Document text
0 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 Former church camp staff member faces sex abuse charges Emergency services Public meetings for Dec. 8-12, 2014 Eagle Point superintendent invited to White House Medford plans to pack more people inside its borders Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Former church camp staff member faces sex abuse charges Emergency services OSP seizes more than 37 pounds of cocaine in I-5 stop near Ashland Elderly Medford man dies following Friday crash Emergency services Politics and Elections GMO labeling votes recounted under careful watch in Jackson County Kent Bush: First Amendment doesn’t mean what you think it means East Medford's the charm Pot, GMOs unite south Jackson County Buckley again named Ways and Means Committee co-chairman Education Eagle Point superintendent invited to White House Eagle Point secures perimeter of Table Rock Elementary with new fence Medford school administrators get pay boost Students put their hearts into AIDS event Kitzhaber calls for early education spending in budget proposal Environment Bighorn sheep reintroduced along Klamath River Jackson County judge dismisses one Mt. View Paving case Advisory warns of blue-green algae bloom at Lost Creek Lake County calls for local control of federal lands Most dredging banned under new proposed guidelines State News Cover Oregon re-enrollment lags on federal website Bend hospital: Medication error killed patient Lawsuit: Pregnant woman fired for restroom breaks Ante for rulemaking on Oregon pot: nearly $600,000 Oregon Master Gardeners mum on legal pot Nation - World Grand jury won't indict Ferguson cop in shooting Obituaries Edwina Agnes Jenkins Marie B. (Aiken) Cory Davis Stella Demo Geraldine Frances Ritchie Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories No. 15 SOU men pull upset of No. 10 Concordia No. 1 'Cats take down No. 6 Texas Riley receives warm welcome from Cornhuskers Just like that, Riley era begins at Nebraska Bettendorf leads Ducks into final 16 Varsity 541 College Sports No. 15 SOU men pull upset of No. 10 Concordia No. 1 'Cats take down No. 6 Texas Riley receives warm welcome from Cornhuskers Just like that, Riley era begins at Nebraska Bettendorf leads Ducks into final 16 Pro Sports Aldridge, Lillard lead Blazers past Pacers, 88-82 Murray, Romo lead Cowboys over Bears, 41-28 Woods stumbles to a 77 in his return 76ers avoid worst start in history Cowboys look to bounce back against Bears Community Sports Keeping Fit: Runners need to do more than run to stay in shape RESULTS/STANDINGS LOCAL EVENTS Business Latest Stories Jackson County judge dismisses one Mt. View Paving case Blog: A Time for Tradition SOU business students seek research projects Downtown property owners would fund economic development district in Medford MBA candidates lend their talents to clients for free Real Estate News More sales, but no change in residential housing median price Dear Monty: Violation of HOA rules creates conflict Farmers file suit over GMO crop ban Financial webinars offered for veterans and their families People In Business People in Business, Dec. 3 People in Business, Nov. 18 People in Business, Nov. 8 Transportation Allegiant Air will resume Medford-Phoenix service May 22 Medford airport passenger counts sky high in October Erickson reports third quarter profit Agriculture Southern Oregon wine industry had a robust 2013 Farmers file suit over GMO crop ban Lawsuit seeks to overturn Jackson County's GMO ban or net $4.2 million for farms Latest count shows Measure 92 supporters narrowing deficit Opinion Latest Amy Gehrt: Time to admit there’s a problem with our justice system Our View: Oregon budget should plan for rain Letters to the Editor, Dec. 5 Granlund cartoon: Justice and Eric Garner Kent Bush: Do you want fries with that sermon? Editorials Our View: Oregon budget should plan for rain Our View: Cheers and jeers Our View: Stay flexible on kindergarten hours Our View: Waiting for someone else to step up Our View: What's in a name? Not that much, really Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Dec. 5 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 4 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 3 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 2 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 1 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: It's time Oregon put a price on carbon Guest Opinion: Are we the preferred path to global devastation? Guest Opinion: Fight for the rights of independent voters will continue Guest Opinion: 'Natural' not necessarily better for forest management Guest Opinion: County voters rebuffed judicial appointment process Lifestyle Latest stories Stylish on the Snow Duck stamp increase closer to reality Over hill and dale along I-5 Fishing report: Friday, Dec. 5, 2014 Looking Up: The Man in the Moon looks your way Food Community blog: Merry Christmas 10 Barrel! (Big Brewery vs Small Independent Brewer) Community blog: Lentil cooking water doubles as soup stock 'Amazing' Soup Roxy Ann winemaker has roots in Napa Valley Community blog: Post-holiday soups easy on the budget, waistline Home and Garden Troubleshoot common water boiler problems Dear Monty: Ten helpful home-listing tips Home Help: Luxurious upgrades don’t have to break the bank 9 ways to green your gift wrap Dear Monty: How to find a good real estate attorney Health Dr. Murray Feingold: Say it like you mean it Community blog: Guiltless Holidays Better for our Health HealthStyle: Develop an attitude of gratitude Health Watch: Fuel up on carbs before workouts Health insurance enrollment help available Hiking Biking Faith Religion news: Pope aims to expedite sex abuse rulings Religion news: Seattle-based mega-church dissolves Religion Briefs 'Walk the talk' Religion briefs Milestones and Achievements Hire 'em and pray for snow Madi-Stiles A New Song Rogers-Horn New Arrivals Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Ooblies Artisan Waffle Sandwiches Bedford Falls comes to life at Randall SOU presents all-percussion concert Soroptimist holiday home tour features four houses this weekend Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Theater Bedford Falls