By MITCH LIES
Capital Press
SALEM — A review panel says state wildlife biologists have been thorough in their investigations into suspected wolf-livestock conflicts, and their conclusions are consistent with evidence uncovered at the scene of depredations.
The panel’s findings are expected to be among the more controversial aspects of the 2011 Oregon Wolf Management Report, which Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff will present at the Jan. 6 Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting in Salem.
In at least three incidents, USDA Wildlife Services agents determined wolves caused the depredation, while state biologists listed the cause as unknown.
Ranchers have said they believe USDA Wildlife Services is more qualified to make the determinations and should be the lead agency in making the call.
Under Oregon’s wolf management plan, state agents must determine wolves as the cause of depredation before a rancher is eligible for restitution under the state’s wolf compensation fund.
The review panel found it “problematic” that state and federal biologists in some cases reached different conclusions.
“The panel found it difficult to understand how (USDA Wildlife Services) investigators reached their conclusions” based on written reports submitted by Wildlife Services investigators, according to the report.
Dave Williams, Oregon state director of Wildlife Services, characterized the discrepancies as “differences of professional opinion.”
“We were on site. We looked at same evidence as ODFW’s biologists. We took pictures, discussed the available evidence and utilized the same forms we utilize in other states,” he said.
“We’ve been doing this for 80-plus years. We have people based in the counties that are very familiar with what is on the ground,” he said.
“(ODFW agents) go about it their way and we go about it ours,” he said.
That said, Williams said his agency “has every intention to continue to work closely with state and federal biologists.”
The review panel, which ODFW convened in August, consisted of four ODFW employees, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services field supervisor, a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist and retired federal wildlife agent Carter Niemeyer.
The annual wolf management report puts the state’s wolf population at a minimum of 25, with four known packs.
State wildlife agents have confirmed that wolves from one pack, the Imnaha, are responsible for 17 livestock deaths since May 2010.
The report shows that ODFW participated in 33 depredation investigations in 2011, including 26 in Wallowa County.
The report shows ranchers have been active in implementing nonlethal measures to avoid wolf-livestock conflicts, but that measures are limited in their effectiveness.
Under “Expectations for 2012,” the report cites a need for increased monitoring of the state’s wolf population.
“Future delisting is an important goal of the (Oregon wolf plan) and increased monitoring will be necessary in 2012 to effectively monitor the breeding status of Oregon wolves,” the report states.
Under the plan, officials will remove wolves from the state’s endangered species list once four breeding pairs are established in Oregon for three consecutive years.
Wolves in the eastern third of Oregon were removed from the federal endangered species list last May.