL GAUGES) WAREHOUSE PACKAGING: • Stretch Film • Pallet Sheets • Pallet Covers LOCATIONS: Albany, Oregon (MAIN OFFICE) Ellensburg, Washington CONTACT INFORMATION: Phone: 855-928-3856 Fax: 541-497-6262 info@westernpackaging.com ....................................................... CUSTOMER SERVICE IS OUR TOP PRIORITY! w w w. w e s t e r n p a c k a g i n g. c o m 11-2/#5 11-2/#7
