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14 CapitalPress.com April 21, 2017 Wolf draft plan does not allow a general hunting season WOLF from Page 1 Oregon classifi es wolves as a “special status game an- imal.” The draft plan allows ODFW to authorize hunters and trappers to kill wolves in two specifi c “controlled take” situations: Chronic livestock depredation in a localized area, and declines in wild ungulate populations, princi- pally deer and elk. The draft plan does not allow a general hunting season, a prohibition that would hold for fi ve years after the plan is adopted. “I can’t predict what will happen to wolf management years and years out, but during this planning cycle, absolutely not,” Morgan said of a possible sport hunting season on wolves. Livestock producers and wildlife activists don’t like aspects of the draft plan. The Oregon Farm Bureau and Oregon Cattlemen’s As- sociation said it makes it hard- er for ranchers to protect their animals because it increases the number of confi rmed at- tacks required before allow- ing lethal control of wolves. The draft plan requires three confi rmed depredations or one confi rmed and four “probable” attacks within a 12 month period. The previous standard was two confi rmed depredations or one con- fi rmed and three attempted at- tacks, with no time period set. The groups also believe ODFW should continue col- laring wolves, and should set a population cap for wolves in Oregon. Without a bench- Known Oregon wolf packs Confirmed pack/individual range Estimated pack/individual range NOTE: Polygons represent estimated ranges for known wolf packs with radio-collared animals. 82 Portland Pendleton 197 Unnamed Heppner 5 26 Minam Meacham 97 101 Chesnimnus Wenaha Shamrock Snake Walla Walla River N. Emily 395 84 Salem (As of Dec. 31, 2016) OR30 Desolation 22 Mt. Emily Catherine 26 84 Harl Butte OR29/36 OR37 20 26 126 Bend Eugene 97 OREGON 20 58 Silver Lake OR25 5 101 Rogue N Keno (status unknown) 25 miles 199 Medford 5 *At least one breeding pair Ontario Wolf pack population Pack/area Total Wenaha* Walla Walla* Snake River* Minam* 12 11 9 11 Mt. Emily Meacham* Rogue 8 7 6 Desolation Shamrock Catherine* 1 4 5 Source: Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife mark, “we will not be able to tell when wolves have reached their natural carrying capaci- ty” in the state, the Farm Bu- reau said in a statement. Cattlemen also want local biologists to make the call on lethal control of wolves, not department administrators in Salem. Todd Nash, the associ- ation’s wolf policy chair, said ranchers’ views aren’t refl ected in the draft plan. “It doesn’t look like we were even in the room, and that’s real- ly disappointing,” he said. Some activists, however, 395 (cont.) Keno Heppner Silver Lake OR30 pair Chesnimnus* Harl Butte* N. Emily OR29/36 Lone/misc. Minimum total Total 1 3 1 2 9 10 3 2 7 112 Alan Kenaga/Capital Press believe ODFW is moving too quickly to relax conservation safeguards, including the de- cision in 2015 to take wolves off the state endangered spe- cies list. Among other things, they point to the annual wolf count fi gures released this past week as proof the pop- ulation is fragile. The mini- mum count of 112 wolves at the end of 2016 was only two more than in 2015, after years of sharp growth. Even ODFW described the population gain as “weak.” The department said a combination of factors prob- ably contributed to the mod- est increase. At least seven wolves were killed in 2016, including four members of the Imnaha Pack shot by ODFW for repeated livestock attacks. Blood samples tak- en from captured wolves in- dicated many animals were exposed to recent or severe parvovirus infections, which can take a toll on pups. Final- ly, bad winter weather ham- pered efforts to count wolves. Wildlife offi cials stress the annual population fi gure is a minimum number, and be- lieve the state has consider- ably more wolves. Nonetheless, Nick Cady, legal director for the Eu- gene-based group Cascadia Wildlands, said wolves aren’t the “exponentially growing and undefeatable species” that opponents sometimes describe. “One hard winter and there’s no growth,” he said. Cady said wolf recovery faces numerous hurdles. An- ti-predator bills pop up in the Legislature on a regular basis and ODFW is deferential to hunting interests that provide budget money through li- cense sales, he said. The state appears headed to a wolf management approach that allows hunting while doing “basic level