AR-News: Oregon looks at what to do about wolves

[jim robertson]

Oregon looks at what to do about wolves
There are no plans to reintroduce them in the state, but three do visit from 
Idaho, and biologists expect more
By MARK FREEMAN
Mail Tribune
When gray wolves come to Oregon, their status as a threatened species could 
mean biologists would trap and relocate wolves that prey too heavily on deer 
and elk — or even kill other predators like cougars to compensate for the 
losses to wolves.

But if threatened status is removed, then wolves could be killed, possibly 
by public hunters or trappers, to protect Oregon’s deer, elk and other 
ungulate (hoofed) species if predation levels are deemed too high.

These and other potential strategies for managing wolves that eventually 
migrate to Oregon highlight a range of options for handling wolf-ungulate 
interactions once the animals re-establish residence here.

Whatever happens, wildlife officials hope to manage wolves "in harmony" with 
other predators, deer and elk populations and human expectations for viewing 
or hunting animals inhabiting the state, said Craig Ely, a state wildlife 
biologist overseeing wolf management planning here.

"The goal of the whole management plan is to get these animals de-listed," 
says Ely, from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s La Grande 
office. "The sooner we can get them de-listed, the more it opens the doors 
to managing these animals in different ways."

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The wolf-ungulate relationship is one of many facets of the predator’s 
future management now under discussion by a special Wolf Advisory Committee 
charged to help set wolf policies prior to their re-establishment here.

Wolves were killed off in Oregon as well as throughout the West, with the 
last confirmed kill of an Oregon wolf in the 1930s.

There are no known wolves now in Oregon, but since 1996 three have spent 
some time in Oregon after migrating here from wild populations in Idaho.

Oregon has no plans to re-introduce wolves. But sensing that individual 
animals likely will migrate here and stay, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife 
Commission last year formed the 14-member advisory committee to help devise 
a pro-active management plan.

The committee has met five times in various Oregon towns, and members will 
be in Medford on Wednesday and Thursday for their sixth session.

The committee is looking into possible impacts to livestock, conflicts with 
other species, possible effects on humans, economic analyses and myriad 
other issues involving wolves and other predators already here.

While potential impacts on deer, elk and other ungulates is a small sliver 
of the committee’s charge, it has drawn the lion’s share of interest among 
Oregonians attending 15 town hall meetings on wolves last year, Ely says.

"We heard these comments time and time again — what impact to do wolves have 
on ungulate populations," Ely says.

The ODFW this week released a draft report that concludes wolves will seek 
areas abundant with deer, elk and pronghorns when they do reach Oregon, but 
their overall impacts on these herds is unknown.

"What we’re looking at now is pure speculation, but it’s reliable 
speculation," says Ivan "Sandy" Sanderson, an Oregon Hunters Association 
representative on the committee. "We don’t know what kind of impact they’ll 
have. We can only make educated guesses."

They are known to prey on deer and elk, especially fawns and calves, and 
wolves are known to eat prey in weaker condition. But whether any specific 
wolf’s predation has any direct impact on deer and elk herds has been 
debated heavily for decades — with predicting outcomes difficult.

One computer model applied to Idaho predicted that each wolf there would 
kill 15 ungulates a year, plus another 10 percent for "occasional excessive 
killing," the draft states. The predation was at a level that the state’s 
elk population, over time, could not sustain, according to the draft.

But such conclusions worry Amaroq Weiss, an Ashland resident and western 
director of species conservation for the Defenders of Wildlife.

Ungulates and predators don’t exist in vacuums, with factors like habitat, 
weather, disease, and other factors playing roles in deer and elk population 
levels, Weiss says.

"It’s enormously difficult to tease out what the primary factor (driving 
population levels) is," Weiss says. "If you don’t know that the wolf is a 
primary factor in ungulate population declines, then you don’t go after the 
wolf as the number-one target."

However, Weiss believes that wolves carry so much "historical baggage" as a 
feared predator that many Oregonians likely point fingers their way whenever 
deer or elk herds decline.

"Citizens can be quick to blame the wolf for a lot of things," she says.

The committee is scheduled to consider an array of possible strategies for 
solving wolf-ungulate conflicts in cases where research specifically shows 
that predation is the primary cause of ungulate declines either locally or 
throughout larger "wildlife management units" like the Rogue Unit of eastern 
Jackson County.

The various potential strategies hinge upon whether the wolf retains 
protections afforded to species listed as threatened by state and federal 
governments.

While wolves are listed as threatened, biologists could consider trapping 
and relocating wolves to reduce predation levels, the draft states. Another 
option would be to kill other non-threatened predators to reduce overall 
predation

"I’m not saying we need to go in and kill a lot of animals," Sanderson says. 
"As long as it’s listed, we’re really limited as to what we can do."

If not listed, options range from killing some of the wolves preying on 
specific herds while still maintaining a targeted statewide population, 
according to the draft. Under this scenario, the ODFW could either kill the 
wolves themselves or open public hunting or trapping opportunities, 
according to the draft.

"I think the ODFW is on the right track," Sanderson says.

Until then, the ODFW needs to improve deer and elk numbers to ensure 
Oregon’s wildlife can sustain impacts from wolf predation, Sanderson says.

Weiss does not believe that wolves will ever become a primary factor in any 
decline of future deer and elk populations in Oregon.

"Certainly, in my heart I believe there are wolves in Oregon," she says.

But it will take years before even the potential for wolf-ungulate conflicts 
to occur, she says.

"It’s a blind guess," Weiss says. "The best I can say is, it’ll be a long 
time."



Wolf Advisory Committee meets this week
The Wolf Advisory Committee will meet Wednesday and Thursday at the National 
Guard Armory, 1701 S. Pacific Highway, Medford.
Wednesday’s session will open at 10:30 a.m. and run until 5:30 p.m., while 
Thursday’s meeting will run from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Topics will include reviews and discussions on various draft chapters to a 
report that will help the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission set a wolf 
management plan for Oregon.

Members of the public are invited to attend, and the committee has set aside 
15 minutes at the end of Thursday’s session to collect oral public comment.

Written comments can be submitted at the meeting or sent electronically to 
ODFW.Comments at state.or.us via e-mail.

Anyone who believes they have seen a wolf in Oregon is urged to telephone 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Bend at 541-312-6429.

— Mark Freeman

http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2004/0509/local/stories/05local.htm