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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 7, 2019)
A18 NEWS Blue Mountain Eagle Bulls Continued from Page A1 Wolves Continued from Page A1 State wolf plan The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission approved an updated Ore- STR AW BER RY Continued from Page A1 MO UN TAI NS For e 395 MALHEUR NATIONAL FOREST st look like they simply fell over and died. “Maybe they were poi- soned,” said Jenkins. But if they were, it could not have happened by natural causes. Jenkins said Tygh Campbell, the property owner’s son, along with Clint Weaver, the cow boss, scoured the property look- ing for poisonous plants but found none. Jenkins said a nec- ropsy to fi nd out the cause of death was not possible because, when the bulls were found, they were already past the 24-hour window when a veteri- nary inspection would have been effective. Marshall said the bulls had probably been dead for two to three days when they were found. The bulls had lived on a 140,000-acre ranch and resort in Seneca, south of John Day. Dr. Scott Camp- bell, a veterinarian, owns the ranch. Marshall said, even though livestock workers are on the property with the cattle every day, it’s a rough, forested terrain so it’s understandable that the bulls weren’t found for a few days. “People always seem surprised that a cattle rancher wouldn’t notice some of his animals are dead right away,” said Jerome Rosa, executive director of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association. “What they don’t realize is the enormity of these prop- erties. Unless you’re in a plane or helicopter, you can’t see everything that’s happening.” Even stranger than the deaths, said Jenkins, are the mutilations. Only a few pieces of the body were removed on each animal — the anus, scrotum, testicles and tongues. One bull was also missing its penis and the tip of one ear. According to Rosa of the OCA, it’s not unusual to fi nd small body parts missing in natural preda- tory cases. When coyotes and wolves fi nd a carcass, Rosa said, they often go for the easy pickings fi rst, chewing off parts like tes- ticles and tongues. Plan Area in detail R o ad Fo r e s t 15 Roa d 16 Seneca MALHEUR NATIONAL FOREST Silvies Valley Ranch Silvies 395 2 miles Alan Kenaga/Capital Press What’s strange about this case is that the areas with missing parts don’t appear to have been chewed. Deputy Jen- kins said the wounds, when examined, appeared clean-cut. “The parts were defi - nitely cut out with a sharp blade,” he said. “There weren’t any signs of pred- atory eating or chewing. They were cut out by at least one person.” The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association has offered a reward of up to $1,000 to anyone who can provide information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever is responsible. A separate $25,000 reward is also being offered by an interested party. “Whenever there’s a case like this, all the con- spiracy theorists come out,” said Jenkins. “Some say it was done by aliens. Others say it’s a cult doing a satanic practice. Some even think it’s the govern- ment. It’s a little ridiculous. I’m confi dent some person or group did this, and we’re trying to get to the bottom of it.” Those with information about the case, said Jen- kins, should call the Har- ney County Dispatch Cen- ter at 541-573-6156. Marshall advises ranch- ers and other people to be careful. “This is a very danger- ous situation. I want people to be extra careful to pro- tect themselves and their livestock. It makes me sick that our gentle bulls were killed and mutilated in this way.” gon Wolf Conservation and Management Plan on June 7. The plan was fi rst adopted in 2005 and was updated in 2010. The plan’s goal remains the same: “To ensure the conservation of gray wolves as required by AIRPLANE RIDES Grant County Regional Airport FLY-IN Saturday, September 7th, 7am -11:30am Grant County Regional Airport John Day, Oregon 541-575-1151 FREE RIDE S for children 1st to 12th grad e only Airplane Rides Provided by Grant County Air Search range for elk, mule deer and bighorn sheep, as well as 10 BLM grazing allotments and fi ve Forest Service grazing allotments. The NEPA process for the proposed plan will consist of two environmental analy- ses, the scoping document states. Phase 1 will estab- lish an appropriate manage- ment level, while decisions on how to achieve that goal will be established in Phase 2. Comments on the scop- ing document for the pro- posed management area plan can be sent to Blue Mountain District Ranger Bob Foxworth at the Mal- heur National Forest Supervi- sor’s Offi ce building in John Day. The deadline is Aug. 17. Herd population The