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.”
Defenders of Wildlife is celebrating 75 years of protecting all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With a nationwide network of nearly 2.2 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit defenders.org/newsroom and follow us on Twitter @Defenders.
