Alison Morrow, KING 5 News
Tension over a growing wolf population in Washington is flaring up again. The Cattle Producers of Washington (CPoW) has resigned from the Wolf Advisory Group (WAG) and is calling for the state to shut WAG down.
In the last month, wildlife officials have confirmed wolves in the Teanaway pack have killed two of the same rancher’s cattle.
The predators have brought controversy with them.
WAG serves as an effort to try to unite key stakeholders like ranchers, conservationists, and animal right’s groups in an effort influence wolf management policy.
“I’ll admit going into that last meeting, I looked at my watch and said, ‘Wow,'” Jack Field said.
Field is the WAG representative for the Washington Cattleman’s Association. He just learned that fellow lobbyist group resigned.
CPoW claims the WAG has created “dire circumstances for the ranch families” by refusing to kill more nuisance wolves.
“I understand how frustrated people can get,” Field said. “I was very frustrated.”
Field admits he almost quit too, until he got some good advice from Dave Duncan.
“It takes a long time to build trust. It’s really about trust,” Duncan said.
Duncan is a WAG member, representing Washingtonians for Wildlife Conservation. Duncan’s worked on several controversial conservation issues, some lasting a decade. He believes wolf management must move more quickly. But he says if it moves too fast it could end up tangled in lawsuits.
“The cattlemen will lose. The wildlife will lose. The people – whoever’s suing – it’s not good for anybody,” Duncan said.
In less than 10 years, Washington’s wolves have grown from just a couple wolves to several wolf packs. They’ve killed cattle and dozens, if not hundreds, of sheep.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife is still waiting for results from a necropsy on an animal killed on Interstate 90 near Snoqualmie Pass, which may be the first wolf to cross west of the Cascades.
It’s a time when wolf management policy is facing pressure unlike ever before, while the group created to ease that pressure is fighting to survive.
“I guess, call me old fashioned, but you’re either at the table or on the menu,” Field said.
Field believes the WAG is finally starting to find unity and momentum after a recent meeting where they united around helping a sheep producer who has suffered the worst depredations. He hopes other members of WAG decide to stay with the pack.
“I’m all in. I think we’ve got a real opportunity,” Field said. “I’m confident we’re going to be able to get something done.”