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CapitalPress.com
July 13, 2018
People & Places
Helping ranchers deal with wolves
Jay Shepherd offers
ranchers help with
influx of wolves
in NE Washington
Western
Innovator
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
CHEWELAH, Wash. —
When he worked for the state
Department of Fish and Wild-
life, trying to keep the peace be-
tween ranchers and the wolves
that attacked their livestock
would keep Jay Shepherd up at
night.
“It’s a relatively top-down
agency,” he said. “Thinking
about it from the ground up
was frustrating and difficult. ...
If you care about it, it drives
you nuts.”
Shepherd worked for the
department as a wildlife biolo-
gist for nearly 10 years. Now,
he runs the nonprofit Northeast
Washington Wolf-Cattle Col-
laborative for ranchers, which
is in its first season. He is also
wolf program lead for the envi-
ronmental group Conservation
Northwest, managing its range
rider program.
The collaborative provides
ranchers with an experienced
human presence — on horses,
ATVs, in vehicles or on foot —
on the region’s national forest
grazing allotments. Shepherd
said he’s trying to get away
from the term “range riders,”
but nobody likes his suggested
alternative: Herd monitors.
He helped spearhead the
collaborative’s
formation
in May 2017 after deciding
wolf-livestock conflicts weren’t
being effectively addressed or
resolved. The group modeled
itself after similar collabora-
tives in Montana.
The collaborative doesn’t
have firm membership num-
bers, Shepherd said, but is open
to ranchers and others in the
northeastern counties of Wash-
ington.
“I’ve had people ask, ‘How
do I become a member?’ and
it’s like, ‘Well, I think you just
did,’ ” Shepherd said.
High-risk areas
The collaborative serves
ranchers in relatively high-risk
wolf areas. Ranchers must ac-
Jay Shepherd
Occupation: Administra-
tor, Northeast Washington
Wolf-Cattle Collaborative
Age: 57
Hometown: Walla Walla,
Wash.
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Current location:
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Photos by NE Washington Wolf-Cattle Collaborative
Jay Shepherd, right, works with ranchers and range riders to minimize the number of wolf attacks on
northeast Washington livestock.
cept some management tactics
used by similar Montana orga-
nizations, including constantly
moving and monitoring their
herds.
One theory says the cattle
are much calmer when they
know the rest of the herd is
around, Shepherd said. That
increases the potential that the
animals won’t be spooked if
they see a wolf.
“It’s that fleeing, that run-
ning, that stimulates the at-
tack,” Shepherd said.
He wonders if such methods
would work in northeast Wash-
ington, where the landscape is
rugged and steep. Montana ex-
perts looked at the region and
said they weren’t certain how
the model would work, but they
were willing to stay in touch, he
said.
The state offers help, but
Shepherd wants to know why
ranchers have to “absorb the
burden of wolf recovery.” That
reduces the chances of accep-
tance or tolerance for wolves,
creating a backlash against the
animals that others want to pro-
tect, he said.
Ranchers need to take own-
ership of the wolf issue to the
extent they can, Shepherd said.
They can’t legally kill a wolf
where it is protected, but they
can take steps to improve herd
monitoring. If they can’t, then
learning that is an important
step, too.
Education: Ph.D. in natural
resources, University of
Idaho; master’s degree in
wildlife biology at University
of Montana
Entire contents copyright © 2018
EO Media Group
dba Capital Press
An independent newspaper
published every Friday.
Family: Married
Website: https://www.
newwcc.org/
One of the tactics range riders from the Northeast Washington
Wolf-Cattle Collaborative use is keeping the cattle moving.
Looking for answers
But ranchers need to show
they are looking for the an-
swer, he said.
“If you’re going to demand
better use of public lands and
less killing of wolves, maybe
you should help pay for it,” he
said. “The ranching commu-
nity here can’t afford it.”
Shepherd, whose grandfa-
ther and father were ranchers,
said he tries to approach live-
stock conflicts in a straight-
forward, practical manner.
The collaborative works to
help ranchers with wolves,
within the law and outside le-
thal removal, he said.
The intent is “to let them
feel like they’re part of the
process,” he said.
