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72 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, August 29, 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 Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest 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 May 9, 2004 Oregon looks at what to do about wolves There are no plans to reintroduce them in the state, but three do visit from Idaho, and biologists expect more By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune When gray wolves come to Oregon, their status as a threatened species could mean biologists would trap and relocate wolves that prey too heavily on deer and elk — or even kill other predators like cougars to compensate for the losses to wolves. But if threatened status is removed, then wolves could be killed, possibly by public hunters or trappers, to protect Oregon’s deer, elk and other ungulate (hoofed) species if predation levels are deemed too high. These and other potential strategies for managing wolves that eventually migrate to Oregon highlight a range of options for handling wolf-ungulate interactions once the animals re-establish residence here. Whatever happens, wildlife officials hope to manage wolves "in harmony" with other predators, deer and elk populations and human expectations for viewing or hunting animals inhabiting the state, said Craig Ely, a state wildlife biologist overseeing wolf management planning here. "The goal of the whole management plan is to get these animals de-listed," says Ely, from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s La Grande office. "The sooner we can get them de-listed, the more it opens the doors to managing these animals in different ways." Advertisement The wolf-ungulate relationship is one of many facets of the predator’s future management now under discussion by a special Wolf Advisory Committee charged to help set wolf policies prior to their re-establishment here. Wolves were killed off in Oregon as well as throughout the West, with the last confirmed kill of an Oregon wolf in the 1930s. There are no known wolves now in Oregon, but since 1996 three have spent some time in Oregon after migrating here from wild populations in Idaho. Oregon has no plans to re-introduce wolves. But sensing that individual animals likely will migrate here and stay, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission last year formed the 14-member advisory committee to help devise a pro-active management plan. The committee has met five times in various Oregon towns, and members will be in Medford on Wednesday and Thursday for their sixth session. The committee is looking into possible impacts to livestock, conflicts with other species, possible effects on humans, economic analyses and myriad other issues involving wolves and other predators already here. While potential impacts on deer, elk and other ungulates is a small sliver of the committee’s charge, it has drawn the lion’s share of interest among Oregonians attending 15 town hall meetings on wolves last year, Ely says. "We heard these comments time and time again — what impact to do wolves have on ungulate populations," Ely says. The ODFW this week released a draft report that concludes wolves will seek areas abundant with deer, elk and pronghorns when they do reach Oregon, but their overall impacts on these herds is unknown. "What we’re looking at now is pure speculation, but it’s reliable speculation," says Ivan "Sandy" Sanderson, an Oregon Hunters Association representative on the committee. "We don’t know what kind of impact they’ll have. We can only make educated guesses." They are known to prey on deer and elk, especially fawns and calves, and wolves are known to eat prey in weaker condition. But whether any specific wolf’s predation has any direct impact on deer and elk herds has been debated heavily for decades — with predicting outcomes difficult. One computer model applied to Idaho predicted that each wolf there would kill 15 ungulates a year, plus another 10 percent for "occasional excessive killing," the draft states. The predation was at a level that the state’s elk population, over time, could not sustain, according to the draft. But such conclusions worry Amaroq Weiss, an Ashland resident and western director of species conservation for the Defenders of Wildlife. Ungulates and predators don’t exist in vacuums, with factors like habitat, weather, disease, and other factors playing roles in deer and elk population levels, Weiss says. "It’s enormously difficult to tease out what the primary factor (driving population levels) is," Weiss says. "If you don’t know that the wolf is a primary factor in ungulate population declines, then you don’t go after the wolf as the number-one target." However, Weiss believes that wolves carry so much "historical baggage" as a feared predator that many Oregonians likely point fingers their way whenever deer or elk herds decline. "Citizens can be quick to blame the wolf for a lot of things," she says. The committee is scheduled to consider an array of possible strategies for solving wolf-ungulate conflicts in cases where research specifically shows that predation is the primary cause of ungulate declines either locally or throughout larger "wildlife management units" like the Rogue Unit of eastern Jackson County. The various potential strategies hinge upon whether the wolf retains protections afforded to species listed as threatened by state and federal governments. While wolves are listed as threatened, biologists could consider trapping and relocating wolves to reduce predation levels, the draft states. Another option would be to kill other non-threatened predators to reduce overall predation "I’m not saying we need to go in and kill a lot of animals," Sanderson says. "As long as it’s listed, we’re really limited as to what we can do." If not listed, options range from killing some of the wolves preying on specific herds while still maintaining a targeted statewide population, according to the draft. Under this scenario, the ODFW could either kill the wolves themselves or open public hunting or trapping opportunities, according to the draft. "I think the ODFW is on the right track," Sanderson says. Until then, the ODFW needs to improve deer and elk numbers to ensure Oregon’s wildlife can sustain impacts from wolf predation, Sanderson says. Weiss does not believe that wolves will ever become a primary factor in any decline of future deer and elk populations in Oregon. "Certainly, in my heart I believe there are wolves in Oregon," she says. But it will take years before even the potential for wolf-ungulate conflicts to occur, she says. "It’s a blind guess," Weiss says. "The best I can say is, it’ll be a long time." Wolf Advisory Committee meets this week The Wolf Advisory Committee will meet Wednesday and Thursday at the National Guard Armory, 1701 S. Pacific Highway, Medford. Wednesday’s session will open at 10:30 a.m. and run until 5:30 p.m., while Thursday’s meeting will run from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Topics will include reviews and discussions on various draft chapters to a report that will help the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission set a wolf management plan for Oregon. Members of the public are invited to attend, and the committee has set aside 15 minutes at the end of Thursday’s session to collect oral public comment. Written comments can be submitted at the meeting or sent electronically to [email protected] via e-mail. Anyone who believes they have seen a wolf in Oregon is urged to telephone the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Bend at 541-312-6429. — Mark Freeman Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] 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