Oregon Wolves Headed Towards Delisting? Seven years ago there was not a single wolf in Oregon. At last count at the end of 2013, there were more than 64 wolves in the state. Thanks to protections afforded by the state and federal Endangered Species Acts
and Oregon’s strong state management plans, today wolves in Oregon are
making a steady comeback. Preliminary counts of the state’s wolf
population (official counts are expected in March) show that Oregon’s
wolf population could have as many as four breeding pairs in the state
– for the third year in a row. A “breeding pair” is a pair of adult
wolves which produce at least two pups that survive to the end of each
year, a strong indicator of the population’s overall health. But
maintaining more than four breeding pairs for three consecutive years is
one of the criteria that could trigger a delisting of gray wolves
in Oregon under the state’s Endangered Species Act. Defenders is
thrilled to see this population of wolves continue to recover, but just
because one criterion for state delisting has been met (i.e. the number
of breeding pairs), Oregon shouldn’t automatically remove wolves from
the list of state protected species. There are several criteria, such as
whether the rules governing the management of wolves offer enough
protection, that need to be evaluated before experts can determine if
wolves can safely be removed from the state endangered species list.
Defenders will continue to encourage Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
to conduct a neutral and unbiased status review once any of the
criteria have been met to assess the wolves’ overall population health
in Oregon.
Anti-Wolf Bills Proposed in Washington State. Public
hearings in the Washington State legislature next Thursday February 5th
could mean big problems for Washington’s wolf management plan. Both the
House and the Senate are considering a series of bills that could
severely undercut how wolf recovery is governed going forward. Five
separate bills will be heard by the House Agriculture and Natural
Resources Committee that would weaken protections for wolves in the
state, including one to authorize increased lethal control of wolves and another to delist wolves in large portions of the state. Just next door, the Natural Resources and Parks Committee in the state senate will consider a companion bill that would also authorize delisting wolves in much of the state. If you are a local resident, tell your Representative
that you oppose these bills, and if you live close to Olympia, come out
and testify next Thursday at these 1:30pm public hearings! The House
Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee hearings will be held in
Hearing Room B in the John L. O’Brien Building. The Senate hearing will
take place at the same time and will be held in Senate Hearing Room 1 in
the J.A. Cherberg Building.
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