News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
A7
ODFW kills two wolves for repeated attacks on cattle
By Eric Mortenson
EO Media Group
Staff with Oregon De-
partment of Fish and Wild-
life shot and killed two adult
wolves in response to multi-
ple attacks on cattle grazing
in Wallowa County.
Department spokeswom-
an Michelle Dennehey said
one uncollared wolf was
killed Sunday night and a
second was shot Tuesday
morning. One was shot from
the ground and one from the
air, she said.
ODFW will monitor the
situation and could take ad-
ditional action if remaining
members of the Harl Butte
pack continue to attack live-
stock, she said.
Ranchers in the area have
complained about the pack
for some time and asked
ODFW to kill the entire
pack, which included 10
wolves at the end of 2016
and at least seven this past
spring. They said the pack
operated in an area that put
them within striking range
of several herds grazing on
public or private land. The
Oregon Cattlemen’s Asso-
ciation said the dry summer
caused deer and elk to re-
treat higher into the moun-
tains, making cattle “easy
targets” for wolves.
Todd Nash, an area
rancher and county com-
missioner who is the OCA’s
wolf committee chair, said
he was disappointed by
ODFW’s decision to kill
only two wolves.
“We have seen this hap-
pen before and we fully ex-
pect more cattle to be killed.
It’s a very unfortunate way
to do business,” he said in a
prepared statement.
ODFW confirmed the
Harl Butte pack attacked
cattle seven times since July
2016. Ranchers or a hired
range rider interrupted at-
tacks seven other times by
shooting at wolves, charging
them on horseback or other-
wise chasing them away.
Conservation
groups
opposed ODFW using le-
thal control against the
wolves.
Ranchers believe the
Harl Butte Pack is made up
of remnants from the Imna-
ha Pack, which was notori-
ous for attacking livestock.
ODFW killed four members
of that group in March 2016
after multiple attacks. How-
ever, ODFW said DNA an-
alyzed from OR-50, a Harl
Butte wolf that was captured
and collared, “showed no fa-
milial relationship to wolves
of the Imnaha pack.”
The department issued
a lethal control order last
week, announcing its inten-
tion to kill two adults. Den-
nehey, the spokeswoman,
said ODFW hopes the re-
maining pack members will
change their behavior. She
said ODFW will monitor the
situation and share informa-
tion with producers and the
range rider.
The collar worn by OR-
50 provides notice of the
pack’s location.
Governor signs bill to
raise smoking age to 21
By Paris Achen
Capital Bureau
Oregon has become the
third state to raise the legal
age to buy tobacco from 18
to 21.
Gov. Kate Brown signed
the legislation into law
Wednesday, Aug. 9.
The new requirements
take effect immediately.
The law, co-sponsored by
a Republican and Democrat,
aligns the legal age to pur-
chase tobacco and nicotine
products with that already
established for alcohol and
marijuana.
Raising the legal age
to buy tobacco products
“significantly reduces the
number of youth who begin
using these products and
become addicted to them,
saving Oregonians billions
of tax dollars, and the lives
of thousands of loved ones,
each year,” said co-sponsor
Rep. Rich Vial, R-Scholls,
last month.
The law enacts fines
ranging from $50 to $1,000
for individuals or businesses
that distribute or sell such
products to buyers younger
than 21. The new regula-
tions also ban a 21-year-old
from possessing tobacco or
nicotine when on a postsec-
ondary education campus,
effective Jan. 1.
Vial and Sen. Elizabeth
Steiner Hayward, D-Bea-
verton, sponsored the legis-
lation to help prevent youth
from becoming addicted to
tobacco.
About 1,800 Oregon kids
become smokers every year
and an alarming 24 percent
of Oregon’s 11th-grad-
ers report using tobacco
products.
The increase in sales age
will keep tobacco products
out of high schools, where
young teens often access
Known Oregon wolf packs
Confirmed pack/individual range
(As of Dec. 31, 2016)
Estimated pack/individual range
NOTE: Polygons represent estimated
ranges for known wolf packs with
radio-collared animals.
82
395
84
Portland
Pendleton
197
Unnamed
Heppner
5
26
Salem
Minam
Meacham
97
101
Chesnimnus
Wenaha Shamrock
Snake
Walla Walla
River
N. Emily
OR30
Desolation
22
Mt.