The collaborative can also
take ranchers’ concerns to
the state and communities,
he said. The organization
also wants to offer caches
of equipment for calving or
the summer grazing season,
since it’s too small to re-
spond to every single rancher
in need.
Ranchers react
Danville, Wash., rancher
Jake Nelson uses Shepherd’s
collaborative to monitor his
350 cattle and deter wolves.
Nelson said he was getting
pictures of wolves on his
game cameras and seeing
wolf sign before bringing on
Shepherd’s team, but hasn’t
seen much activity since.
“They’re a good, honest
bunch of guys, I think,” he
said. “(Shepherd) has been
100 percent honest with me
from Day One. I ask him
something, he tells me the
truth.”
Barstow, Wash., rancher
Steve Sanders said he fol-
lowed Shepherd after work-
ing with him through WDFW.
“Jay tries to be real polit-
ical, he’s almost too nice of
a guy sometimes,” Sanders
said. “He really has a desire
to try to help.”
Sanders said he’s been
dealing with wolves for sev-
eral years, and had cows
killed in 2014 and 2015. He
uses the collaborative’s range
riders during calving season
and to put up flag-like fladry
on fences, fencing and fox
lights to protect his 100 cat-
tle.
“When you have a dep-
redation, we need somebody
to come in, help clean up the
mess and make you at least
feel better,” Sanders said.
Shepherd hopes the col-
laborative can reduce stress
and costs for ranching fami-
lies, and reduce the volatility
of the situation.
“We’re always going to
have wolves put on cattle,
but if we can get it where
people are working together
(and) owning the issue and
the losses are low, then ...
they can buy a new pickup or
send a kid to college instead
of having to pay for someone
else’s wildlife,” he said. “This
isn’t like a hurricane or tornado
coming. It’s doable.”
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Snohomish County family wins tree farm award
Fish habitat restored
Capital Press
The New family, owner
of the Nourse Tree Farm in
Snohomish County, has been
named the 2018 Tree Farmer
of the Year in Washington.
The Washington Tree Farm
Program presented the award
at the Washington Farm For-
estry Association’s annual
meeting.
The New family has a 160-
acre tree farm and has owned
the land for 75 years. The
family has managed the forest
for seven years and received
American Tree Farm System
certification last year, accord-
ing to a press release.
“To be honest, I was quite
surprised to hear that I was
receiving the Tree Farmer of
Washington Tree Farm Program
The New family, owners of the Nourse Tree Farm in Snohomish
County, received the 2018 Tree Farmer of the Year award from the
Washington Tree Farm Program. From left to right are Jenn Parker,
Tyler Parker, Dave New, Dar New, Jeff Parker and Alex Parker.
the Year award,” David New
said in a written statement. “I
thought there were people who
have been doing this a lot lon-
ger than I have.”
New credited Washington
State University Forestry Ex-
tension and the Washington
Farm Forestry Association
with helping the family devel-
op a plan and meet stewardship
goals.
In partnership with the Sno-
homish Conservation District,
the New family restored more
than 30 acres of fish habitat
by planting conifers and redi-
recting a stream. One of the
side channels had drained into
a grass field, causing spawning
salmon to die.
“One of our many goals
is restoring fish habitat,” said
Ryan Williams, program man-
ager at the conservation district.
Because of the restoration,
the Nourse Tree Farm has
been an outdoor classroom for
school groups and WSU Ex-
tension classes. The New fam-
ily also donates firewood to a
church that distributes it.
“Their management ap-
proach, which incorporates
sustainable harvests, wildlife
enhancement and recreation,
fulfills the spirit of being an
American Tree Farm System
certified tree farmer,” said Jen-
ny Koth, co-chairwoman of the
Washington Tree Farm Pro-
gram.
The Nourse Tree Farm will
have an open house and a tour
July 21. More details are avail-
able online at watreefarm.org/
events.
The Washington Tree Farm
Program certifies more than
40,000 acres under the Amer-
ican Tree Farm System, a pro-
gram of the American Forest
Foundation. Each state in the
system picks a tree farmer of
the year. A national winner will
be named at the foundation’s
annual leadership conference
next spring.
