PORTLAND, Ore. (Apr. 18, 2017) – This week the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will hear public comment on draft revisions to the state’s Wolf Conservation and Management Plan (Wolf Plan). Last week the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) released a draft update to the Wolf Plan that—when finalized by the Commission—will determine how wolves in Oregon are managed for the next five or more years. This update comes at a critical time for wolf recovery – the number of wolf packs and breeding pairs declined in 2016, and large areas of suitable wolf habitat are still vacant.
Quinn Read, Northwest representative for Defenders of Wildlife, issued this statement:
“This draft Wolf Plan is just that, a draft. There are some promising proposals, but there are major red flags, like new provisions allowing hunters to kill wolves instead of requiring nonlethal deterrents to better protect livestock and coexist with wolves on public lands. These proposals could damage the fragile recovery of wolves in Oregon. We still have a lot of work to do, and Defenders will work hard to ensure the final version has the necessary protections for wolves to thrive in Oregon.”
For nearly 80 years, Defenders of Wildlife has worked to protect and restore America’s wildlife at risk of extinction, advancing a vision of a future in which wildlife thrives, sustained by broad public support and a resilient network of healthy lands and waters. With a network of more than 2 million supporters, Defenders is an advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on Instagram @defendersofwildlife.
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