2A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2018
Oregon wolf population continues to grow
Annual report
was released
Thursday
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
Oregon wildlife officials
counted at least 124 wolves
at the end of 2017, an 11 per-
cent increase over the year end
total for 2016, according to the
latest annual report released
Thursday.
The survey, which is con-
ducted by the Oregon Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife,
is not a true population esti-
mate but documents the mini-
mum number of wolves across
the state based on verified evi-
dence such as visual sightings,
tracks and photographs.
The department will pres-
ent an overview of the findings
at the next Fish and Wildlife
Commission meeting April 20
in Astoria.
“The wolf population con-
tinues to grow and expand its
range in Oregon,” said Rob-
lyn Brown, the state wolf pro-
gram coordinator. “This year,
we also documented resident
wolves in the northern part of
Oregon’s Cascade Mountains
for the first time.”
Most wolves in Oregon
remain clustered around the
northeast corner of the state,
though several packs and
known wolf territory can also
be found in Wasco, Klamath
and Lake counties. Statewide,
Oregon now has 12 wolf packs,
11 of which were successful
breeding pairs, meaning that at
least two adults and two pups
survived to the end of the year.
Wolf reproduction was the
highest recorded in 2017 since
the species returned to Ore-
gon, with pups being born in 18
groups — a 50 percent increase
over 2016. Though they did not
meet the definition of a breed-
ing pair, reproduction was con-
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
OR-26, a 100-pound adult
male, after he was fitted
with a GPS tracking collar
outside La Grande.
firmed in the Chesnimnus, Harl
Butte, Meacham, North Emily
and Shamrock packs, as well as
the OR-30 and OR-52 pairs.
Conflicts remain
Gov. Kate Brown said she
is encouraged by the continued
recovery of Oregon wolves,
though ongoing conflicts with
poachers and livestock remain
troublesome.
“Despite this good news,
ongoing issues of poaching
and livestock depredation must
be carefully considered as we
explore more effective manage-
ment and conservation prac-
tices,” Brown said.
Though the Department
of Fish and Wildlife removed
wolves from the state endan-
gered species list in 2015,
it remains illegal to shoot a
wolf except in limited circum-
stances, such as in defense of
human life or those caught in
the act of chasing livestock.
Wolves remain federally pro-
tected west of highways 395,
78 and 95.
The state reported four
cases of wolves killed illegally
in 2017. Three cases are still
under investigation. The fourth,
in Union County, involved a
wildlife trapper who shot a wolf
he found in one of his traps.
David Sanders Jr., 58, pleaded
guilty to one count of using
unbranded traps, and was sen-
tenced to 24 months bench pro-
bation, 100 hours of commu-
nity service and a $7,500 fine.
The Union County Dis-
trict Attorney’s Office agreed
to dismiss one count of ille-
gally shooting a special status
game mammal, though Sand-
ers did have his hunting and
trapping license suspended for
36 months and agreed to pay
an additional $1,000 penalty
to the Department of Fish and
Wildlife.
In all, 13 wolf deaths were
recorded in 2017 — 12 of
which were caused by humans.
The state issued lethal take per-
mits that resulted in four wolves
being shot from the Harl Butte
pack in Wallowa County, and
one from the Meacham pack
in Umatilla County, to try and
curb livestock depredations.
Lethal take is allowed under
Phase III of the Wolf Manage-
ment and Conservation Plan in
Eastern Oregon.
Meanwhile, OR-48 from
the Shamrock pack was unin-
tentionally killed by an M-44
cyanide trap that had been set
by USDA Wildlife Services
on private land; a pup from
the Ruckel Ridge pack was
killed by a livestock protection
dog; and OR-30 was shot by
States approve Chinook, sturgeon seasons
The Daily Astorian
Oregon and Washington
state fishery managers have
approved Chinook and stur-
geon seasons.
They added this Satur-
day to the Lower Columbia
River spring Chinook sea-
son as well as a 10-day white
sturgeon season on Mondays,
Amy Elizabeth Kittinger
Bellingham, Washington
Sept. 16, 1970 — April 3, 2018
FIVE-DAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA
TONIGHT
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
51
42
48
Periods of rain; breezy
this evening
50
40
Periods of rain
TUESDAY
51
42
52
40
Cloudy and cool with
occasional rain
Cloudy with a little rain
Dead livestock
The annual wolf report
shows confirmed livestock dep-
redations decreased from 24 in
2016 to 17 in 2017. Those cases
involved 11 calves, one llama,
one alpaca and 23 domestic fowl.
Quinn Read, Northwest
director for the group Defend-
ers of Wildlife, said the evi-
dence shows Oregonians can
coexist with wolves.
“ODFW should be looking at
how to support these successes,
OBITUARIES
ited after 2 p.m. Retained fish
must be 44 to 50 inches in fork
length. The bag limit is one
legal-sized fish per day, while
the annual sturgeon limit is two
per year. Retention of green
sturgeon will not be allowed.
