Oregon's livestock compensation and wolf coexistence bill will make sure ranchers are doing their part.
Oregon wolf bill passes – Defenders wolf expert Suzanne Stone has been working tirelessly in recent weeks to help Oregon set up a statewide livestock compensation and wolf coexistence program. Working closely with the Governor’s office, the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association and others, she has helped craft new legislation that would put in place one of the best compensation and coexistence programs in the country. The bill was passed unanimously in the Oregon House last week and we just got word that it passed the Oregon Senate with unanimous support as well! (read our press release here) This historic achievement shows that conservation groups and ranchers can come up with practical solutions to prevent livestock loss and protect wolves. All it takes is a cool head and willingness to listen.
Western wolf insight – We may not like how things turned out or the way it was done, but the reality is that wolves are delisted in the Northern Rockies and their future will be determined by the states that manage them. Mark Heinz, a Wyoming journalist, knows this and argues that wolves can and should be managed responsibly in a way that protects wildlife and the interests of Westerners. Here’s an excerpt of what he had to say:
Wolves hold a vital place in the ecosystem. They always did, and exterminating them in the first place was wrong. It was the result of our ancestors either not knowing enough, or simply not caring enough to see past their immediate gain.
Those who vehemently oppose wolves must come to grips with the fact that it isn’t 1880 — or even 1960 — anymore. The view that nature is a thing to be dominated has changed. And that’s for the better.
A wolf crossing the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park.
Suzanne takes on Butch – Bloomberg News profiled Idaho Gov. “Butch” Otter this week and turned to Defenders wolf expert Suzanne Stone for a comment on his record regarding wolves:
Otter, who has argued that predators decimate big game such as elk, is “clearly anti-wolf,” Suzanne Stone, the Boise-based Northern Rockies representative of Defenders of Wildlife, said in a telephone interview yesterday.
For Otter to “undermine existing laws” that protect wolves is embarrassing, she said. “These animals are innocent. They are not doing anything wrong by being back in their native habitat.”
Instead of showing real leadership, Otter has continued to foment wolf hysteria by declaring a “disaster emergency” and promoting the widespread killing of wolves. It’s time for Idaho to live up to its commitment to manage all wildlife responsibly, and that should start with state’s elected leader.
Idaho’s wolves on NPR – NPR correspondent Martin Kaste traveled to Idaho earlier this month to assess the situation for wolves on the ground. So far this year, wolves have been shot from helicopters and pursued by sheriff’s deputies, and the state is gearing up for what could be a drastic hunting season this fall. Click here to listen to the full story.
Don’t blame enviros for delisting – At the end of last month, High Country News ran a story blaming environmental groups for the eventual delisting of wolves by legislative fiat. But as Felice Pace points out in this letter to editor, the Old Guard in the west was unlikely to accept wolves no matter what. Rather, wolves have been the victim of human prejudice that predates the Endangered Species Act and any of the groups that seek to defend it.
Cows more deadly than wolves? – Tragedy struck last weekend in Iowa where 60-year-old Jean Fee was attacked and killed by a cow on her family farm. The incident is also a reminder though that oftentimes domestic animals are far more dangerous than even wild predators like bears, cougars and wolves.
Wolves doing well in Wyoming – While Wyoming has yet to come up with an acceptable state wolf management plan, federal wildlife managers seems to be keeping the situation under control. The latest report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indicates that only five of Wyoming’s wolves have been killed so far this year in response to the loss of just six cattle and one sheep. Though that may still seem heavy-handed, the good news is that the overall losses are extremely low, which should lend credence to the argument that wolves do not need to be aggressively targeted by the state if and when they are finally delisted in Wyoming.
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