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