Oregon: USFWS issues kill order for 2 Imnaha Pack wolves

Kill order, called “retribution”-

Because there are not many wolves in Oregon, this is a big deal. The pack has 10-14 members.  There was one other wolf pack known on the Oregon/Washington state border in 2010 — the Wenaha Pack. It might have 6 members.  USFWS has ordered capturing and “euthanizing two un-collared sub-adults from the Imnaha pack.”  That wolf pack has killed some cow calves every once and a while over the last year.

Rob Klavins of Oregon Wild said in a statement, “This kill order randomly targets any two wolves of Oregon’s Imnaha Pack. That is not wildlife management, it is retribution.”

My view is that, of course, it is retribution. After watching and writing about wolf depredations of cattle for over 15 years now, I’d say “wolf control” is almost always retribution of a kind. Wolves rarely kill enough livestock in any place to make the dead calf or sheep an economic issue, but it is always a political issue. Wolves killing livestock are treated with the same gravity as human homicides and political assassinations, reflecting the values of those who rule in western rural areas.

Here is the story in Sneak Cat. USFWS issues kill order for 2 Imnaha Pack wolves. May 3, 2011.

Update on Oregon wolf packs (taken from a news story). “Oregon currently has three wolf packs: the Imnaha (10 wolves at latest count), Wenaha (six wolves) and Walla Walla (three wolves). The Walla Walla pack is new and wildlife managers are still trying to determine their range, which could primarily be in Washington State.”

What the congressional wolf delisting means in Oregon

Oregon wolves will remain protected on the state’s endangered species act-

What the federal delisting for wolves means for Oregon’s packs, ranchers. By Richard Cockle, The Oregonian.

Herd of wild bison living in Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness

Their origin is not known-

The Eagle Cap Wilderness in the Wallowa Mountains is large and rugged. It’s in extreme NE Oregon near Washington and Idaho. This herd of 25 bison is of unknown origin. What a happy discovery!

The Eagle Cap Wilderness,  the nearby Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness and areas in Oregon’s Blue Mountains are also where the state’s wolves live.

Wild herd of bison roams base of Wallowa Mountains in Oregon. Richard Cockle. The Oregonian

One of my photos of the Eagle Cap Wilderness.

Wolf pack confirmed in Umatilla County

Good news from Oregon

Three wolves have been confirmed in the northeast corner of Oregon near the border with Washington.

The “pack” of three wolves, at this point, should more appropriately considered a group until they determine what sexes the group consists of. It likely is a pack though.

Wolf pack confirmed in Umatilla County.
East Oregonian

Oregon Wolf Program update, December 2010

Imnaha Pack has 16 members-

The state or Oregon is providing official monthly news on its wolf population.

There are two wolf packs, the large Imnaha Pack and the small Wenaha Pack.  Both are in the extreme NE corner of the state near Idaho and Washington.

Here is the December update: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/Wolves/docs/oregon_wolf_program/2010_December_wolf_report.pdf You can find the archived reports at Wolves in Oregon. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Related story in the Seattle Times. Oregon wolf pack has 2 more pups than expected. The Imnaha wolf pack in northeastern Oregon may have more pups than previously thought. The Associated Press

Latest Wyoming (federal) wolf update- Jan. 7, 2011

Federal wolf update is only official wolf news out there now-

Here is the latest update from Ed Bangs office, the only government folks in the West who seem to be regularly producing data now.  It says it’s for Wyoming, but it also gives Yellowstone Park news, Oregon news and other wolf news. There is a link to Montana FWP and they do have an Oct. 2010 update.  Interesting it shows the estimated wolf population in Montana for 2010 to be only 400 wolves, compared to the final 2009 count of 524 wolves. The number of 400 will probably go up a bit before the final report is issued, but preliminary data absolutely and flat out fails to show any explosion in wolf population even though the 2010 wolf hunt was canceled.

wyoming news-Jan7-2011. pdf file

Living with Wolves: An Oregon Field Guide Special

Slow progress for Oregon’s wolves

Oregon Field Guide recently broadcast a special about Oregon’s wolves and how they are dealing with people and how people are dealing with them. It has been a tough road for the wolves there and many wolves have been killed by the government on behalf of livestock interests and by poachers. One of the biggest difficulties faced by the wolves is the presence of livestock and the sense of entitlement felt by ranchers who think they deserve a predator free landscape.

Living with Wolves: An Oregon Field Guide Special
Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Protected wolf killed in NE Oregon

Death is under investigation

The radio collared 2-year-old male of the Wenaha Pack has been killed. It is under USFWS investigation which generally means that it was killed illegally.

Protected wolf killed in NE Oregon.
Associated Press

More on the wolf range rider who quit

Oregon wolves and livestock:

This is a followup to our earlier story in the Wildlife News. Oregon range rider hired to watch out for wolves, quits. September 17, 2010

Farewell to one of my top five: Wolf range rider.  By Cassandra Profita. Ecotrope.

