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40 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, December 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 10, 2004 Opposing sides greet wolf management plan Diverse mix of people attend ODFW meeting to talk about expected migration of wolves By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune Gray wolves are at Oregon’s eastern door step, and the state intends to be ready when they come trotting through. That is the upshot of the draft wolf conservation and management plan being touted by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. "We are not going to actively reintroduce wolves into Oregon," Mark Henjum, the department’s state wolf coordinator, told a crowd of about 70 people attending a "wolf" meeting in Medford Tuesday night. "They are coming on their own," he said of expected migrations from wolf packs in Idaho. "We want to be prepared for that." The session, which drew a diverse mix of hunters, ranchers and those who hope to see wolves return to the state, was the final of 15 meetings the agency has held statewide to discuss the controversial issue. Advertisement Some look forward to the arrival of wolves; others are up in arms. "We are totally opposed to wolves — period," said Fred Craig of Grants Pass, president of the Josephine County chapter of the Oregon Hunters Association and the Southwestern Oregon director for the association. "But we also know that (position) isn’t going to work," he added. "With that in mind, we are looking at the plan to determine how we can lessen the impact as much as possible." Studies have shown that wolves feed heavily on deer and elk populations in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana, he said. "We know it will result in greatly reduced hunting opportunities here in Oregon," Craig said, adding that the hunters, through license and tag fees, would also be likely to ultimately pay for the program. "What I think ought to be done is that they ought to be sent home," he said of migrating wolves. But Amaroq Weiss of Jacksonville disagrees. She is the western director of species conservation for the Defenders of Wildlife as well as a member of the 14-person advisory committee which came up with the plan. "The plan is the best negotiated compromise to meet the needs of the diverse interests at the table," she said. "Is it my ideal plan? No. Is it the trapper representative’s ideal plan? No. Is it the biologist’s ideal plan? Probably not. "But it is the best for all of us," she added. "Nobody got everything they wanted, but everybody got something they needed." However, two members of the committee oppose the plan, citing potential devastation to livestock, game animals and the potential threat to humans. Basically, the draft plan promotes social tolerance for wolves that were hunted to extinction in Oregon in the early 1900s to protect livestock. Although there are no known wolves in Oregon, they are classified as a threatened species on state and federal lists. The multifaceted plan would establish population and breeding objectives, create a program to compensate for livestock losses and permit wolves to inhabit unused but suitable habitat within the state. But it would also allow the killing of individual "problem" wolves, and provide for eventual wolf hunting and trapping under some circumstances. However, the plan must first be adopted by the agency, then require legislation to fully implement it, Henjum said. Noting that some 450 wolves now live in Idaho, thanks to its successful reintroduction program, Henjum said wolves from that area will definitely migrate to Oregon. Three have been found in eastern Oregon since 1999, having migrated from Idaho, he said. Two were found dead and the third returned to Idaho. Although none appear to be in Oregon now, experts expect them to be in the state within five years. The plan’s ultimate goal is to establish enough wolves in Oregon to have them removed from the state and federal endangered species rolls. That would require four breeding pair to be established in Eastern Oregon for three consecutive years, Henjum said. Deadline for commenting on the draft plan is Jan. 6, 2005. Comments can be sent via fax to 503-947-6009 or e-mail: [email protected]. They can also be sent through regular mail to the ODFW Information and Education Division, 3406 Cherry Ave. N.E., Salem, OR 97303-4924. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities