10 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2017
Local
County tackles wolf depredation issues
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
A Baker County Wolf
Depredation Compensation
Committee meeting was
held on Wednesday, Febru-
ary 8, 2017, 3 p.m., in the
Commission Chambers of
the Baker County Court-
house, which underscored
the continuing issues live-
stock producers face with
managing wolf predation
in northeast Oregon.
Present from the com-
mittee were Chair Mark
Bennett, Tom Van Diepen,
Mike Durgan, Mike
Colton, and Martin Arrito-
la, with Steve Edwards and
Curt Jacobs via telephone.
Also present were Oregon
Department of Fish and
Wildlife (ODFW) Baker
District Assistant Wildlife
Biologist Justin Primus,
Senator Jeff Merkley Field
Representative Karen Wag-
ner, Chad Del Curto, Jake
Rowen, Deven Thompson,
and Dean Tucker.
Bennett began the
meeting by saying that
surplus funds from the
Range Rider program was
recently used to purchase
two direction-finding radio
receivers, for the pur-
pose of locating collared
wolves. He said that the
County will now have
those two radios (pur-
chased for $1,732.27, plus
an antenna, for $313.74,
according to County re-
cords), and that the Baker
County Soil and Water
Conservation District
(BCSWCD) also has one.
“Obviously, they’re only
good for collared wolves,
but...as we see that there’s
a movement of wolves
down towards Lookout
Mountain and other places,
this way, we have two or
three options...” Bennett
said. General radio collar
beacon signals fall within
the 140 megahertz (MHz)
to 230 MHz range, part of
the very high frequency
(VHF) band, 30 MHz to
300 MHz.
Wagner provided an
update regarding fund-
ing of wolf depredation
compensation. She said,
“We’ve been working with
the Oregon Department of
Agriculture (ODA), to see
if we can find ways to meet
the demands and the needs,
especially...the project for
wolf compensation,non-le-
thal, and this year, we had
a really, really insignificant
amount funded to Oregon,
which was $6,000, for the
whole state...” She said
that, after further discus-
sion, another $65,000 was
obtained for the com-
pensation package, and
that she would like to see
some rules changed, and
categories for reimburse-
ment supported in different
ways, especially regarding
claims of missing animals.
ODA Program Area
Director Jason Barber said,
in a letter dated January
25, 2017, “...I would like
to thank Senator Merkley’s
office for assisting ODA
in successfully acquiring
$70,00 through the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service’s
(USFWS) Wolf Grant
Program for 2017, and for
working to get more funds
appropriated to this federal
grant program, and sug-
gesting ways to USFWS
that would allow Oregon
to maximize/leverage the
amount of federal funds in
the future.”
In that same letter,
Barber said that about
$145,000 in awards will
be available this year
statewide, with the grant
application opening on
January 27, and closing
on February 21; review of
applications and making
of awards from February
22, through March 3; and
award notifications and
grant agreements mailed to
counties on March 6. Ac-
cording to County records,
$23,806 in Wolf Grant
funding was awarded to
Baker County for the 2016
season.
Primus provided an
update regarding Areas
of Known Wolf Activity
(AKWA, derived from
GPS, or Global Positioning
System, tracking points),
referencing a map of Baker
County with that informa-
tion. Primus said, “We
have five collars (collared
wolves) for Baker Coun-
ty...OR 37 (a male in the
Lookout Mountain area),
the collar for this individu-
al quit working last spring,
so, we don’t have any new
data from it, throughout the
summer and fall, and for
right now; OR 29 and OR
36 (a pair in the Halfway
area), the male’s (OR 29)
collar quit last spring or
early summer, and they
were both re-collared this
fall, and OR 29 was re-
collared today, because of
collar failure, so, both of
those have working GPS
collars; as far as I know,
the Catherine Creek pair’s
(OR 24, a male, and OR
27, a female) collars were
fine, since they’ve been put
on...” General GPS signals
fall within the 300 mega-
hertz (MHz) to 3 gigahertz
(GHz) range, or ultra high
frequency (UHF) band,
1.57542 GHz and 1.22760
GHz being two examples.
Telonics, Inc., and Lotek
Wireless, Inc. are two
examples of GPS and VHF
radio collar and tracking
system suppliers (Lotek
developed the first animal-
based tracking device, in
1994)..
Bennett asked Primus
whether the wolf seen
along I-84, around Mile
Post 238 several times was
OR 37, and Primus said he
believes so, though, that
wasn’t confirmed. Primus
said that OR 36, a female,
dispersed from the South
Snake River Pack a few
years ago, and ODFW
hasn’t been able to locate
the pack or to place a col-
lar on one of the wolves,
but attempts are being
made to complete that task.
