AG FINANCE
Pages 14-16
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2017
VOLUME 90, NUMBER 49
WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM
$2.00
W HERE AG GETS
RESPECT IN THE
LEGISLATURE
At least 25 of Idaho’s
105 lawmakers are
involved in farming
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press
B
OISE — When agriculture talks, the
Idaho Legislature understands.
That’s because legislators in Ida-
ho have a wealth of knowledge about
farming and ranching that few other
Western state legislatures enjoy. At least 25 of
the state’s 105 representatives and senators are
current or retired farmers or ranchers or actively
involved in agribusiness, according to a list com-
piled by Food Producers of Idaho and reviewed
by Capital Press.
When it comes to understanding farm-re-
lated legislation, “It certainly makes it easier if
there is a basic understanding of agriculture to
start with,” said Sen. Bert Brackett, a Republican
rancher from Rogerson.
With 24 percent of the Legislature, ranchers
and farmers also hold many leadership positions.
The Speaker of the House, Rep. Scott Bedke,
R-Oakey, is a rancher, and the House Majority
leader, Rep. Mike Moyle, R-Star, is a farmer and
rancher, as are Gov. Butch Otter and Lt. Gov.
Brad Little.
Turn to FARMERS, Page 12
ODFW Commission set to begin revision of wolf plan
By ERIC MORTENSON
Capital Press
Oregon’s work of managing
wolves in balance with the varied
interests of people takes another turn
this month when the state wildlife
commission meets Dec. 8 to review
a draft management plan.
Representatives of livestock,
hunting and conservation groups get
the first word when the Oregon De-
partment of Fish and Wildlife Com-
mission meets in Salem. The public
can attend, but testimony won’t be
taken until the commission meets
again Jan. 19. Comments also may
be made by email to odfw.commis-
sion@state.or.us.
A “working copy” of the revised
Oregon Wolf Conservation and
Management Plan, which includes
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
A 72-pound female wolf of the Minam Pack, after being radio-collared on
June 3. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission is beginning to
consider an update of the state’s plan for managing wolves.
edits made by ODFW staff, is avail-
able at http://bit.ly/1OPoneb.
Wildlife issues in the West, es-
pecially those hinged to endangered
species concerns, are a thicket of of-
ten-opposing points of view. In the
case of Oregon’s wolves, the ODFW
Commission’s complicated task is
laid out in the plan’s straightforward
language: “To ensure the conserva-
tion of gray wolves as required by
Oregon law while protecting the
social and economic interests of all
Oregonians.”
Oregon adopted a wolf plan in
2005, updated it in 2010 and began
the current revision in 2016 after
taking wolves in Eastern Oregon off
the endangered species list.
A few highlights from the current
revision:
• The plan suggests 300 wolves
as the “minimum population man-
agement threshold” through 2022.
The figure is based on current data
and computer modeling. Oregon
had 112 documented wolves at the
end of 2016, but wildlife officials
believe Eastern Oregon could have
300 wolves as early as 2018, based
on current population growth rates.
• Since being documented in Or-
egon in 2008, wolves have expanded
in population and territory and now
can be found within 10,741 square
miles of the state.
• They primarily use forested
habitat but follow prey to more open
habitat in season, such as when elk
move to lower elevation areas in
winter. Tracking data from collared
wolves showed they are on public
land — primarily Bureau of Land
Management and U.S. Forest Ser-
vice land — 60 percent of the time,
on private land 38 percent of the
time, and on tribal land 2 percent of
the time.
Turn to PLAN, Page 12
Deadline set for Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument decision
Litigation will resume Jan. 15 unless Trump administration resolves dispute
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
The Trump administration has
agreed to resume litigation over the
expansion of Oregon’s Cascade-Sis-
kiyou National Monument on Jan. 15
unless the dispute is resolved before-
hand.
The monument’s size was in-
creased from about 66,000 acres to
114,000 acres by the Obama adminis-
tration in early 2017, spurring several
lawsuits against the proclamation.
When the Trump administration
decided to reconsider the expansion,
those lawsuits were stayed by a federal
judge pending the potential reduction
of the monument’s boundaries. On
Dec. 5, Secretary of the Interior Ryan
Zinke released recommendations for
revising the Cascade-Siskiyou’s bor-
ders to “address issues” related to
O&C Lands and commercial logging.
However, the recommendations
did not specify the number or location
of the acres involved.
Two plaintiffs — the Association
of O&C Counties and the American
Forest Resource Council — say they
have grown impatient with the delay.
The groups recently attempted to
revive the active litigation of their
lawsuits but have now agreed to the
Jan. 15 deadline as long as the Trump
administration seeks no further post-
ponements.
Turn to DEADLINE, Page 12