Biologists talk to public about wolves in Oregon
The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife will host town hall meetings in
Coos Bay and other cities throughout the state in November and December to
hear the thoughts, concerns and comments of Oregonians about wolves
entering the state.
The comments recorded at the meetings will be provided to the Oregon Fish
and Wildlife Commission for consideration. The commission is the
rule-making body for ODFW. The seven-member commission has heard from
experts in the past several months about the potential for wolves to
become established in Oregon. The commission now wants to hear from local
residents to ensure that all opinions have been gathered.
Currently, no wolves are confirmed to live in Oregon. However, three
wolves were found in Oregon in 1999 and 2000. One radio-collared wolf was
returned to Idaho, one was hit by a vehicle and died in May 2000 and one
was shot in October 2000. Biologists expect all three were dispersing from
established packs in Boise.
Biologists also have told the commission that more wolves are likely to
arrive in Oregon. Oregon has no plans to actively reintroduce wolves into
the state.
Wolves that enter the state from Idaho’s packs are protected under both
the state and federal endangered species laws. The Oregon Legislature is
the only entity with authority to change the Oregon Endangered Species
Act. The commission, however, has the authority to add or remove species
from the state list of threatened and endangered species.
Each wolf town hall meeting will open with a short introductory
presentation about the history of wolves in Oregon, their current
biological and legal status, and the issues surrounding their migration
into Oregon. Meeting participants then will have the opportunity to voice
their comments and concerns about wolves in Oregon to any of several
facilitators who will be available to record all comments. Participants
also may choose to submit written comments on forms that will be available
at each meeting.
Some educational materials about wolves will be available at the meetings.
All meetings will begin at 7 p.m. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m.
In Coos Bay, the meeting will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 18, at
Southwestern Oregon Community College, Eden Hall, 2988 Newmark Ave.