Murderers Creek herd originated with horses that escaped Native Amer- ican herds and horses that escaped or were set loose by soldiers and settlers. Five stallions from two BLM herds were introduced to the area in 1997 to add genetic variation, but it’s believed they were not accepted by wild horses already in the area. The wild horses have few natural predators. Offi cials have estimated herd popu- lation growth in the past at 20% per year, but the scop- ing document puts the fi gure at 10-15% per year. The goal has been to reduce the pop- ulation through “gathers,” where horses were rounded up and offered for adoption, held about every four years. Population estimates in the past include about 180 wild horses in 2004, about 430 with a better count in 2005, about 520 in 2008, about 150-200 in 2009 and about 200 in 2012. The scoping document reports about 228 horses in 2014, about 264 in 2016 and about 339 in 2018. The Forest Service and BLM created a wild horse plan for the Murderers Creek area in 1984 with a limit of 140 horses. A 2007 plan set the population tar- get at 50-140 horses and allowed for periodic gathers. A 2017 Forest Service and BLM analysis called for a management level of 50-140 Oregon law while protect- ing the social and economic interests of all Oregonians.” The U.S. Fish and Wild- life Service delisted the gray wolf from protection under the Endangered Species Act in 2011 east of highways 395, 78 and 95. Oregon del- isted gray wolves in Novem- ber 2015. The updated plan includes new information on status, population and distribution, new science related to biol- ogy and management and management improvements based on information gained Wednesday, August 7, 2019 horses with periodic intro- duction of young mares for genetic reasons. “The analysis determined that the joint management area is large enough and vegetation and topography diverse enough to provide suffi cient cover and space for the wild horses,” the scoping document states. The agencies hired con- tractors in the past to gather wild horses, using wran- glers to move horses out of the steep timbered country to more open areas lower down where helicopters could drive the horses to corrals. Pilot horses were used to lead the wild horses to the corrals, and hay was used as bait. Gathers in the Murderers Creek area began with more aggressive tac- tics in the 1970s. Horses were taken to the Burns BLM facility and offered for adoption. About 111 horses were gathered in February and March 2004, but the goal was 130-150. About 135 horses were gathered in December 2007 and January 2008, but only two horses were gath- ered in August 2010 when the goal was 100. Offi cials said the Murderers Creek horses were learning how to avoid being captured. About 60 horses were gathered in winter 2011, which was con- sidered a success. A BLM proposal in 2012 called for removing about 263 horses over a 4-5 year period. Population study A two-year study funded by a $55,500 Title III grant provided the most accurate population count. The Mur- derers Creek Wildhorse Edu- cation Outreach project was created by Grant County Judge Dennis Reynolds and Cindy McArthur, the range program manager for the Blue Mountain Ranger District. Contractors on horseback rode the entire 108,000-acre management area, travel- ing from pasture to pasture. About 430 wild horses were counted in summer 2005. Wild horses are territorial and do not jump fences, so damage to the land mostly occurred in places where the horses concentrated, the study found. “Cattle are often blamed for damage done by horses,” McArthur said at the time. “A horse can wear down the over the years. But some things remain unknown. “While Oregon’s wolf population is predicted to continue to grow and expand its distribution, it is unclear at this time what the future pop- ulation and specifi c distribu- tion will be,” the plan states. According to the updated wolf plan, 134 confi rmed dep- redation incidents occurred in Oregon from 2009-2018 with 193 livestock losses, includ- ing 71 cattle. “As the Oregon wolf pop- ulation increased from 2009- 2018, incidents of wolf dep- Fed up with their cat- tle being blamed for stream bank damage they claimed was caused by elk and wild horses, Dayville ranchers Loren and Piper Stout sued the Forest Service in 2009 claiming the agency violated the Endangered Species Act by failing to adequately manage the wild horse herd. The Stouts were among a group of ranchers forced to stay off their Forest Ser- vice grazing allotment in the 2008 season after the Ore- gon Natural Desert Associ- ation and other environmen- tal groups won a preliminary injunction in U.S. District Court. During the time their 300 cows couldn’t use the graz- ing allotment, the