Emily
Catherine
26
84
Harl
Butte
OR29/36
OR37
20
26
126
OREGON
Bend
Eugene
20
97
58
Silver
Lake
OR25
5
101
Rogue
N
Keno (status unknown)
25 miles
199
Medford
5
*At least one breeding pair
395
Ontario
Wolf pack population
Pack/area
Total
Wenaha*
Walla Walla*
Snake River*
Minam*
12
11
9
11
Mt. Emily
Meacham*
Rogue
8
7
6
Desolation
Shamrock
Catherine*
1
4
5
Source: Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
(cont.)
Total
Keno
Heppner
Silver Lake
OR30 pair
Chesnimnus*
Harl Butte*
N. Emily
OR29/36
Lone/misc.
Minimum total
1
3
1
2
9
10
3
2
7
112
Alan Kenaga/Capital Press
Prairie City residents encouraged
not to use water outside
Blue Mountain Eagle
Prairie City offi cials con-
tinue to ask residents not to
use city water outside of their
homes.
After lightning damaged
the electronics controlling
the city’s water system June
26, the city has experienced
a water shortage. Offi cials
have requested water be re-
served for emergency ser-
vices if a fi re occurs. Resi-
dents are encouraged not to
use water on lawns, to fi ll
pools or to wash cars.
The Prairie City City
Council Aug. 9 authorized
Mayor Jim Hamsher to de-
clare a state of emergency
regarding the water supply, if
and when it is needed and the
councilors are unavailable
for a meeting.
Contributed photo
Prairie City City Councilor Carole Garrison waters city
planters with a 30-gallon drum of ditch water and the
city’s Arctic Cat. Because of a water shortage caused
by lightning damage, city officials continue to ask
residents not to use city water outside of their homes
for uses such as watering lawns, filling pools and
washing cars.
With the help of the
community’s preservation
efforts, offi cials hope to lift
the water restrictions soon,
according to City Recorder
Taci Philbrook.
Inshallah Ranch
Grant County, OR
Oregon state capitol in Salem.
them from older classmates,
according to advocates
with the American Can-
cer Society Cancer Action
Network.
About 95 percent of adult
smokers started smoking be-
fore age 21, according to the
Cancer Action Network.
Health advocates hope a
reduction in young smokers
will translate into fewer to-
bacco-related diseases, the
state’s leading cause of pre-
ventable death.
The statewide law would
follow a similar law enacted
in Lane County in March.
Oregon follows Hawaii
and California in raising the
legal age to buy tobacco.
Hawaii adopted an age 21
threshold in 2015, followed
by California last year. More
than 200 cities and counties,
including New York City and
Boston, have similar laws.
Despite
endorsements
from public health advo-
cates and an easy passage
in the Senate, the bill faced
a setback when tobacco
company Altria hired for-
mer state Sen. Margaret
Carter, D-Portland, to lobby
against the measure, accord-
ing to a story by Willamette
Week.
Carter, the first black
woman elected to the Ore-
gon Legislature, argued to
lawmakers that raising the
legal age could prompt ra-
cial profiling of minority
youth, according to the al-
ternative-weekly article.
The House Rules Com-
mittee amended the bill
Monday, July 3, to eliminate
the potential for that prob-
lem and ensure individuals
younger than 21 are not pe-
nalized for possessing to-
bacco.
The Inshallah Ranch is known throughout the state for its
exceptional big game hunting. Located in Grant County,
Oregon midway between Burns and John Day, it is a first
class cattle and hunting ranch. The ranch has 12,000
acres of deeded ground and 12,000 acres USFS grazing
permits. 564 acres water rights. 5 houses, first class
improvements and private location. Ranch is exceptionally
well watered with 50+ springs and numerous creeks.
Trophy bull elk in the 350-400 class, Mule deer in the
170-210 class.
9,900,000
$
Contact M.T. Anderson, 541-377-0030
or MTAnderson@CraterLakeRealtyInc.com.
• 12,000 deeded acres
• 2 USFS allotments
• 50+ springs
• 564 acres of water rights
• FREE irrigation water
• 1000 acres of meadows
• 5 dwellings
• incredible improvements
• Huge bucks and bulls
• 6 LOP tags for mule deer
• 6 LOP tags for elk
Linda L. Long, Broker
Crater Lake Realty, Inc.
Phone: 541-891-5562
linda@craterlakerealtyinc.com
Main Office: 541-783-2759
33550 Hwy. 97 N
Chiloquin, OR 97624
06033
06024
