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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Medford planners raise concerns about traffic at proposed new Costco Since You Asked: Is pot a GMO plant? 'Girl power': Women ran farms in early-day Southern Oregon Emergency services, May 10 Art in Bloom in downtown Medford Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services, May 10 Emergency services, May 9 Jackson County deputies searching for wanted man after pursuit Medford man sentenced in machete attack Suspect in OSP meth stop will face federal charges Politics and Elections Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline opponents rally in Medford BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Freddie Gray's death Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Medford School Board, Position 6: Curt Ankerberg vs. Janet Lightheart Education Medford schools still filling admin roles Appeals court rules against Central Point schools on bus outsourcing Hedrick principal to take helm at North Medford High School More kindergartners vaccinated in 2015 Elementary students honor local police officers Environment Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Crater Lake may soon have China connection State waives college placement tests for students who hit high marks Stopping fire in its tracks Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline opponents rally in Medford State News Remains of soldier killed in 1951 to be buried in Roseburg Obama makes pitch on trade deal at Nike: 'Just do it' Forecast for 2015 predicts busy wildfire season Cheers and protest signs greet President Obama in Oregon Oregon Senate OKs bill banning 'conversion therapy' Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Obituaries Dorothy Evans Helen Nadine Sankey Dickie Miles Hayes Nita Day Layne Alan Battenfield Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories LeBron’s game-winner evens series at 2 Late lift Wambach scores twice in U.S. win Braaten races to win at Speedway Johnson stays long, wins late at Kansas Varsity 541 College Sports OSU tosses second straight shutout Maguin steals the show Trio of Raiders shine as CC meet opens Beavers' Moore shuts out Utah, 3-0 Oregon clinches share of Pac-12 title Pro Sports LeBron’s game-winner evens series at 2 Late lift Wambach scores twice in U.S. win Braaten races to win at Speedway Grizzlies take series lead over Warriors Community Sports Bailey picks up modified win Wilson delivers in return of local boxing Palmer breezes to second straight men’s title Business Latest Stories People in Business Business briefs: Avista, Mcintosh, BOLI Blog: 1-800-Flowers.com SEC filing provides peek into Harry & David revenue and cost figures Blog: Mom is Our Hero! Ride & Drive: 2015 BMW 428i Gran Coupe Real Estate News Single-family home sales take off Never enough: New Starbucks proposed on Barnett Road in Medford Jackson County debt-ridden homeowners have an option New home in an old house Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house People In Business People in Business Transportation Erickson finds room to work at Medford airport Lithia Motors nets $40.7 million in first quarter Lithia Motors reports second-best quarter ever Business briefs Medford airport's record run continues Agriculture 1-800Flowers.com reports $10.5 million loss in third quarter Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house Opinion Latest Our View: Mental health funding should be a priority Letters to the Editor, May 10 Guest Opinion: Oregon mothers need much more than flowers George Will: The gospel according to Huckabee Dana Milbank: A performance by Lindsey and the Jets Editorials Our View: Mental health funding should be a priority Other Views: Court ruling means PERS reform is dead Our View: Could self-serve ban be on the way out? Our View: Cheers and jeers Our View: Set firm deadlines on blighted houses Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, May 10 Letters to the Editor, May 8 Letters to the Editor, May 7 Letters to the Editor, May 6 Letters to the Editor, May 5 Columns Guest Opinion: Oregon mothers need much more than flowers George Will: The gospel according to Huckabee Dana Milbank: A performance by Lindsey and the Jets Charles Krauthammer: Free Willy! Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s important election – in royal political context Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Oregon mothers need much more than flowers Guest Opinion: Child poverty and the Schneider Children’s Center Guest Opinion: Animal-killing program pulls wool over taxpayers' eyes Guest Opinion: Uniting to restore our sovereignty to we, the people Guest Opinion: This Earth Day, we celebrate the Northwest Forest Plan Lifestyle Latest stories Sorcerer-historians and hunted boats New Arrivals Adopt a pet: Meet Edna One-derful once-blooming roses Mom's lemon meringue pie still feeds me Food Community blog: Sorry, Mom, there's more than one beef stroganoff Community blog: Teatime is anytime when recipes brew new dishes Eat your greens (tea, that is) Season Stepp: Make some cheesecake mousse-filled strawberries Page H. Onorato: Baked potato soup is comfort in a bowl Home and Garden One-derful once-blooming roses Breathe easier with whole-house air purification Dear Monty: Water rights of property owners Paul Rogers: ‘Living’ mulches a healthy alternative to bark Heirloom tomatoes bring ageless flavor Health Community blog: Don't Fall for This Part 2 Health Watch: Easy tips to drink more water throughout the day New cardiac rehab center opens at Asante RRMC Community blog: You and Me at 83... Search on for new medical provider for Butte Falls, Prospect clinics Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs: Friday, May 8 Religion Briefs: Friday, May 1 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 24 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 17 Milestones and Achievements Bukair-Hinkle Wedding: Stephanie Anne Obad and Mark Douglass Schmor Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Drones helping create unique wedding photos Pick your favorite wedding flowers Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Flowers, art and music highlight Art in Bloom 5 picks for live entertainment Live Music in Local Clubs Peter Rowan, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys at Rootsfest Dancing People Company presents 'Salon Series' Theater REVIEW: Randall Theatre's 'Little Shop of Horrors' a rollicking good time REVIEW: Carson, Patton shine in 'Arsenic and Old Lace' Some Oregon Shakespeare Festival crew members seek to unionize Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' 'Much Ado' at SOU Music Live Music in Local Clubs Peter Rowan, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys at Rootsfest The Farr Side: Mumford & Sons’ latest is full-on rock Tina Malia at SOU Music Hall in Ashland Earthquake benefit for Nepal Community Events 5 things to see at Art in Bloom Flowers, art and music highlight Art in Bloom Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic at OSF's Black Swan in Ashland Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo Movies Movie review: ‘Hot Pursuit’ is a hot mess George Miller returns to his ‘Mad Max’ roots Tom Hardy adapts to life as Mad Max Victor D. Infante: ‘Avengers’ begs the questions, ‘Why superheroes, and why now?’ Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ has a lot going on Dining Restaurant inspections: May 10, 2015 Wood-fired pies at Peace of Pizza Trium is a classic example of a boutique winery Restaurant inspections, May 3, 2015 Taqueria Picaro offers casual Mexican cuisine Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Medford planners raise concerns about traffic at proposed new Costco ... Sorcerer-historians and hunted boats ... Our View: Mental health funding should be a priority ... Medford planners raise concerns about traffic at proposed new Costco ... Sorcerer-historians and hunted boats ... Our View: Mental health funding should be a priority ... GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: Animal-killing program pulls wool over taxpayers' eyes By Lin Bernhardt and Amy Atwood MailTribune.com By Lin Bernhardt and Amy Atwood Posted May. 3, 2015 @ 12:01 am By Lin Bernhardt and Amy Atwood Posted May. 3, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> In the myth perpetuated for decades now, the federal program known as Wildlife Services presents its killing practices that leave millions of wild animals dead every year as necessary tools to protect people, their pets and agricultural profits. And several weeks ago, Jackson County officials once again bought the whole, misleading story, voting to put local taxpayers on the hook for $61,000 for a Wildlife Services trapper for another year. At the heart of the narrative presented during the county budget hearings was the suggestion the trapper was needed due to a large number of reports of conflicts with mountain lions/cougars. Dealing with wildlife that kill livestock and pets doesn’t require Wildlife Services. As for the public safety threat, a person has a greater chance of being struck by lightning or killed by a fatal dog bite than attacked by a lion, in fact, it’s never happened in the state of Oregon. And a huge increase in lion populations is not supported by the research. Assurances were offered that killing wild animals is always a last resort, one that comes only after suitable non-lethal alternatives have been considered. Yet virtually no evidence was provided to support either of those assertions. While the county trapper may provide education on coexisting with wildlife, which we applaud, the fact is, prior to agreeing to kill “problem” animals, Wildlife Services does not require property owners to follow any of the basic animal husbandry practices that are proven to reduce conflicts with animals, including removing attractants or installing appropriate fencing. The few statistics Wildlife Services releases are often incomplete. For example, earlier this month Wildlife Services released that it had killed 2.7 million wild animals in 2014 in the US. Wildlife Services refuses to provide any further details of its operations. While claiming to deal with “hundreds of calls a year” for cougars alone, Wildlife Services’ activity report for the county during the first half of 2013 shows just a single call for a cougar. No report at all was available for the second half of 2013. The 2014 report lists only the number of each species killed and wasn’t even developed until a public records request was submitted. At a minimum, the public should know the number of calls/complaints, nature and location of the complaint, non-lethal methods tried, and method of kill. The program reports that it has “unintentionally” killed more than 50,000 animals in the US since 2000, including endangered and protected species and more than 1,100 dogs that were family pets. According to agency insiders, these numbers are actually much greater. Perhaps most troubling of all, when localities like Jackson County sign-on to the unscientific killing practices of Wildlife Services they are helping to perpetuate public support of the federal program that since 1996 has resulted in tens of millions of wild animals across the U.S. being shot, crushed in steel traps, strangled by snares and poisoned, often suffering painful and prolonged deaths, most as a “preventative” measure because they are considered undesirable by livestock producers and corporate agribusinesses. Not surprisingly, Wildlife Services has been under withering attack for many years by members of Congress, editorial boards, conservation and animal welfare organizations and wildlife ecologists, who call it a rogue program with no basis in science that has no place in modern society. Yet, Jackson County’s decision to fund a Wildlife Services trapper was made without considering non-lethal methods that work better, cost less, reduce the risk of harm to the public and pets, and benefit all county residents, including those who enjoy “watchable” wildlife. Marin County, California has demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach, adopting a non-lethal coyote co-existence program in 2000 which decreased predation by 62 percent at one-third the cost. Two years ago, Sonoma County’s Board of Supervisors opted not to renew that county’s contract with Wildlife Services. And earlier this month, Mendocino County officials decided to re-evaluate the county’s contract with Wildlife Services and consider using non-lethal methods of controlling predation. Lane County commissioners voted years ago to end their contract with Wildlife Services. Jackson County should be joining this movement, starting by demanding greater transparency and accountability from Wildlife Services and investigating proven alternatives to lethal wildlife control. To get an inside look at Wildlife Services by former staff, go to www.predatordefense.org to view the documentary EXPOSED, and go to the Center for Biological Diversity for more information at www.biologicaldiversity.org (from the home page, enter Wildlife Services in the search bar). Lin Bernhardt, former Jackson County natural resources manager, lives on a hay farm in Jackson County and raises a variety of farm animals.  Amy Atwood is legal director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s endangered species program.   By Lin Bernhardt and Amy Atwood MailTribune.com By Lin Bernhardt and Amy Atwood Posted May. 3, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » 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. calendar Connect with MailTribune.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 Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked 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 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. 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