comes to life at Randall Camelot presents 'Fiddler on the Roof' OCT's holiday show is a wonderful play New 'Alice' has some for kids ... and adults 'It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play' opens at Oregon Cabaret Theatre Music SOU presents all-percussion concert Shae Johnson releases 'Can You Feel the Music' Jeff Kloetzel releases 'Long Time Coming' A new guitar slinger in town Peter Chianca: Top 40 songs even a dad could love Community Events Soroptimist holiday home tour features four houses this weekend Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists 2014 Providence Festival of Trees A grand illumination at the Commons Lighting up memories Dining Ooblies Artisan Waffle Sandwiches Brunch at Loft Brasserie The Bohemian Club Thanksgiving comes early at Taprock Word of Mouth: Brunch at Brothers' Restaurant Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Medford plans to pack more people inside its borders ... Bighorn sheep reintroduced along Klamath River ... OSP seizes more than 37 pounds of cocaine in I-5 stop near Ashland ... Medford plans to pack more people inside its borders ... Bighorn sheep reintroduced along Klamath River ... OSP seizes more than 37 pounds of cocaine in I-5 stop near Ashland ... GUEST OPINION Siskiyou Plus Spring Bear Hunt: What lies beneath? By D.I. Catalina MailTribune.com By D.I. Catalina Posted Oct. 8, 2014 @ 12:01 am By D.I. Catalina Posted Oct. 8, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News As Oregon’s Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) prepares to meet in Central Point on Friday, there’s much left unsaid about the proposed “Siskiyou Plus Spring Bear Hunt”, an agenda item that will constitute a major departure from existing policy. If approved, the hunt adds completely new provisions singling out Jackson, Josephine, Curry and Douglas counties in Oregon’s 2014-2015 big game regulations. ODFW spokesman Tom Thornton, game program manager, cites concerns of local timber interests and tree farmers as the motivation for creating the new hunt. This hunt adds 250 tags to the spring season that runs from April 1 through May 31 in the named counties. The intent, Thornton says, is to draw bear hunters from elsewhere in the state to our communities during a season hunters find especially attractive, but neither humane nor other costs of this hunt have been considered or disclosed to the public. ODFW would have citizens believe that hunters abide by prohibitions against taking female bears with dependent cubs. But because spring bears rarely travel with cubs, not even the most experienced hunters can identify sows (female bears) with dependent cubs. Oregon’s stats confirm only a 5 percent difference from spring to fall in the number of females killed as a percent of the total hunt. This result matches the results of systematic investigations in other states. For example, Tom Beck, Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDW) bear biologist (now retired), reported that CDW determined the percentage of nursing sows killed during their spring hunt was equal to the total percentage of nursing sows in their state’s bear population, proving that hunters were not discriminating. Furthermore, data collected by the state in Virginia demonstrated that hunters cannot determine the sex of treed bears. But ODFW’s Thornton dismisses the idea that hunters can’t tell the difference. It’s his opinion that it’s a mere matter of opinion. When I asked him if he could tell me with certainty how many cubs are orphaned in spring as result of the preexisting spring hunt, he responded that Oregon does not keep any count of bear cubs or track their mortality in any way. Few hunters — and fewer citizens — consider it humane or sporting to take bears when they are nursing cubs. In fact, 20 of the 28 states permitting bear hunts do not permit spring seasons, not only because the gender of bears can’t be reliably determined but also because peer-reviewed research has found that 100 percent of spring-orphaned cubs starve to death or die of other causes within 30 days. What happens to the very few hunters that knowingly disregard the rules? Obviously, it’s impossible to follow hunters around the mountains, or devote time to make case-by-case inquiries; ODFW relies on self-reporting by hunters. “Suspicious” cases are referred to the Oregon State Police for investigation. A Medford game warden told me he could not personally recall any investigations of improper taking of a lactating bear in his years with the department, and added that unless orphaned cubs were found, there would be no reasonable suspicion to start an investigation. Considering that 30 percent of bears killed in the spring are female (virtually the same percentage as in the fall hunt), that seems surprising. Does Southern Oregon really have that many bears? Many ecologists believe Oregon’s bear numbers might be dangerously close to the minimum needed for genetic health. These experts explain that droughts and fires have made food so scarce that bears are pulled to our communities by the lure of easy meals. These hungry bears among us create an appearance that there are more bears than there actually are. As for timber damage, even ODFW admits in its official Black Bear Management Plan that significant timber damage by bears occurs not in normal forests but mainly in the monoculture of tree farms where other bear foods such as grasses and berries have all been destroyed to plant more trees more closely, sucking profits from our public lands at the expense of the public’s bears. What will ODWF’s ruling be? Once again forests and bears could be collateral damage for the greater good of profiteers. D.I. Catalina of Grants Pass is a senior volunteer researching black bear management policies for the Humane Society of the United States. By D.I. Catalina MailTribune.com By D.I. Catalina Posted Oct. 8, 2014 @ 12:01 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. 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 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. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 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. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501