Colton asked Primus about
the estimated number of
wolves, and Primus said
probably around 100 in
the state. Colton said that
there are probably at least
that many just in Baker
County (according to
ODFW information, at the
end of 2015, the estimated
state minimum was 110).
Bennett asked Primus
asked Primus whether the
eastern region of the state
is still stuck in Phase 2, of
the Oregon Wolf Conser-
vation and Management
Plan (the western region
is in Phase 1), and Primus
said yes, depending on
breeding pair numbers and
pup survival through the
winter. If the criteria are
met, Phase 3 is a possibil-
ity, he said. Van Diepen
said, “So, it’s not until we
get to the Phase 3 part, can
you consider hunting tags,
or even just depredation
permits...Right now, we’re
in a phase that really says
we’re going to buy those
wolves feed, from the
ranches, is what we’re do-
ing...Funding is fine. I per-
sonally don’t like funding;
what I’d like to do is solve
the problem...” Primus said
that, in areas of known
wolf activity with depreda-
tion losses, he believes that
if the Plan is shifted into
Phase 3, which “...could
happen any day...” it would
help livestock producers
better manage those losses.
The first application for
compensation the com-
mittee reviewed was from
Ontario-based Carlton
and Earl Andersen, who
claimed a loss of nine
unregistered calves of
mixed breed, estimated at
seven months old, and 550
pounds each, with no noted
pregnancies, on leased
Durkee-based 32 Ranch
land, owned by Deward
and Kathy Thompson. The
Andersens estimated the
loss at $7,177.0, using the
value of $1.45 per pound.
Edwards said, “Is there
a standard we’re using,
for price per pound?” He
said that the Andersens’s
estimated value per pound
is different than other ap-
plications, which varied,
but, it was explained by
Martin that the commit-
tee’s policy is to use rates
from La Grande-based
Intermountain Livestock,
which, at the time, showed
nine calves, seven months
old, and 650 pounds each,
priced at $1.30 per pound,
for example. Tucker, rep-
resenting applicant George
Rollins of Halfway-based
Pine Valley Ranch, said
that, through a contract
with Brush, Colorado-
based Superior Livestock
Auction, Pine Valley sold
its calves at $1.72 per
pound last year. Martin
and Arritola said that, in
the case of a contract, the
value could vary, and that
documentation would be
reviewed, and a determi-
nation made individually.
Without documentation,
determination of the value
would be in accordance
with Intermountain Live-
stock’s (IML) guidance,
he said.
Primus said that one
wolf, OR 37, occupies the
area in the vicinity of the
livestock losses, and the
group continued to try to
determine what percentage
of the herd turned out was
lost, which would be a fac-
tor in specifying the level
of loss, whether it was
normal, at one per-cent,
Colton said, or above what
would be considered the
normal mortality rate. The
group waited, while Jacobs
called Deward, to ask him
about the number of head
turned out, versus what
was recovered. Jacobs
said that there were 280
pair, turned out on April
15, 2016, the calves were
weaned during late Oc-
tober, and the cows were
removed in late November.
After further discussion,
the group agreed that six
calves is the loss above
normal loss, at $1.45 per
pound, which was submit-
ted.
The next application
reviewed came from
Richland-based Chad Del
Curto, who claimed a loss
of eleven unregistered
Angus cows, estimated at
three to eight years old,
and 1,400 pounds each,
with noted pregnancies;
and forty-one unregistered
Angus calves, estimated
at eight months old, and
650 pounds each, all in
the Fish Lake Area. Del
Curto said he’d turned out
over 200 pair initially. On
June 27, 2016, Del Curto
was awarded $7,923.05,
for livestock missing in
Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press
The Wolf Depredation Compensation Committee.
2015, according to County
records.
Primus said that OR 29
and OR 36 were known to
be in that area during that
time period, and Edwards
asked Primus whether
fifty-two head is a “reason-
able” mortality rate, which
prompted a lengthy discus-
sion. Primus said that
people haven’t reported
carcasses found associated
with that pair recently, and
the amount of beef would
be large, for two wolves
to consume, and Edwards
agreed, but Martin coun-
tered that the consumed
beef would be less, if the
animals were younger,
and Del Curto said, “It’s
not what they’re eating;
it’s what they’re killing...
One problem is, we’ve got
three, four wolves, suppos-
edly, in this whole region.
I guarantee you, there are a
lot more than that...” as he
noted the difficulty of find-
ing carcasses in the rough
terrain of the area where
his losses were incurred,
contrasted with the large
number of wolf tracks
which have been seen.
Del Curto said that he
knew he unfortunately
wouldn’t compensated
for the total loss, Edwards
remained skeptical about
the number of head actu-
ally killed by wolves, and
Van Diepen said that the
claim is that the loss could
be contributed to kills, not
necessarily the consump-
tion of the beef. Edwards
said that the process should
be to listen to arguments,
and then to have committee
discussions in an executive
session-type setting, and
Bennett reminded Edwards
that deliberations need to
be conducted in an open
meeting, by law, as there is
no legal justification for an
executive session.