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97301 or emailed to newsroom@
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Wednesday, July 18
Through July 29
Forestry Shortcourse. 9 a.m.-
noon. Sandpoint Orchard, 10881
N. Boyer Road, Sandpoint, Idaho.
This is the fifth session of a six-ses-
sion course on forest ecology, sil-
viculture, wildlife habitat, and other
forestry topics. Cost: $38 Email:
cschnepf@uidaho.edu
California State Fair. 11 a.m.-10
p.m. California Expo Center, 1600
Exposition Blvd., Sacramento, Calif.
California’s state fair brings out the
best is the state’s agriculture. Web-
site: http://www.castatefair.org
Monday, July 16
Growing Organic Peaches. 5-7
p.m. Cloud Mountain Farm Cen-
ter, 6906 Goodwin Road, Everson,
Wash. Participants will be able to ask
questions and discuss the advantag-
es of growing peaches, including the
economics and potential for profits.
Website: https://bit.ly/2N5mqOf
Blueberry Field Day. 1-5 p.m.
OSU North Willamette Research
and Extension Center, 15210 NE
Miley Road, Aurora, Ore. This is
the annual field day for commercial
and backyard growers. Sponsored
by Oregon State University. Web-
site: http://oregonstate.edu/dept/
NWREC/
Bee Workshop. 6:30-8 p.m.
OSU Extension Office, 505 N. Co-
lumbia River Highway, St. Helens,
Ore. Retired East Coast bee spe-
cialist Dewey Caron will talk about
the 2017 honeybee survey on the
effects of various beekeeping prac-
tices on colony survival. He will also
speak on “Darwinian Beekeeping”
for those who want to create locally
adapted survivor bees. Cost: Free
Friday, July 20
Agriculture Law Seminar 8 a.m.-
5 p.m. Oxford Hotel, 10 NW Minne-
sota Ave., Bend, Ore. This program
will examine key legal issues affect-
ing Oregon agriculture including
issues related to the environment,
water, land use, employment, and
bankruptcy. The program will in-
clude a timely recap of the 2018 leg-
islative session, and a look ahead to
the 2019 legislative session. There
will be presentations from the Ore-
gon Department of Agriculture and
Oregon Farm Bureau Federation.
Website: https://bit.ly/2L8dE0D
Wednesday, July 25
Forestry Shortcourse. 9 a.m.-
noon. Sandpoint Orchard, 10881 N.
Boyer Road, Sandpoint, Idaho. This
is the last session of a six-session
course. Cost: $38 Email: cschnepf@
uidaho.edu
Thursday, July 26
Fresno Food Expo. 7 a.m.-5
p.m. Fresno Convention & Enter-
tainment Center, 848 M. St., Fres-
no, Calif. The Fresno Food Expo
is a food industry trade event that
exclusively showcases California’s
biggest brands and hottest new food
trends, featuring food and beverage
products from every category. Web-
site: www.FresnoFoodExpo.com
Friday, July 27
Forest Insect and Disease Field
Day. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Bonner County
Fairgrounds, 4203 N. Boyer Road,
Sandpoint, Idaho. The focus will be
on the insects and diseases that can
kill northern Idaho trees. Cost: $15.
Website: www.uidaho.edu/extension/
forestry
Saturday-Sunday
July 28-29, Aug. 4-5
The Great Oregon Steam-Up. 7
a.m.-6 p.m. Powerland Heritage Park,
3995 Brooklake Road NE, Brooks,
Ore. Foreign and garden tractors are
featured in this year’s event, which
also includes a steam-powered saw-
mill and threshing and hundreds of
displays and museums. The Parade
of Power is each day at 1:30 p.m.
Cost: $12. Website: http://antiquepow-
erland.com/
Sunday, Aug. 5
Raised Country Music Festival.
1-6 p.m. Antelope Church Lawn,
Antelope, Ore. Steve and RonaLee
Campbell, a Chuckwagon Barbe-
cue by Paradise Rose Ranch, a
petting zoo and face painting; the
Mud Springs Gospel Band and Joni
Harms are featured. Cost: Free
Tuesday, Aug. 7
Rice Production Workshop.
8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Lundberg Family
Farms, 5311 Midway, Richvale, Ca-
lif. Topics include rice growth, water
management, tillage, variety selec-
tion, fertility and weeds. Enrollment
is limited to 75 people. Cost: $100.
Website: http://ucanr.edu/rice2018
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