Lawmakers debate what to do with wolves
Ranchers propose legislation that would allow the endangered animals to be killed.
Staff, news services
March 26, 2003
The future of wolves in Oregon is a hot topic on a number of fronts.
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted Thursday to begin an open process to develop a wolf management plan.
And in the Oregon Legislature, public hearings are scheduled Tuesday on a trio of bills backed by agriculture and ranching interests that call for the removal of wolves, or allowing them to be killed when they attack livestock.
Commission members made the decision to forge ahead with the management plan after a lengthy, contentious series of 15 public meetings.
The commission decision came after hearing testimony from people who believe wolves should be in Oregon and those who believe the animals’ presence threatens the livelihoods of rural livestock producers.
Wolves aren’t known to be in Oregon, but Fish and Wildlife biologists said it is inevitable that they have come and gone from the state, and will continue to get here as packs disperse from Idaho.
“To do nothing is not an option,” said Commissioner Marla Rae of Salem. “We can’t not prepare.”
There are no plans for bringing in wolves to establish packs in Oregon.
Officials for the Department of Fish and Wildlife will get a report at the April 11 commission meeting in Portland.
The report will be a draft for a goal statement and plan framework, and a proposal for a planning process that uses a public advisory committee.
Commission members said the planning process should take into account that wolves eventually will be in Oregon, their endangered status under the Oregon Endangered Species Act, the statutory requirement to conserve native species, public concerns and the need to provide landowners with tools to deal with the threat to livestock that wolves pose.
Commissioners held four informational workshops to learn about wolf issues from experts, then had Fish and Wildlife officials hold the 15 town hall meetings to collect public comments and give briefings about the issue.
Thursday’s session in Newport was the first time the commission took public comments during its monthly meetings, and there was a new wrinkle.
Just two days before the session, officials for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced gray wolves will be downlisted throughout the west from endangered to threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.
That decision was made, officials said, because of successful gray wolf recovery efforts in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.
Despite the federal reclassification of gray wolves, the species remains listed as endangered under the Oregon Endangered Species Act.
Because of the listing, killing wolves is banned in Oregon, even if they are killing livestock.
However, the commission can vote for rules aligned with the federal reclassification to grant “damage take” permits to livestock owners, if the rules are consistent with conserving the species in Oregon.
On the legislative front, three bills are scheduled for hearings, and a possible discussion and vote, beginning at 1 p.m. Tuesday in front of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee in Hearing Room D.
Those bills are:
House Bill 3125: Directs the Department of Fish and Wildlife to negotiate with federal agencies to remove wolves from the state.
HB 3126: Prohibits anyone from releasing wolves on non-federal lands and imposes penalties for doing that.
HB 3075: Would classify the gray wolf as a predatory animal.