Durgan, agreeing with
Edwards, and stating that
he understood the diffi-
culty of finding anything in
the rough terrain, said that
he thought the number of
head claimed lost to wolf
depredation is excessive,
and the lack of carcasses
or other evidence bothered
him also. Del Curto said
he understood that, and
he remained firm in his
claim, and Tucker, speak-
ing on behalf of Del Curto,
explained the difficulty
he experienced himself,
with attempting to locate
wolves, or evidence of
wolf depredation, in the
same type of country, even
when he knew, from notifi-
cation, of wolf presence in
the area.
Edwards said that, even
with the application ap-
proved to be submitted,
Del Curto wouldn’t be
able to be fully compen-
sated, since the amount of
compensation statewide
is only $148,000, a figure
provided by Martin. Van
Diepen said that the com-
mittee’s job was to deter-
mine the number lost, and
what to approve to submit
to the state, and, after
further discussion, Arritola
said, “When we started
this committee...we knew
we were going to get to a
day, where the losses were
going to far exceed the
available money, and we
were going to be standing
around here, saying, ‘Well,
what do we do, if there’s
$300,000 worth in Baker
County, and there’s only
$100,000 coming from the
state?’”
Further discussion
resulted in the applica-
tion being approved to be
submitted, with Durgan
the sole dissenter. As Del
Curto had not stated the
estimated compensation
expected, nor an associ-
ated contract, Martin noted
that IML’s values would
be used, for nine cows,
and thirty-nine calves, the
number considered above
normal loss.
The next application
reviewed was Pine Valley
Ranch’s, with a claimed
loss of four unregistered
Angus cows, estimated
at two at three years old,
and two at seven years
old, and 1,000 pounds and
1,200 pounds respectively;
and one unregistered
Angus steer, estimated
at seven months old, and
525 pounds, all in the U.S.
Forest Service East Pine
allotment area. Rollins
estimated the loss of the
cows at $2,904, at $.66
per pound, and the loss
of the calf at $903, using
$1.72 per pound, for a total
of $3,807. One June 27,
2016, Pine Valley Ranch
was awarded $3,869.95,
for livestock missing in
2015, according to County
records.
Arritola said that, since
470 pair were turned out,
the normal mortality rate
of 1% would mean that
the threshold is 4.7 (or 5,
rounded up), and that the
claimed loss presented
wouldn’t meet the criteria,
in order to seek compensa-
tion (Rollins noted on his
application that he was
not seeking compensation,
indicating understanding of
this point).
Tucker said, “We didn’t
figure we’d get any com-
pensation, because of the
1% death loss, but, rather,
solutions to the problem...
Control is the key...” as he
elaborated on the limita-
tions of the Range Rider
program. He said that
a Range Rider might be
aware of a collared wolf’s
presence, but, with the
difficult terrain, it may be
impossible to get to it, and
showing up after a signal
shows the presence is too
late. Tucker said, “In my
mind, there are only two
things that these wolves
are going to be concerned
with, in that country, and
a helicopter is one, and an
airplane is the other, and
they’re going to put them
on the move...We’ve got
to do something to protect
the ranchers throughout
the season...” Van Diepen,
Bennett and others desired
to submit the application,
even without a request for
compensation, in order to
better record and represent
the losses incurred in the
County, and the applica-
tion was approved for that
purpose.
The next application
reviewed was Richland-
based Deven Thompson’s,
with a claimed loss of three
Angus cows, estimated at
one at five years-old, one at
seven, and one at nine, and
1,200 pounds each, with
pregnancies noted; one
Angus bull, estimated at
three years old, and 1,800
pounds; two Angus steers,
estimated at seven months
old, and 550 pounds; and
one Angus heifer, estimat-
ed at seven months, and
500 pounds, all in the U.S.
Forest Service North Pine
and Double Pine allot-
ments. His estimated loss
was $3,600 for the cows,
at $1.00 per pound, $3,500
for the bull, at $1.94 per
pound, and $2,400 for the
calves, at $1.45 per pound,
for a total of $9,500.
Van Diepen said that,
according to the 1% policy,
the criteria would be met,
since two losses would be
considered normal, and
Thompson incurred seven
losses. Edwards thanked
Thompson for the thor-
oughness of the documen-
tation, and he, Martin, and
Bennett suggested some
amendments to the ap-
plication form, in order to
add details regarding head
turnout and location time-
table, and brand inspection
and Sheriff’s Department
contacts.
SEE WOLF
COMPENSATION
PAGE 11