By Bob Ferris
There are tons of rumors floating around about the Huckleberry Pack. Things are being said about wolves, the rancher,
WDFW and even private property rights. In this say-anything and
believe-anything society we now find ourselves in we have to be
discerning and cut the tails off both ends of the information spectrum
to find something approaching the truth of this matter. But there are
some things we know and should be concerned about.
The first is the agency behavior. The public expressed great
displeasure at the way the Wedge Pack incident was handled and many of
us—including Cascadia Wildlands—were simultaneously critical and stood
(and are standing) ready with concrete ideas and solutions for moving
forward. As we look at this Huckleberry Pack situation it was clear
that both were ignored.
Most of my professional life has involved looking at complex
ecological, economic and social systems in a conservation context. And
this Huckleberry situation is one of the most complex and myth filled.
Taken in its purest form what the wolves and this huge sheep flock on
private timberlands in northeastern Washington State represents is the
collision between a nearly two century old effort to transform the West
into pastures and woodlots for the benefit of a select few and the
desires of the many to see wildlands that are wild. Both sides of the
debate have valid points but rather than searching for solutions many
are looking for bigger and uglier conflicts. That search will
ultimately result in poor outcomes for both sides.
In many people’s minds what makes this situation special is that it
happens on private lands rather than public because that gets away from
the issue of subsidies and below market grazing. While that is kind of
true, rural counties—like Stevens County—are notoriously subsidized by
federal monies and by the more urban counties in the state. Rural road
systems and education are two areas where rural residents enjoy
amenities far above their federal, state or county tax contributions and
there are many others.
Certainly
there are valid reasons for this osmotic flow of tax dollars and there
should be no shame in it. But it also should not be ignored or denied
by those whose activities—like ranching and timber harvests—are
compromising the water quality, recreational opportunities and
ecological services needed or enjoyed by those parties footing some of
their bills. Nor should this situation encourage a sense of
self-righteousness or crowing from rural private landowners promoting
their reputation for rugged self-reliance, because it only makes these
folks look a lot like teenagers plastering their rooms with no
trespassing signs.
On the flipside those in urban areas need also to understand a few
things. First off, animal protein and lumber comes from somewhere.
Only 14% or so of people in the United States are vegans or vegetarians
and most of us live in houses so divorcing ourselves from this situation
like we are disinterested parties is not productive nor is it honest.
We all have a hand or hands in this.
We have to be honest too about the wolves and livestock. Wolves
are wild critters and they do occasionally kill livestock and where that
happens it is a problem for that producer. That said, there is really
no excuse for comments
like those made recently by Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho—a state which
seems poised to nominate “lying about wolves” as an Olympic sport.
Leaders should certainly have strongly held beliefs but their leadership
should not consist of throwing gasoline on a fire and the complaining
about the heat.
Which brings us to sheep. Domestic sheep are bred to be docile and
afraid of their own shadows. They are as distant in many ways from
their canny wild ancestors as teacup poodles are from wolves. So how
truly prudent is it to release these walking, wool-covered cocktail
wieners into a rough and rugged, re-wilding landscape?
Certainly folks should be granted great latitude in the way they
manage or use their private lands, but there are limits particularly
when those lands often enjoy substantial tax benefits
because of their perceived benefits for wildlife and watersheds—which
are diminished by sheep and cattle grazing. Or when the users of these
tax-advantaged parcels or public lands expect non-trivial amounts of
state and federal assistance to deal with conflicts with endangered
wildlife such as the $75,000 cost of controling the Wedge Pack.
So where does that leave us? My sense is that this pack was aptly
named because huckleberries are fruits used both by humans and
wildlife. When cultivated and over managed huckleberries only provide
food for humans and little benefit for wildlife. And when approached
too casually in their wild state there are sometimes conflicts with
bears and other wildlife. But when left in their natural state and
sensitively and cautiously approached by humans they yield both a
wonderful experience and a tasty treat.
This Labor Day weekend is one of respite for the wolves and is a
good time for reflection about this whole affair. The WDFW, for
instance, needs to consider how they move forward and how to repair
their doubly bruised reputation with the public they serve.
This rancher and others need to think about how their businesses
can thrive in this re-wilding landscape and how their choices of
livestock breeds and management options can lead to conflict and loss or
more happy outcomes. In this they might look at other options such as
hardier breeds of sheep and cattle or even bison as Ted Turner has on
his Flying D ranch and elsewhere (for more on this latter topic please
consider attending one of the Two Talking Wolves tour stops).
Washington’s Governor Inslee needs to think about how he can help
the WDFW deal better with this situation and others. Our sense is that
the best pathway would be what was done in Oregon where the agency,
ranchers and wildlife advocacy groups sat down and negotiated rules that
were later adopted by the legislators and the Fish and Wildlife
Commission. It took 18 months, but it was worth it.
And wolf advocates must reflect as well. Based upon comments that I
have seen, we need to become more aware and sensitive to the situations
faced in rural areas and proceed in an informed and respectful manner.
I know this is difficult—particularly in the face of vitriol—but it is
necessary as well as keeping up the pressure needed to get the logical
and best parties to the table in Washington. Please click below to help
and share this around the social networks.
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