NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
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Thursday, August 5, 2021
ODFW employees kill 2 wolf pups in Eastern Oregon
BY JAYATI
RAMAKRISHNAN
The Oregonian
BAKER CITY — Officials from
the Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife shot and killed two wolf
pups Sunday, Aug. 1, days after
approving a permit for ranchers
to kill up to four wolves in Baker
County.
The agency confirmed that offi-
cials in a helicopter shot and killed
two 3½-month-old pups from the
Lookout Mountain Pack.
Just one day earlier, the state
agency said it had approved a
rancher’s permit to kill up to four
uncollared wolves in Baker County,
where officials said the Lookout
Mountain Pack had attacked four
cows over the last two weeks of
July.
Agency spokesperson Michelle
Dennehy said Aug. 2 that the kill-
ing of the pups was “reducing the
pack’s food needs and disrupting
the pack’s behavior so they don’t
associate livestock with an easy
meal.”
She said while the pups are not a
threat to livestock, they could be as
they grow and learn to hunt.
“Killing pups is not something
we want to be doing,” Dennehy
said. “But in this case, despite
nonlethal measures, chronic depre-
dation continues which we have a
responsibility to address.”
The killing of the two pups has
caused serious concern among
advocacy and conservation groups.
Steve Pedery, the conserva-
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife/Contributed Photo
A trail cam photo from May 30, 2021, of one of the two yearling wolves in the Lookout Mountain pack.
tion director for Oregon Wild, said
conservation organizations have
been concerned that without the
right training in managing endan-
gered species, handing over super-
vision of wolf populations to the
state agency could have some tragic
outcomes.
“It’s hard to see any justifica-
tion other than ODFW wanted to
kill some wolves, and all they could
find was some three-month-old
puppies,” Pedery said.
The adult wolves in the Lookout
Mountain Pack — a breeding male
and female — have radio collars for
state tracking, and were not eligible
to be killed by livestock producers.
The breeding pair had two pups last
year, Dennehy said, and the state
documented another seven pups in
May.
Dennehy said the remaining
pups would still have two experi-
enced hunters to feed them.
Dennehy said in an email to The
Oregonian/OregonLive that both
ODFW and the rancher tried to
find uncollared wolves on July 30,
but only saw the breeding adults,
which are collared. She said ODFW
does not have plans to pursue other
wolves, but the rancher has the
permit until Aug. 21.
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Dennehy said they also saw at
least five pups, but did not see the
yearling wolves they were looking
for.
As of April, Oregon had 173
wolves in 22 identified packs.
Oregon rules allow ranchers to
kill wolves if they repeatedly attack
and present a significant risk to live-
stock, and when nonlethal methods
such as electric fences or hazing
don’t stop the attacks. Kill permits
allow livestock producers or ranch-
ers to shoot a wolf from the ground,
and ODFW staff are authorized to
shoot wolves from the air.
Sristi Kamal, a representative for
Cougar sightings reported in La Grande
The Observer
A t-storm; breezy
this afternoon
Partly sunny;
breezy, not as hot
92° 64°
84° 61°
Mostly sunny;
breezy in the p.m.
Breezy in the a.m.;
partly sunny
Sunshine and
pleasant
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
88° 61°
83° 61°
75° 54°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
94° 68°
86° 65°
90° 65°
86° 59°
79° 58°
OREGON FORECAST
ALMANAC
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
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TEMP.
Seattle
Olympia
72/57
85/58
96/64
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
90/65
Lewiston
79/65
94/70
Astoria
68/58
Pullman
Yakima 98/67
80/59
92/69
Portland
Hermiston
84/65
The Dalles 94/68
Salem
Corvallis
76/59
Yesterday
Normals
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La Grande
87/62
PRECIPITATION
John Day
Eugene
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81/61
84/52
90/54
Ontario
94/67
Caldwell
Burns
96°
66°
94°
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105° (1961) 42° (1934)
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
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Albany
79/61
Today
Fri.
WNW 6-12
W 7-14
WSW 10-20
WSW 10-20
Medford
Boardman
Pendleton
85/60
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
79/43
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021
0.00"
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1.93"
1.66"
5.16"
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
5:43 a.m.
8:18 p.m.
2:28 a.m.
6:57 p.m.
New
First
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Last
Aug 8
Aug 15
Aug 22
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NATIONAL EXTREMES
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 122° in Thermal, Calif. Low 36° in Daniel, Wyo.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
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E AST O REGONIAN
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80s
90s
100s
warm front stationary front
110s
high
low
sighting last week, Keenan
said. The agency relies on
video footage to gather infor-
mation regarding potential
dangerous animals in resi-
dential areas. The camera
footage conf ir med the
cougar sighting last week,
but no new footage has been
submitted to ODFW from
the Russell Avenue inci-
dent. According to Keenan,
cougars have appeared near
the river in the past.
“I wouldn’t say it’s
common, but occasion-
ally we have seen cougars
that utilize that river corri-
dor for movement,” he said.
“It’s usually a temporary
thing where they’re passing
through, but we’re careful to
continue monitoring in case
they’re not.”
The fish and wildlife
agency is keeping a close eye
on any new information.