More information, includ-
ing regulation updates, can
be found online at www.
myodfw.com.
Wednesdays and Saturdays
from May 14 through June 4.
Boat and bank angling will be
allowed from Buoy 10 to the
Wauna power lines.
Two adult salmonids are
allowed per day, but only one
may be a Chinook. Anglers
can only keep adipose fin-
clipped fish.
Sturgeon angling is prohib-
an elk hunter in Union County
who claimed he was acting
in self-defense. The hunter,
38-year-old Brian Scott, was
not charged with a crime.
Sean Stevens, executive
director of the Portland-based
environmental group Ore-
gon Wild, was sharply critical
of poachers and the state kill-
ing wolves. Most recently, the
agency approved killing two
more animals from the Pine
Creek pack in Baker County for
preying on cattle.
“The wolf population is
stagnant because poachers and
ODFW agents are killing more
wolves — this despite the fact
that ODFW admits livestock
depredations are down from
last year,” Stevens said. “It
demands accountability from
an agency that insists on killing
more wolves every year.”
rather than encouraging reckless
lethal removal protocols,” Read
said.
Ranchers, however, say they
will need more support from
the state to ensure they can pro-
tect their businesses and their
livelihood.
George Rollins, a Baker
County rancher and co-chair-
man of the wolf committee for
the Oregon Cattlemen’s Asso-
ciation, said the latest depreda-
tions by the Pine Creek pack
resulted in three dead calves,
four wounded and another three
missing.
“The people taking the eco-
nomic loss and the emotional
stresses are the producers,” Rol-
lins said. “It gets very tiresome.
They feel like they’re not being
supported. Nobody’s listening
to them.”
As the population of wolves
increases and continues to
move west, Rollins predicts
there will be more wolf-live-
stock conflicts in the future.
He said the Department of
Fish and Wildlife needs to give
more control to local authori-
ties to handle so-called “chronic
depredators.”
The Oregon Cattlemen’s
Association is also seeking to tie
state funding for compensating
ranchers directly to the rising
wolf population, Rollins said, to
make sure they can afford non-
lethal tools such as hiring range
riders to haze wolves.
One such bill was proposed
by state Rep. Greg Barreto,
R-Cove, but died in committee.
“If we want to manage the
wolf, we need to make sure we
can fund it properly,” Rollins
said.
The Department of Fish and
Wildlife is still working to pass
an overdue five-year update of
its wolf management and con-
servation plan. The Fish and
Wildlife Commission decided
in January to do more stake-
holder outreach and try to reach
a greater consensus. No date for
adoption has been scheduled.
Still cloudy with a little
rain
Amy Elizabeth (Strange) Kit-
tinger, age 47, of Bellingham, Wash-
ington, passed on Tuesday, April 3,
surrounded by her family.
A celebration of Amy’s life will
be on Saturday, April 14, from
5:30 to 10:00 p.m., at the Squali-
cum Boathouse, 2600 North Har-
bor Loop Drive, Bellingham, WA
98225.
There will be another celebration
Amy Kittinger
in Naselle, Washington, this August;
the specific date will be shared soon.
In lieu of flowers, please make
memorial contributions in Amy’s
name to the Friedreich’s Ataxia
Research Alliance (FARA), online
at www.curefa.org
Please visit www.sigsfuneral-
services.com to read the full obit-
uary and share your thoughts and
memories.
DEATHS
ALMANAC
REGIONAL WEATHER
Shown is tomorrow's weather. Temperatures are tonight's lows and tomorrow's highs.
ASTORIA
48/51
Astoria through Thursday.
Temperatures
High/low ....................................... 52°/41°
Normal high/low ........................... 56°/41°
Record high ............................ 77° in 2008
Record low ............................. 30° in 1968
Tillamook
49/52
Salem
48/58
Newport
48/54
Sunset tonight ........................... 8:00 p.m.
Sunrise Saturday ........................ 6:31 a.m.
Moonrise today ........................... 5:52 a.m.
Moonset today ........................... 5:31 p.m.
Apr 15
Full
Apr 22
Coos Bay
47/56
Last
Apr 29
Source: Jim Todd, OMSI
TOMORROW'S TIDES
Astoria / Port Docks
Time
7:20 a.m.
7:28 p.m.
Low
0.9 ft.
0.7 ft.
