Oregon wildlife biologists are recommending the state remove gray wolves from its list of Endangered Species while retaining a few protections when it votes next month, angering conservationists who said the move is premature and opposed by the public.
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Oregon’s wolf population has recovered to the point where it no longer needs protection under the state endangered species act, according to Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife.
If the ODFW commission agrees with the staff recommendation, it would mean wolves in the eastern third of the state are not protected under either state or federal endangered species laws.
The state’s wolf plan calls for initiating a process to consider stripping wolves of legal protections when eastern Oregon hits a population of four breeding pairs for three consecutive years.
In reaching their decision, she said, state biologists found the wolves cover a large geographic area, that populations are expected to increase, the probability of extinction is low, and the wolf habitat in Oregon is stable.
The meeting begins at 8 a.m.at ODFW Headquarters, 4034 Fairview Industrial Drive SE, Salem.
The state has maintained its research meets state standards because state scientists relied upon other peer-reviewed studies to arrive at their findings.
“Wolves will continue to be protected in Oregon”. Oregon has about 80 wolves and 15 packs.
In testimony urging commissioners to keep wolves listed, a group of scientists outlined the benefits wolves pose to the ecosystem and questioned the parameters state researchers used to justify their recommendation.
“Prematurely weakening gray wolf protections is likely to reverse years of progress, put recovery in jeopardy, and exacerbate conflict”, the 14 scientists wrote in the jointly-penned letter.
Todd Nash, Wallowa County rancher and chairman of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association Wolf Task Force, considered the announcement a step forward, although he said it barely affects the way livestock producers interact with wolves, which is governed by the Oregon Wolf Management Plan. He said, however, that delisting wolves would hamper the litigation prospects of wolf advocate groups that have used the ESA to litigate in the past.
“Delisting allows the Plan to continue to work into the future”, Morgan said.
The frustration of ranchers is only escalating as wolves grow in numbers, Nash said. Ranchers, as they do now, would be able to shoot wolves caught in the act of attacking livestock or herd dogs.
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Wolf advocates say they want more limitations on killing. “We’ve had a few ranchers pay a really high cost and would like to see more control for those people who are being affected”. “The scientists’ comments make clear that removing protections for wolves now runs directly counter to the Oregon Endangered Species Act, which requires such decisions to be based on solid, verifiable science”.
