Rancher opposes wolves in Oregon
JEFF BARNARD
The Associated Press
GRANTS PASS — The former president of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association said Friday she will stand firm against allowing wolves into Oregon as she serves on a taskforce 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 Friday by the state Fish and Wildlife Commission to a taskforce 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.
The wolf remains an endangered species under Oregon law.