ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Editor/Senior Reporter
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2022
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
States
can best
manage
wolves
F
or all of the gnashing of teeth
and worries about the impend-
ing decline of Idaho’s wolves, any
predictions of their demise are greatly
exaggerated.
Last year, the Idaho Legislature modi-
fied the law related to hunting and trap-
ping wolves. Since it’s the state’s job to
manage them, such laws were well within
the purview of lawmakers.
Wolf advocates said the legislators
were threatening the state’s 1,500 wolves
and any efforts to reduce that number
would mark the beginning of the end for
the predators.
In the year since the law was passed,
not much has happened. The state’s wild-
life managers keep tabs on the wolves
that have taken up residence in Idaho.
What they found is — drum roll, please
— the wolf population is about the same
as before.
The wolf population peaks in the
summer, after the pups are born. After
that, any deaths are counted. The popula-
tion’s annual low point is about 900 in the
early spring, before the next batch of pups
is born.
State wildlife managers say if for some
reason the population began to decrease
too far, they could make mid-course
adjustments.
That’s the sort of thing wildlife manag-
ers do.
Montana’s Legislature passed similar
legislation. For the vast majority of the
state the new hunting and trapping rules
had little impact on the overall popu-
lation. However, they found that some
wolves from Yellowstone National Park
had a tendency to drift outside the park
and were killed by hunters and trappers.
When wildlife managers saw this, the
hunts in that area were called off. The
Yellowstone wolf packs will no doubt
rebuild.
There is a concept that continues to
be circulated about wolves: They are
timid creatures that need the help of man
to survive in the wild. Environmental
groups use that concept to build a case for
protecting wolves and raising money.
Unfortunately for them, wolves are
robust, smart and reproduce rapidly.
Idaho started with 35 wolves imported
from Canada in the mid-1990s. Now the
population peaks at 1,500 each year, even
with hunting, trapping and culling wolves
that attack livestock.
Similarly, the wolf populations in
Washington state and Oregon are healthy,
yet the way they are managed has frus-
trated many ranchers.
Idaho and Montana have shouldered
the responsibility of managing wolves in
those states. They are held accountable
and able to make changes as needed to
maintain the health of the wolf popula-
tions without sacrificing the livelihoods
of farmers and ranchers.
Our hope is that, some day, political
leaders in the nation’s capital, Washing-
ton state and Oregon will allow wildlife
managers to do the same statewide.
The last thing any of those states need
is for the federal government to take over
all management of wolves. Idaho and
Montana have demonstrated that it’s not
needed, or wanted.
YOUR VIEWS
Did Zuck Bucks influence
the 2020 election?
There have been both articles and
letters about the election being bought,
but no information that would ever
point in that direction, or disprove it
that I have seen in the East Oregonian. I
would like to point out that Mark Zuck-
erberg has provided what is known as
Zuck Bucks to the tune of more than
$400 million to nonprofit groups that
were in positions to influence the elec-
tion. Most was funneled through the
Center for Tech and Civic Life, a group
led by three Democrats with a long
history of activism, and the Center for
Election Innovation and Research with
connections to People for the Amer-
ican Way, that group funneled Zuck
Bucks to governmental entities, accord-
ing to influencewatch.org/non-profit/
center-for-election-innovation-research.
According to the Foundation for
Government Accountability, Geor-
gia received more than $31 million in
Zuck Bucks for the general election
alone. The money went to salaries,
laptops, vehicle rentals, attorney’s fees
for public records requests and mail-in
balloting. Trump leaning counties
received $1.91 per registered voter,
Biden leaning counties received on
average $7.13 per voter. The money
flowed into the run-off election as well.
Democratic counties in Pennsylva-
nia also were targeted for Zuck Bucks
infusion. Wisconsin received Zuck
Bucks, which outsourced much of their
election operation to private liberal
groups.
A statement that the election was
bought has to be backed up, and a state-
ment saying it ain’t so needs proof, too.
Check out the Foundation for Govern-
ment Accountability, Feb. 25, 2021,
NPR on Zuck Bucks, or the Capital
Research Center May 20, 2021, Broad
and Liberty April 13, 2021, NPR Dec. 8,
2020, to name just a few sources. These
sources certainly give pause to think
about the undue influence bought and
paid for, and certainly concern about
the consequences of such expenditures
from a moral/integrity perspective. One
man’s influence in elections to this level
is cause for concern. There are other
financial influences, not just this one.
I don’t know that goes as far as
saying it was bought, but it certainly
has an odor of impropriety and outright
corruption to it. It is one area of many
that I would like to see cleaned up for
future election integrity.
Granella Thompson
Weston
City shouldn’t play favorites
The summary of the Pendleton City
Council discussion regarding Uber
posed two instances of mis-thinking
regarding allowing Uber and the like in
Pendleton.
First is Councilor Dale Primmer’s
question about a guarantee that Uber
would, or would not, be successful. I
pose this question back to Primmer:
Where is there a guarantee that any city
effort is guaranteed to be a success?
Or stated another way, the city should
provide the opportunity for Uber and
then let entrepreneurship take its course.
After all, Mr. Primmer, you have the
same hope for the new South Hill road.
As to a compromise on splitting
service hours, really? The city’s role is
to support a diverse economic base that
encourages entrepreneurship and then
let success be at the hands of the owners.
Or did I miss something when the city
decided that four legalized marijuana
stores was equal to one liquor store?
Neither taxi and Uber are so select
that they should be given an elite posi-
tion in the city, rather selection is up to
the user and Uber and the like should be
given the opportunity in Pendleton. It is
that easy.
Carl Culham
Athena
Oregon needs to
invest in cloud seeding
Oregon legislators are harming
Oregon. For Oregon legislators to ignore
the benefits of working with Idaho on
drought relief measures comes at the
expense of all Oregon species and envi-
ronments.
I’m a rancher in Powell Butte and the
drought has become critically damaging
to everything and everyone. This Idaho
project has been being developed by
Idaho for more than 20 years, and in the
last five years it has advanced technol-
ogy to the point of being able to deliver a
extra 1 million acre-feet of water a year.
That’s five Wickiup Reservoirs a year of
extra water in my irrigation district.
Seems to me all the leaders in irriga-
tion districts and the state Legislature
should have had this on their radar if
they were looking out for the people like
they all campaign saying they will do.
Idaho and Utah have unambigu-
ous data to use as proof, as cited in this
Washington Post article, www.washing-
tonpost.com/weather/2021/11/21/cloud-
seeding-drought-west/. Oregon needs to
do what Idaho and other states are doing
with this.
Tony Newbill
Powell Butte
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. PRESIDENT
Joe Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
GOVERNOR
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
U.S. SENATORS
Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande office: 541-962-7691
Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton office: 541-278-1129
REPRESENTATIVES
Bobby Levy, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-376
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.BobbyLevy@state.or.us
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Cliff Bentz
2185 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
Medford office: 541-776-4646
SENATOR
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-415
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us