Hi
78
64
55
44
68
56
67
41
83
74
74
71
78
78
83
81
82
78
83
80
72
50
65
53
83
Today
Lo
61
49
40
25
39
39
44
20
72
61
43
54
57
65
72
65
71
60
36
62
62
36
51
47
64
March 30, 2018
SUTTON, Terina, and
ESTRELLA,
Zeke,
of
Seaview, Washington, a girl,
Lakeview
30/60
Ashland
38/65
REGIONAL CITIES
City
Baker City
Bend
Brookings
Eugene
Ilwaco
Klamath Falls
Medford
Newberg
Newport
North Bend
Hi
54
54
56
55
52
55
63
53
53
56
Today
Lo
35
35
44
44
48
29
40
47
48
47
W
c
c
pc
r
r
pc
pc
r
r
pc
Hi
62
59
55
57
50
61
65
55
54
57
Sat.
Lo
35
37
43
42
43
35
43
44
43
45
W
c
c
pc
sh
r
pc
pc
r
r
r
City
Olympia
Pendleton
Portland
Roseburg
Salem
Seaside
Spokane
Springfi eld
Vancouver
Yakima
Hi
53
57
55
62
57
53
48
56
54
62
Today
Lo
46
44
48
43
48
49
41
43
48
42
W
r
c
r
pc
r
r
c
r
r
c
Hi
52
62
57
63
58
52
54
59
55
63
Sat.
Lo
39
43
46
46
44
43
41
44
46
42
W
r
c
sh
sh
sh
r
pc
sh
sh
pc
TOMORROW'S NATIONAL WEATHER
NATIONAL CITIES
City
Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Denver
Des Moines
Detroit
El Paso
Fairbanks
Honolulu
Indianapolis
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Memphis
Miami
Nashville
New Orleans
New York
Oklahoma City
Philadelphia
St. Louis
Salt Lake City
San Francisco
Seattle
Washington, DC
Burns
32/61
Klamath Falls
29/61
W
s
pc
t
c
t
r
s
pc
sh
c
t
s
s
c
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
s
t
sf
s
r
s
Hi
81
53
42
53
44
42
70
37
82
70
44
77
82
67
87
72
76
80
52
82
68
59
65
53
81
Sat.
Lo
62
33
36
28
27
35
46
13
73
51
26
58
58
41
76
52
50
47
29
55
39
45
53
43
64
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
W
pc
c
r
pc
r
r
s
s
sh
t
c
s
s
t
sh
t
t
pc
pc
s
sh
s
s
r
s
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy,
sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries,
sn-snow, i-ice.
April 10, 2018
TAPP, Paul D., 71, of Seaside, died in Sea-
side. Ocean View Funeral & Cremation Service
of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements.
April 6, 2018
COLE, Barbara Rene, of Goldendale, Wash-
ington, died in the Columbia River near West-
port. Ocean View Funeral & Cremation Service
of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements.
BIRTH
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2018
Tonight's Sky: Hydra, the snake, is low above the
south and Draco, the dragon, is above the northeast-
ern horizon.
High
8.3 ft.
8.0 ft.
Baker
35/62
Ontario
42/66
Bend
35/59
Medford
40/65
May 7
John Day
40/61
La Grande
40/60
Roseburg
43/63
Brookings
44/56
UNDER THE SKY
Time
1:06 a.m.
1:17 p.m.
Prineville
35/62
Lebanon
45/59
Eugene
44/57
SUN AND MOON
First
Pendleton
44/62
The Dalles
45/62
Portland
48/57
Precipitation
Thursday .......................................... 0.35"
Month to date ................................... 4.65"
Normal month to date ....................... 2.34"
Year to date .................................... 27.88"
Normal year to date ........................ 27.18"
New
April 12, 2018
CLARK, Charles, 55, of Astoria, died in
Astoria. Ocean View Funeral & Cremation Ser-
vice of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements.
April 11, 2018
KINDER, Cathryn L., 71, of Astoria,
died in Portland. Hughes-Ransom Mortuary
& Crematory in Astoria is in charge of the
arrangements.
Nevaeh Marie Estrella, born
at Columbia Memorial Hos-
pital in Astoria. Grandpar-
ents are Terri Mallars of
Toledo, Steve Sutton of Seal
Rock, and Charlotte Whis-
pell and Ken Whispell of
Springfield.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
MONDAY
Astoria Homelessness Solutions Task Force,
10 a.m., Clatsop Community College, Patriot Hall,
Room 207.
Youngs River Lewis & Clark Water District
Board, 6 p.m., 34583 U.S. Highway 101 Business.
Astoria City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, 1095
Duane St.
LOTTERIES
OREGON
Thursday’s Pick 4:
1 p.m.: 8-6-5-1
4 p.m.: 2-5-1-1
7 p.m.: 7-9-1-7
10 p.m.: 4-3-0-4
Thursday’s Lucky Lines: 03-06-
09-14-20-24-27-31
Estimated jackpot: $12,000
Thursday’s Keno: 02-07-08-10-
13-14-16-22-24-35-39-43-47-
48-52-61-71-72-75-80
WASHINGTON
Thursday’s Daily Game: 6-8-8
Thursday’s Match 4: 04-05-
12-20
The Daily Astorian
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