Dozens of protesters make stand in La Grande against wolves
ByLA GRANDE -- Shouldering signs proclaiming "Wolves are at Your Door!" and "Protect Our Children – No Wolves in Oregon," about 60 protesters gathered today in front of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife offices.
Organizer Dale Potter of Joseph led a delegation from Wallowa County that wants to prevent further population gains by gray wolves in Oregon. "The wolf is going to do away with big game hunting. It's going to do away with the livestock industry," Potter, a retired U.S. Air Force pilot, said as the demonstrators gathered.
Wallowa County is now home to more than 20 wolves in two packs. But Potter and other speakers said they have killed dozens of cattle and calves, plus uncounted elk and deer.
The one issue everybody agreed upon was that wolves are making a strong comeback since being declared an endangered species in 1976. More than 1,700 gray wolves now roam Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Washington, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In Oregon, the largest number are believed to live in Wallowa County, but wolves have been reported in Union and Umatilla counties, the Cascades, and as far south as Jordan Valley in Malheur County.
The only wolf advocate at the protest may have been 29-year-old Allen Gorthy, who said he's listened to their mournful howls from his home in Summerville, north of La Grande. Wolves help bring ecosystems into balance and produce better and stronger herds of deer and elk, he said. "We can't just kill off every predator because they are going to lose a sheep or a cow," he said. In contrast, Dave Johnson of Kamiah, Idaho, called the species "destroyers," "extreme predators" and "a threat to our society."
The protesters assembled at a Bi-Mart store parking lot and marched several hundred yards to the Fish and Wildlife regional office. The goal of the protest was to draw state and federal officials' attention to the issue, said Wallowa County Commissioner Paul Castilleja of Joseph.
"We're fed up," said Castilleja, who estimated 90 percent of the 7,150 residents of his county don't want wolves. "While the packs are small, maybe we can make an attempt to get them out of here," he said. "This is a prime time to do something about it." Letters protesting wolf protections will be sent to Gov. John A. Kitzhaber and U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar , Castilleja said.
-- Richard Cockle
Organizer Dale Potter of Joseph led a delegation from Wallowa County that wants to prevent further population gains by gray wolves in Oregon. "The wolf is going to do away with big game hunting. It's going to do away with the livestock industry," Potter, a retired U.S. Air Force pilot, said as the demonstrators gathered.
Wallowa County is now home to more than 20 wolves in two packs. But Potter and other speakers said they have killed dozens of cattle and calves, plus uncounted elk and deer.
The one issue everybody agreed upon was that wolves are making a strong comeback since being declared an endangered species in 1976. More than 1,700 gray wolves now roam Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Washington, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In Oregon, the largest number are believed to live in Wallowa County, but wolves have been reported in Union and Umatilla counties, the Cascades, and as far south as Jordan Valley in Malheur County.
The only wolf advocate at the protest may have been 29-year-old Allen Gorthy, who said he's listened to their mournful howls from his home in Summerville, north of La Grande. Wolves help bring ecosystems into balance and produce better and stronger herds of deer and elk, he said. "We can't just kill off every predator because they are going to lose a sheep or a cow," he said. In contrast, Dave Johnson of Kamiah, Idaho, called the species "destroyers," "extreme predators" and "a threat to our society."
The protesters assembled at a Bi-Mart store parking lot and marched several hundred yards to the Fish and Wildlife regional office. The goal of the protest was to draw state and federal officials' attention to the issue, said Wallowa County Commissioner Paul Castilleja of Joseph.
"We're fed up," said Castilleja, who estimated 90 percent of the 7,150 residents of his county don't want wolves. "While the packs are small, maybe we can make an attempt to get them out of here," he said. "This is a prime time to do something about it." Letters protesting wolf protections will be sent to Gov. John A. Kitzhaber and U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar , Castilleja said.
-- Richard Cockle
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