Oregon task force creating wolf management plan
By JEFF BARNARD
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
GRANTS PASS, Ore. — The former president of the Oregon Cattlemen’s
Association said yesterday she will stand firm against allowing wolves
into Oregon as she serves on a task force developing a state management
plan for the predator.
“The only time we’ve ever gained anything is when we’ve drawn a line in
the sand and said, ‘This is it. This is as much as we give,’ ” eastern
Oregon rancher Sharon Beck said in a telephone interview.
“Oregon Fish and Wildlife has said if they harm cattle, they’ll ask U.S.
Fish and Wildlife to take them back. U.S. Fish and Wildlife has guaranteed
us they will. That’s a kind of management plan, isn’t it?” she said.
Beck was one of 14 people named yesterday by the state Fish and Wildlife
Commission to a task force charged with reaching consensus on a plan for
managing the gray wolves that are expected to migrate to Oregon from
Idaho.
The group represents a broad range of interests that include ranchers,
conservationists and Indian tribes. With the help of a facilitator, it is
expected to produce a framework for the plan this fall, and a full plan
next year, said Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Anne
Pressentin Young.
“It’s a very emotional issue,” said Craig Ely, northeast regional manager
for the department.
“The goal was to select people for this committee who balanced the issues
from the extreme of no wolves to wolves behind every rock,” Ely added. “My
personal feeling is we’ve got a good group of people. I think there’s
enough people who really care about this issue, and are willing to come
listen to one another’s viewpoints.”
Though there are regular sightings, there is no confirmation that wolves
are in Oregon right now, Ely said. However, three wolves from a population
introduced in Idaho have strayed into the state, and more are expected in
the future. Two of the three were killed and the other was returned to
Idaho.
Since the wolf was downgraded to a federally threatened species this year,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is looking to states to manage their
local populations. The wolf remains an endangered species under Oregon
law.
Federal regulations allow ranchers to shoot a wolf attacking livestock or
pets on private land, but state law does not.
Under Oregon’s Endangered Species Act, the commission has the power to
adopt a management plan that would allow ranchers to kill wolves
threatening their herds, but not to shoot wolves on sight.