“This will give our producers another set of tools when moving into phase two of the plan”, Rosa said, referring to the overall three-phase Oregon Wolf Management Plan established by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Killing wolves is allowed only if they’re caught in the act of attacking or involved in repeated livestock damage. When they do, the science will leave no doubt that Oregon’s estimated population of 82 wolves is far from ready to delist.
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Any take of wolves remains tightly regulated under the state’s wolf management plan. In the days ahead, Oregon Wild will be looking both back at the flawed process that lead up to this vote, and forward to the upcoming revision of Oregon’s Wolf Plan, for opportunities to continue the fight for gray wolves.
In addition, the Commission’s decision will not impact how the majority of Oregon’s approximately 83 wolves are managed.
Additionally, west of Highways 395, 78 and 95, wolves are also still listed under the federal Endangered Species Act and the commission’s action has no effect on their federal status.
OR has taken its gray wolves – 81 in total – off the state endangered species list. They will move to Phase 3 after ODFW documents seven breeding pairs for three consecutive years, which could occur as early as January 2017. This administrative action clears away one key barrier to a trophy-hunting and commercial-trapping season on wolves in OR, and it’s an act that speaks more about politics than science OR sound management.
The vote was not unanimous.
“If this commission chooses to delist it will make a very sad and powerful statement about who and what it serves”, said Jonathan Jelen, development director for the conservation group Oregon Wild. They noted that Oregon ESA law does not allow for delisting in only a portion of the state.
The complaint- filed after the Service announced in June 2015 that it had authorized the killing of the female red wolf and would suspend red wolf reintroductions into the wild-details the agency’s failure to investigate the status and reported recent decline of the wolves’ population, its actions and management that harm the survival of red wolves, and its failure to investigate how best to recover wild red wolves, as required by law. Currently, the maximum penalty is a $6,250 fine and a year in jail, and that penalty does not change with the delisting of wolves.
The contentious decision came during a 10-hour wildlife commission meeting, which saw 106 people testify for and against the delisting plan.
They said they would consider suing the state to reverse the commission’s decision.
In February, gray wolves were returned to endangered or threatened species lists in Minnesota, Wisconsin, MI and Wyoming after court orders reversed their delistings from 2012.
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Note to Editors: Photographs of red wolves in North Carolina are available for use with appropriate photo credit from the US Fish & Wildlife Service at https://www.flickr.com/photos/trackthepack. “By continuing to follow the path that the plan has laid out, we will eventually be able to reach phase three of the Oregon Wolf Plan”.
