A clearheaded editorial about the fact that "end-around", political monkeywrench maneuvers by "bought and paid for politicians who seek to assist Ranchers and Hunters in killing Wolves is JUST PLAIN WRONG AND CANNOT BE TOLERATED.....Oregon State Representative Cliff Bentz is in fact trying to get a law passed that would retrograde the sound Wolf management plan that the State previously put in place..... His bylaw would allow for additional wolf killing ....In 2011, Lawmakers wisely rejected several of these type gerrymandering type bills that would have undermined the wolf-­management plan and the recovery of wolves in Oregon...... They should do the same in 2012, starting with Bentz's bill.

EDITORIAL: Kill anti-wolf legislation

Proposal would undermine state's management plan

registerguard.com

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Once again gray wolves are in the cross hairs of the Oregon Legislature, and lawmakers should kill a retrograde proposal to increase the state's authority over the predators.

The proposal by Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, would sidestep the Oregon Endangered Species Act. Despite the denials of its supporters, the legislation also would undermine the state's wolf plan, which is the result of years of negotiations by a coalition of scientists, economists, conservationists, ranchers and hunters.

What critics of the wolf plan, including the Oregon Cattlemen's Association, really want is to turn back the clock on wolf recovery to the early 20th century, when the animals were eradicated by bounty hunters through a state-sponsored extermination plan.

Whether ranchers like it or not, the majority of Oregonians are happy about the return of Canis lupus, the North American gray wolf. Many eagerly followed the recent travels of the restless predator, formally designated OR-7 but since nicknamed Journey, whose quest for a mate took him more than 700 miles from Northeastern Oregon into California.


oregon wolf pack

The state's wolf plan allows a small number of wolves to repopulate the east side of the state. While no one is certain of the current count, it is believed that there are currently four packs of wolves in the state, with a total of 29 wolves.

The plan gives state wildlife biologists the authority to decide when wolves need to be killed because they are preying on livestock. It's a necessary safety valve that, when applied judiciously, provides protection for ranchers and keeps more Oregonians from turning against wolves.

Last fall, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife issued a kill order for two wolves from the Imnaha pack that roams Wallowa County. Pro-wolf groups filed a lawsuit accusing the department of yielding to pressure from livestock groups and ranchers. The Oregon Court of Appeals issued an order temporarily halting the hunt, angering anti-wolf groups that are eager to blame wolves for every livestock death in Eastern Oregon.

Bentz says his bill is an attempt to pre-empt a court ruling that might prohibit the state-ordered killings of wolves that feast on livestock. But conservation groups that participated in the creation of the wolf plan acknowledge the need for lethal measures to solve depredation problems. They want to make sure that the state has exhausted nonlethal means of predator control before issuing kill orders, and that the wolf plan retains its intended balance between wildlife conservation and the interests of ranchers.

Meanwhile, lawmakers approved a bill last year compensating ranchers for livestock killed by wolves. Now, the state has a tax-supported compensation fund that protects ranchers from financial losses and requires Oregonians throughout the state to share the burden of the cost of restoring their population.

Also in 2011, lawmakers wisely rejected several bills that would have undermined the wolf-­management plan and the inspiring recovery of wolves in Oregon. They should do the same in 2012, starting with Bentz's bill.