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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 2018)
Page 10A OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian Friday, April 13, 2018 WOLVES: Report shows livestock depredations decreased in 2017 Continued from 1A 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 Oregon, with pups being born in 18 groups — a 50 percent increase over 2016. Though they did not meet the definition of a breeding pair, reproduction was confirmed in the Chesnimnus, Harl Butte, Meacham, North Emily and Shamrock packs, as well as the OR-30 and OR-52 pairs. 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 management and conserva- tion practices,” Brown said. Though ODFW removed wolves from the state endangered species list in 2015, it remains illegal to shoot a wolf except in limited circumstances, such as in defense of human life or those caught in the act of chasing livestock. Wolves Known Oregon wolf packs (As of Dec. 2017) Confirmed pack/individual range Estimated pack/individual range NOTE: Polygons represent estimated ranges for known wolf packs with radio-collared animals. Portland 97 101 197 5 1 Salem 22 9 10 11 14 15 84 Pendleton 16 7 395 6 12 3 17 5 18 13 OREGON 2 19 82 4 8 26 84 26 20 126 20 97 58 5 21 101 N 22 25 miles 199 Medford 5 *At least one breeding pair Pack/area Total 1. White River 2 2. Desolation 2 3. OR30 3 4. Meacham* 3 5. OR52 3 6. Mt. Emily* 5 7. Ruckel Ridge 7 8. N. Emily 2 9. Walla Walla* 7 10. Wenaha* 10 11. Noregaard* 9 12. Minam* 11 Source: Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife remain federally protected west of highways 395, 78 and 95. ODFW reported four cases of wolves killed ille- gally 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 sentenced to 24 months bench probation, 100 hours of community service and a $7,500 fine. The Union County 20 26 395 Wolf pack population Bend Eugene John Day (cont.) Total 13. Catherine* 4 14. Shamrock 3 15. Chesnimnus* 3 16. Snake River* 10 17. Harl Butte* 4 18. Middle Fork* 6 19. Pine Creek* 8 20. OR37 1 21. Silver Lake 1 22. Rogue* 7 Lone/misc. 13 Minimum total 124 Alan Kenaga/Capital Press District Attorney’s Office agreed to dismiss one count of illegally shooting a special status game mammal, though Sanders did have his hunting and trapping license suspended for 36 months and agreed to pay an additional $1,000 penalty to ODFW. In all, 13 wolf deaths were recorded in 2017 — 12 of which were caused by humans. ODFW issued lethal take permits 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 Management and Conservation Plan in Eastern Oregon. Meanwhile, OR-48 from the Shamrock pack was unintentionally 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 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 Port- land-based environmental group Oregon Wild, was sharply critical of poachers and ODFW killing 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.” The annual wolf report shows confirmed livestock depredations 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 Defenders of Wildlife, said the evidence shows Orego- nians can co-exist with wolves. “ODFW should be looking at how to support these successes, rather than encouraging reckless lethal removal protocols,” Read said. Ranchers, however, say they will need more support from the state to ensure they can protect their businesses and their livelihood. George Rollins, a Baker County rancher and co-chairman of the wolf committee for the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, said the latest depredations by the Pine Creek pack resulted in three dead calves, four wounded and another three missing. “The people taking the economic loss and the emotional stresses are the producers,” Rollins 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-livestock conflicts in the future. He said ODFW needs to give more control to local author- ities to handle so-called “chronic depredators.” OCA is also seeking to tie state funding for compen- sating 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 during the 2017 short legislative session by 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. ODFW is still working to pass an overdue five-year update of its wolf manage- ment and conservation 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. RACES: Next forum Thursday at Pendleton High School Continued from 1A Givens led off with economic development as the county’s most pressing concern and water as the development driver. He said that means working with state water agencies for water rights. Shafer, however, said mental health and drug addiction are the biggest problems. He said Lifeways, which provides local mental health services, needs to make good on old promises of providing nine workers in the county. Bailor said public health has to be the top issue and suggested the county needs a behavioral health committee to find “home grown solutions.” Murdock added housing to the mix and said the county is working with the city of Hermiston on a project to add hundreds of homes. And Pullen said the county needs to hire a full- time economic development director. That left an opening for Murdock, who on a subse- quent answer pointed out the county did what Pullen requested back in February, when former Pendleton Chamber of Commerce director Gail Nelson took the post as the county’s new economic development and tourism coordinator. Pullen admitted that was news to him. Several candidates said the county should be a companion in economic development and partner with cities and organi- zations. Givens said the county needs to continue using property tax breaks to bring in businesses. Bailor said he sees the county as a “facilitator for economic development” and ques- tioned if the county was getting a good deal from those business incentives. Murdock and Shafer touted how the jail has boosted the inmate popula- tion from about 135 per day to more than 200. But Shafer said that means inmates are sleeping in recreation rooms, and a chunk of the inmate population has mental health problems. Pullen said mental health has long been a concern and the number of people with mental illness is rising. He said he wants more mental health services in schools. Bailor said county leadership should have seen the mental health crisis coming sooner and been more aggressive in pursuing state money to address those needs in the jail. The county needs to develop better mental health services, he said. Murdock said the state cut funding for mental health and has yet to bridge that gap. He advocated for a mental health grant program akin to the state’s Justice Reinvestment Program, which funds local programs to keep offenders out of prisons. He also touted county successes, including the resurrection of the drug treatment court, which closed last year due to a lack of state funding. Givens said the county is one of the fastest growing in Oregon, and growth brings some pains. Even so, he said, the county is in a good financial position. Pullen asserted the county board of commissioners’ first move in a budget crisis is to fire personnel, but that should be the last resort. The board in 2017 cut 10 positions to fix a $1.7 million shortfall, a move he called poor management. Murdock stated every employee with the county from the 2017-18 fiscal year will remain in the upcoming fiscal year. The condition of county roads was also discussed. Givens said road department funds come from the state gas tax, which is declining in revenue, and not the county’s general fund. The county prioritizes which roads to maintain or repair to stretch those dollars, he said. Shafer argued main- taining roads on a rotational basis, while Bailor said the county should entice companies to take on road work. Murdock said Umatilla County has more miles of roads than any other county in the state, and with a bond a no-go, the county sets aside money to keep facili- ties in good condition. Pullen suggested a program of three years of regular road maintenance, then dedicating the next year to tackling out-of-the-way roads. The county commis- sioner candidates led off the forum, and candidates for Hermiston City Council played the second act. For a full video of the forum, visit altv.us. The commissioner candidates get another go at voters — and maybe each other — at the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce candidate forum Thursday at Pendleton High School. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Umatilla County Commissioner George Murdock answers a question about the county budget during a candidate forum on Wednesday at Armand Larive Middle School in Hermiston. Murdock is running against Tom Bailor and Rick Pullen. DRAWINGS FOR PRIZES FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY Online registration & race information at WWW.BUTTECHALLENGE.COM REGISTER ONLINE BY APRIL 28TH TO ORDER A CUSTOM TECHNICAL RACE T-SHIRT All proceeds benefit THE HERMISTON CROSS COUNTRY PROGRAM Thank you for your support!