“We still have cameras up
County seeking comment on
East Moraine plan
ENTERPRISE — The Wallowa County
Commissioners are seeking public comments
on the East Moraine Community Forest
Management Plan, which will dictate the use
of 1,800 acres of property around the East
Moraine of Wallowa Lake.
Wallowa County purchased the land in
January 2020 after a decade of efforts by the
Wallowa Lake Moraines Partnership, which
is made up of Wallowa County, Wallowa
Land Trust, Wallowa Resources and Oregon
Parks and Recreation.
According to Kathleen Ackley, executive
director of Wallowa Land Trust, this space has
much potential for public use, which is why
the partnership is seeking public comment.
In the year and a half since the purchase,
the partnership has worked with the Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon
Department of Forestry and the Nez Perce
Tribe cultural and forestry divisions to create
a management plan that will divide the land
for multiple uses, including forestry, grazing,
cultural resources, habitat and recreation.
County Commissioner Susan Roberts said
that public comments are essential for help-
ing the county make decisions that benefit the
maximum number of residents.
The plan is on the Wallowa County website
at co.wallowa.or.us.
Residents can submit their comments via
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and we’re monitoring it, but
at this point we don’t have
any reason to believe one
way or the other if (a cougar
is) still in residential areas,”
Keenan added.
According to Keenan, the
best approach for a person
who identifies a cougar is to
report it to ODFW imme-
diately. In the case of an
encounter, the department
recommends standing your
ground and avoiding running
away from the cougar. The
department’s website details
precautionary measures for
encountering large wildlife.
“The big thing is don’t
run away and report it to
us,” he said. “If someone is
concerned for their imme-
diate safety, you can always
contact law enforcement.”
The La Grande office of
the Oregon Fish and Wildlife
Department can be contacted
at 541-963-2138.
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LA GRANDE — During
the past week, cougar sight-
ings have been reported in
north La Grande near the
Grande Ronde River.
The Oregon Department
of Fish and Wildlife received
two calls, one of which was
confirmed last week just
north of the river outside city
limits.
The unconfirmed sight-
ing was reported Monday,
Aug. 2, on Russell Avenue
near Interstate 84, but no
new confirmed sightings
have been recorded over the
last five days, according to
ODFW District Wildlife biol-
ogist Matthew Keenan.
“We are continuing to
monitor and respond to any
other reports at this point,”
he said.
ODFW has cellular
camera footage from the
WINDS (in mph)
91/61
90/51
0.00"
0.01"
0.04"
4.37"
8.63"
8.35"
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Pendleton 84/54
83/63
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
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Last year to date
Normal year to date
HERMISTON
Enterprise
92/64
87/70
96°
69°
91°
60°
113° (1961) 40° (1911)
PRECIPITATION
Moses
Lake
82/62
Aberdeen
89/62
94/68
Tacoma
Yesterday
Normals
Records
Spokane
Wenatchee
82/62
the Northwest branch of Defend-
ers of Wildlife, said the group was
“enraged” by the state’s actions and
called on the state agency to facili-
tate coexistence between livestock
producers and wolves.
“The use of lethal measures is
never a long-term solution to depre-
dations and killing pups is simply
unacceptable,” Kamal said in a
written statement. “Defenders will
continue to work with livestock
producers to help implement proac-
tive nonlethal practices and strate-
gic grazing practices.”
Pedery disputed the agency’s
assertion that killing the pups
would significantly reduce the
caloric needs for the pack, noting
that 3-month wolf pups weigh 20 to
30 pounds.
“ODFW has just joined the ranks
of Idaho, Wyoming and Wiscon-
sin in demonstrating why they are
unfit to manage endangered wild-
life in an ethical manner,” Pedery
wrote in an email to The Orego-
nian/OregonLive. “If Gov. Brown
refuses to reign [sic] in her agency,
it is clear that President Biden and
(U.S. Secretary of the Interior) Deb
Haaland need to step in and rein-
state federal Endangered Species
Act protections.”
Gray wolves were removed from
the federal Endangered Species
list in January, allowing Fish and
Wildlife to take over the manage-
ment of their population. But just
last week, a coalition of 70 groups
filed a formal petition to relist the
gray wolf as an endangered species
in the western United States.
• Kelly Schwirse
• Dayle Stinson
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email to eastmorainecommunityforest@
gmail.com or via mail to 101 S. River St.,
Enterprise, OR 97828.
Comments must include name, contact
information and a reference to the page and
section of the plan.
A public meeting takes place Sept. 1 at the
Wallowa County Fairgrounds Cloverleaf Hall
to receive more public feedback.
The comment period ends Oct. 2.
Army Corps limits fires at
Walla Walla’s Rooks Park,
Bennington Lake
WALLA WALLA — Officials are increas-
ing fire restrictions for the areas in and
surrounding Rooks Park, Mill Creek Dam
and Bennington Lake near Walla Walla.
According to a release from the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District on
Tuesday, Aug. 3, increasingly hot and dry
weather prompted the change.
All open flames are prohibited until further
notice, including charcoal. Propane stoves are
permitted if someone is attending at all times
and no flammable materials are within 5 feet
of the device.
The Army Corps owns and manages the
land in the Rooks Park area for camping,
picnicking and other recreation.
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