Pro-wolf petition prompts howls
05/15/02
By BRIAN COLE
Hearing backs county law to bar habitat
More than 50 people attended a public hearing Tuesday
before the Klamath County Board of Commissioners about
a proposed ordinance aimed at keeping wolves out of
Klamath County.
Fifteen local residents spoke out against the idea of
bringing wolves into the county for conservation
purposes, or for any other reason.
By contrast, Nancy Weiss, a California resident and
member of the national group Defenders of Wildlife,
said the ordinance misses the point of
wolf-sympathizers.
A petition filed by the group in April 2001 with the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requests that a portion
of federal lands in western Klamath County, along with
other such lands in Oregon and California, become a
“designation population segment” for the gray wolf,
which is protected as an endangered species.
Lands in Klamath County would make up about 10 percent
of the region.
Weiss said part of the way to increase populations of
the endangered species is to identify more areas in
the country where wolves can thrive.
The petition does not address how that should be done,
Weiss said. But it does state the proposed region is
among the vast lands within the 48 states that contain
suitable wolf habitat.
If the area is designated as wolf habitat, the next
move could be to re-introduce the species into the
region, or to “maintain federal protection for the
gray wolf and allow for its safe dispersal and natural
recolonization,” Weiss said.
“Gray wolves are indiscriminate killers,” said Douglas
Whitsett, a veterinarian. “(They) often attack
wildlife and domesticated animals for the pure joy of
killing.”
He added that after wolves were re-introduced into
Yellowstone National Park, mountain sheep were
“eliminated” and total elk numbers were reduced by
half.
Whitsett implored the commissioners to “hold the line
for a few years. The current wolf introduction
programs in other states will graphically illustrate
the potential benefits and the detriments of this
experimental program.”
After hearing the public testimony, Commissioner John
Elliott said restoration proposals always seem to
always be directed to the rural areas.
“Until they re-introduce the gray wolf into Manhattan
Island, I’ll be opposed to the re-introduction of gray
wolves in Klamath County.”
The hearing room exploded with applause.
The board will conduct another public hearing on the
issue at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 4, at the Klamath
County Government Center. After the second hearing,
the board may take action on the proposed ordinance.