monitoring so they don’t go extinct, which I think wolves are not ready for.” Cascadia Wildlands op- poses killing wolves if deer and elk populations drop. Cady said proper habitat is a greater factor in ungulate populations than wolves. The group also opposes draft plan provisions that allow USDA Wildlife Services to conduct livestock depredation in- vestigations. Cady said the agency is too quick to blame wolves for every attack. Wildlife Services came under intense criticism this spring when it killed an Or- egon wolf with an M-44 cy- anide poison trap set to kill coyotes. Soon after, a dog in Idaho died and a teenage boy was injured when they encountered an M-44. Wild- life Service subsequently an- nounced it would not use the devices in six Eastern Oregon counties where the majority of the state’s wolves live. “Given their track record, they shouldn’t be involved in predator management in Or- egon in any capacity,” Cady said. Past wolf hearings have become displays of the state’s urban-rural divide. Wildlife activists from Port- land and Eugene, and from out of state, tend to celebrate the presence of wolves re- stored to the landscape. Cat- tle ranchers and other rural residents tend to testify about the expense of defensive measures and the grisly re- sults of livestock attacks. As the draft wolf plan authors put it, “people with the most positive attitudes about wolves have been those with the least experi- ence with them. People who live in areas with wolves have more negative attitudes toward wolves than the gen- eral public, and negative attitudes are further ampli- fi ed by wolf predation of livestock. “In Oregon, it is expect- ed that an increasing and expanding population of wolves will result in more, not less, confl ict in the fu- ture,” the plan concludes. The plan says the impact of wolves on deer and elk is mixed, and is complicated by the presence and feeding hab- its of cougars, bears, coyotes and bobcats. State leadership conference participants at Grand Mound, Wash. BUSY 2017 FOR WASHINGTON FFA HIGHLIGHTED BY MANY EVENTS It’s been a busy winter and spring for Washington’s FFA members and will culminate in the upcoming 87th State FFA Convention May 11-13 in Pullman. The statewide organization will host 3,300-plus members, advisors, parents and guests again this year. Earlier this year the Washington FFA had its “Farmers & Ranchers — Growing Leaders” license plate kickoff at the Governor’s Mansion in Olympia. The event featured a live and silent auction, as well as remarks from Rep. Brad Klippert, the sponsor of the bill; Chris Reydal, state superintendent of public instruction; and Gov. Jay Inslee. More than 30 elected officials, as well as about 170 other supporters, attended the event. Washington FFA was also recognized through resolutions on the floor of both the House and Senate as well as a proclamation by Gov. Inslee. Gov. Jay Inslee introduces the new FFA license plate. Other highlights were the 212° and 360° Leadership Conferences. These conferences are an activity of the National FFA Organization made possible by title sponsor Syngenta. Some 300 Washington FFA members from 34 FFA chapters attended the event Feb. 11-12 in Grand Mound, Wash. 212° — the temperature at which water boils — focuses on taking students to the boiling point of leadership. At 211° water is extremely hot, but just one more degree gets us to the next level. The two-day 212° Leadership Conference is focused on student development and helps FFA members become aware of their passions and virtues. FFA members attended sessions on discovering their passions, making positive decisions, setting goals and taking steps towards self- improvement. 360° takes students full circle in terms of chapter leadership. The two-day 360° conference is focused on the importance of vision and how to become a visionary leader. Students spent their time in sessions understanding the importance of vision, conducting a chapter needs assessment, crafting a vision plan for their local FFA chapter and developing a strategy to implement their vision. The state convention will be May 11-13 in Pullman, Wash. This school year, more than 8,000 students across the nation participated in a 212o ° or 360o ° Leadership Conference. The National FFA Organization provides leadership, personal growth and career success training through agricultural education to 649,355 student members who belong to one of 7,859 local FFA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. 16-2/#13