Stouts went to work document- ing impacts to riparian hab- itat where no cows were grazing. They took photo- graphs of horses standing in the creek at culverts or on stream banks and grass grazed right to the ground. The Stouts also claimed the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife allowed elk numbers to triple in the area. In October 2010, the Stouts fi led a new complaint alleging the Forest Service and BLM’s failure to con- trol the wild horse popula- tion resulted in violations to stream condition standards set by the National Marine Fisheries Service to protect John Day River steelhead. U.S. District Court Judge Ancer Haggerty ruled in March 2011 that the Forest Service failed to consult with the National Marine Fish- eries Service and ordered the agency to do so. By that time, the Stouts had reduced their cow herd to 23 pair. Haggerty also issued a ruling on seven Forest Ser- vice grazing allotments. Noting that a new biologi- cal opinion examining pos- sible impacts on endan- gered species and critical habitat would not be com- pleted in time for the current grazing season, Haggerty ruled that the Forest Service could allow grazing on areas where mitigation measures such as fencing had already been taken in 2010 to keep cows out of sensitive areas. In an April 2012 ruling, Haggerty rejected Stout’s claim that the Forest Ser- vice violated laws governing management of wild horses and forests in the Murderers Creek area. Haggerty ruled that the agency acted within its discretion by setting the appropriate management level at 100 horses and that the Forest Service did not act unlawfully by allowing the wild horse population to increase past that level, given the agency’s budget- ary constraints and the cost of horse gathers. Stout told the Eagle he was forced to sell his cows as a result of the federal allotment closures and the cost of the lawsuit. He still runs cows in the Murder- ers Creek area, but it’s for the rancher who took over his allotment. He also notes that he won the legal battle by forcing the government to remove about 400 horses. redation trended upward,” the plan states. Factors that can affect wolf depredation of livestock include pack size, livestock density, pasture size and remoteness, livestock hus- bandry methods and abun- dance of native prey, the plan states. Cattle depreda- tions may increase in spring, when calves are small, and then peak in the fall, when wolf pups are larger and pack cohesion and energy demands are higher. Ranchers are not required to use nonlethal methods to prevent wolf depredations, but nonlethal methods must be tried, documented and deemed ineffective before ODFW will authorize lethal means. Nonlethal deterrents include removing attrac- tants like carcasses, fenc- ing when possible, chang- ing locations, changing herd structure, delayed turn out, evening feeding, changes to calving, low-stress livestock handling and maintaining a human presence — includ- ing use of range riders, hazers and herders. land quite a bit. They’re real big competition for the cat- tle, elk and deer.” A proposal to euthanize wild horses to reduce the population was made by the BLM in July 2008. The agency was facing a bud- get shortfall of more than $3 million at the time. Low adoption rates had created a backlog, and about 60% of the $37 million wild horse budget went to long-term holding. Less than 2,000 of the 5,000 horses the Burns BLM offi ce hoped to see adopted found new homes. Oppo- nents to euthanizing said the proposal was motivated by budgetary reasons. In the meantime, the BLM said it would postpone gathers. A proposal to use a birth control chemical called PZP was discussed in 2010. The method was not considered effective because it needed to be implemented at certain times of the year and horses needed to be rounded up to administer the chemical. Mares could be darted from the air, but that decreased the chemical’s effectiveness. With so many private and public concerns about wild horse impacts to natural resources in the Murderers Creek area, a local rancher was surprised to encounter a Forest Service employee on Dec. 14, 2018, hauling several wild horses from the Ochoco National Forest to be released in the Mur- derers Creek area. Malheur National Forest representa- tives said they would look into the matter. Rancher’s lawsuit Agricultural, Construction and Commercial Loans. We’ve got you covered. Plus Friendly Branches where you can bank! JOHN DAY BRANCH PRAIRIE CITY BRANCH 200 W. Main Street (541) 575-1862 178 N.W. Front Street (541) 820-3321 Janice Provencher, Branch Mgr Andrea Austinson, Branch Mgr Bob Quinton, Loan Officer Rates & terms may vary. 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