Document text
1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Ashland doctor travels to Syria to aid refugees ... Should the city regulate outdoor cigarette smoking? ... Joe Hill 100 Roadshow comes to Phoenix Thursday ... Ashland doctor travels to Syria to aid refugees ... Should the city regulate outdoor cigarette smoking? ... Joe Hill 100 Roadshow comes to Phoenix Thursday ... WOLVES Oregon officials remove wolf from state endangered species list Move will have little effect now, but could lead to changes in Eastern Oregon Comment By The Associated Press DailyTidings.com By The Associated Press Posted Nov. 10, 2015 at 2:00 AM By The Associated Press Posted Nov. 10, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Social News PORTLAND — Oregon wildlife officials voted in Salem Monday to remove the gray wolf from the state's Endangered Species Act list. The state's Fish and Wildlife Commission voted 4-2 to delist the wolves after a meeting lasting nearly 10 hours. Commissioners Greg Wolley and Laura Anderson voted against delisting. The state's wolf plan calls for initiating a process to consider stripping wolves of legal protections when eastern Oregon hits a population of four breeding pairs for three consecutive years. That goal was met in January. Anderson and other commissioners said they supported removing the protections for that part of the state. Current law doesn't allow for that type of partial delisting. Eighty-one wolves now live in Oregon. State biologists recommended the delisting last week, saying the species is not in danger of extinction in Oregon. At least two national groups, including Defenders of Wildlife, criticized the Monday decision, calling it premature and saying a better alternative would have been to change their status from endangered to threatened. Officials with The Center for Biological Diversity said in a news release they plan to challenge the decision in court. Delisting the animal won't lead to immediate management changes. The state wolf plan continues to provide protection of wolves, tightly regulating when a wolf can be killed. Commissioners also supported increasing penalties for unlawfully killing a wolf. The current maximum penalty is a $6,250 fine and a year in jail. Although nothing changes immediately, more lethal measures could be allowed to manage wolves in the future. An upcoming wolf plan review could also lead to changes in protections. The Commission's action has no effect on wolves west of highways 97, 20 and 395, which are still protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. Wolves in eastern Oregon were taken off the federal list four years ago after Congress used a budget ride attached to a spending bill which also removed the animal from the endangered list in the northern Rockies, eastern Washington and parts of Utah. By The Associated Press DailyTidings.com By The Associated Press Posted Nov. 10, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501