Published 4:15 pm Friday, December 15, 2023
McMINNVILLE, Ore. — Since gray wolves returned to Oregon nearly 25 years ago, their presence has evoked strong and often polarizing reactions statewide.
That much was evident at a workshop hosted by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission on Dec. 14 in McMinnville, where officials pondered what changes are needed to the state’s Wolf Conservation and Management Plan in the future.
The plan was last updated in 2019, and is due for a five-year review in 2024.
A staff review found that, while portions of the plan could be updated with new information, “few if any modifications are needed for the plan to be able to address contemporary needs and continue to successfully guide wolf conservation and management in Oregon.”
After hearing from representatives of hunting, ranching and environmental organizations, commissioners agreed the focus should be on honing implementation of the current plan, rather than making wholesale revisions.
“I think we could spend a lot of time in bureaucratic hell if we opened this plan up and fiddled around (with it). I don’t see any value in that,” said Becky Hatfield-Hyde, a commission member and rancher from Paisley. “Let’s move on and keep doing the work, baby.”
Roblyn Brown, wolf program coordinator for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, provided an overview of how wolves have fared since returning to Oregon in 1999. She described their recovery as a success.
Over the last 15 years, the state’s wolf population has grown from zero to at least 178 as of the latest minimum count.
While population growth has leveled off in recent years, Brown said that is largely due to saturation of the animals’ territory in northeast Oregon where most packs reside. The same thing is expected to happen as more wolves disperse statewide.
“Eventually, Oregon is going to have wolves in all places and the population is not going to increase,” Brown said.
Brown said adult wolves have an 87% survival rate in Oregon, indicating that conservation efforts are working.
Brian Wolfer, ODFW Wildlife Division deputy administrator, said staff began its review of the wolf plan earlier this year, going through the 157-page document chapter by chapter. Wolfer said they wanted to prioritize reducing wolf attacks on livestock and curb illegal poaching.
The workshop was a chance for stakeholder groups to weigh in on those topics and talk about how the department can improve.
John Williams, wolf committee co-chairman for the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, said ODFW has made strides since July assisting ranchers in northeast Oregon when wolves repeatedly prey on their livestock.
Wolves were removed from the state endangered species list in 2015, though they remain federally protected west of highways 395, 78 and 95. In Eastern Oregon, ODFW can approve killing wolves from packs that rack up a certain number of livestock depredations in a certain time period — a standard known as “chronic depredation.”
But Williams said that process has been frustrating in the past, with investigations taking too long and lethal take permits saddled with too many restrictions.
Now, he said those permits allow ranchers more time and flexibility to shoot wolves that are causing them problems.
The state has also started partnering with USDA Wildlife Services to assist ODFW biologists with more timely depredation investigations.
“We are very encouraged with what we’ve seen with wolf management since July,” Williams said. “However, we have more people dealing with more wolves in more places in Oregon than ever. It needs to continue.”
Not everyone agreed that ODFW is taking the right tack with its approach to reducing wolf-livestock conflict.
Sristi Kamal, deputy director of the Western Environmental Law Center, argued that killing wolves has failed to build social tolerance for the species.
“We have seen in Oregon that lethal control has been unsuccessful in dealing with conflict, long-term,” she said. “It feels like you’re refusing to listen to the best available science here.”
Environmental advocates worry that a lack of social tolerance is fueling more cases of wolf poaching around the state. Danielle Moser, wildlife program manager for Oregon Wild, said poaching remains a serious threat to wolf recovery.
According to ODFW, 88% of all wolf deaths are caused by humans. Over one-third of those are illegal killings, with 30 wolves having been illegally shot, 16 poisoned and another five “strongly suspected” to have been poisoned.
By reducing protections for wolves, Moser said it creates the impression that the species is no longer being valued, which could encourage poaching.
“I do think these perceptions matter,” she said.
Brown, the agency’s wolf program coordinator, acknowledged that wolf deaths in 2023 has been “higher than we’ve ever had before,” but said the good news is that the mortality rate is still below where they would expect population declines.
Williams, with the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, said the only way ranchers will tolerate wolves is if they are managed proactively.
“We need to normalize wolves, and we need to get the wolf management to where it is done in a timely manner, and it is done efficiently,” he said.
Nick Myatt, East Region manager for ODFW, said tensions over wolves have hit a boiling point over the last several years, both among livestock producers and agency staff. He outlined several steps underway to improve management and mend those relationships.
Those include allowing field biologists to confirm depredations on the ground, as well as partnering with Wildlife Services to speed up the process.
ODFW is also finalizing a contract with the Western Landowners Alliance to help connect ranchers with financial and technical assistance for deterring wolf attacks, Myatt said.
Kim Kerns, a Baker County landowner, said her ranch was the first to experience wolf depredation of their sheep in 2009. She said this year has been a turning point in restoring trust between ODFW and ranchers over wolf management.
“I do think the wolf plan needs to be implemented more stringently,” Kerns said. “We’re getting there. … I think we’re going to do some really good things moving forward.”
Mary Wahl, chairwoman of the Fish and Wildlife Commission, said she was encouraged by everyone’s participation in the workshop.
“It gives me optimism that we can continue threading this needle,” she said.
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