Boss says range rider quit for economic reasons.  By Cassandra Profita. Ecotrope.

Oregon range rider hired to watch out for wolves, quits

The unique Oregon effort garnered international attention-

OPB News · Wolf-Watching Range Rider Quits.

Don’t know what really happened here, but the suggestion that the range rider was forced out for not being anti-wolf enough is disturbing.

I think it is true that there is social pressure in many rural areas to be anti-wolf.  If you are not, best be quiet if you don’t want trouble. This, of course, is how cultures maintain their hold over people, and one reason why many young people leave the little town they grew up in when they are old enough and get an opportunity.

Caught-in-act wolf removal permits expire

No wolves killed under the permits while they were active

Caught-in-act wolf removal permits expire.
La Grande Observer

Good News. Feds Call Off Oregon Wolf Hunt

NEPA process could take several months

Wildlife Services has agreed to conduct an Environmental Assessment as required by the National Environmental Policy Act. This could take several months and the August 12th hearing would be cancelled.

BREAKING: Feds Call Off Oregon Wolf Hunt.
Natural Oregon

Kudos to Oregon for Funding Non-Lethal Work to Prevent Wolf-Livestock Conflicts

Oregon Fish and Wildlife hires a rider to keep wolves and livestock apart-

This worked in Idaho and Montana back in the days before state wolf management. The states don’t even try.  Defenders is still doing something a bit like this in Idaho with the Phantom Hill Pack under the grudging toleration of Idaho Fish and Game.

Kudos to Oregon for Funding Non-Lethal Work to Prevent Wolf-Livestock Conflicts. Matt Skoglund’s Blog. NRDC.

Oregon’s Imnaha pack has four pups

Photos of pups from Oregon’s first reproducing pack.

More photos may be seen here.

Imnaha pups - Courtesy Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Imnaha pups - Courtesy Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Wolves in Oregon: Don’t be so quick on the trigger

Opinion in the Oregonian-

The Oregonian is the state’s leading newspaper. They printed an editorial telling the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife not to be so quick to kill wolves just because some livestock were killed.  That is fine with me, but I’d really see the additional argument that in deciding to kill from among the small number of Oregon wolves, there ought to be some attempt to kill those wolves likely to actually have done the deed, and to do so within a reasonable time.  Otherwise it is just revenge.

Unlike what the paper writes of Idaho and Montana which they think of as places where experience has been gained in controlling wolves, these states now make almost no attempt to match depredations with wolves.  They just go in and kill entire packs for any tiny reason.

Presumably we are not medievalists who believe in retribution against animals of a species because of the acts of one or two of the members, but all we have to do is examine some of the policies now in force to see that those in power are not far from that mindset.

Wolves in Oregon: Don’t be so quick on the trigger. Saturday, July 10, 2010, 3:35 PM. PDT
The Oregonian Editorial Board

Oregon Wolves Earn Reprieve as Hunt Halted

Wildlife advocates celebrate short-term victory for endangered wolves-

A temporary victory for the Imnaha Pack.

News release from the plaintiffs.

– – – – – – – – – –

I borrowed the info below from email. It is a news summary from Oregon on the lawsuit (before the reprieve).

Here are the other press hits:

La Grande Observer:
http://www.lagrandeobserver.com/News/Local-News/Wolf-kill-order-prompts-groups-to-file-lawsuit
Oregonian:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/07/environmental_groups_file_fede.html
Natural Oregon:
http://www.naturaloregon.org/2010/07/01/lawsuit-filed-to-stop-oregon-wolf-hunt/
Longer AP story as printed in the Seattle PI:
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_or_wolf_lawsuit.html
OPB on June 30th Rule Change
http://news.opb.org/article/7742-groups-object-changes-wolf-kill-rules/
Press release on all plaintiffs websites
http://www.oregonwild.org/about/press-room/press-releases/lawsuit-filed-to-stop-federal-state-sanctioned-killing-of-endangered-wolves

Perhaps the best was in the Bend Bulletin, but that is by subscription only.


Posted in Oregon wolves, Wolves. Tags: , , , , . Comments Off on Oregon Wolves Earn Reprieve as Hunt Halted

Conservation groups sue feds (Wildlife Services) on Federal Wolf Management Actions in Oregon

Groups argue federal animal killing agency has no business killing 2 of the 13 known wolves in Oregon-

Revenge wolf killing threatens to make its way to Oregon.  In Idaho the attitude is of WS is “their are so many damn wolves who cares if we kill the wrong ones?” “We have lots of leeway to indulge our 16th century urges.”

Oregon is different with just a few wolves. The wolves responsible for killing the livestock have moved well away from the area. There is still a kill order for two of the pack.  Any two will do as long as they have no radio collars. Thus, it is simply revenge killing, not an attempt to solve a problem.

NEWS RELEASE-
Here is the text of the suit.
Oregon-wolves-NEPA-complaint

Josh Laughlin, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463
Noah Greenwald, Center for Biological Diversity, (503) 484-7495
Greg Dyson, Hells Canyon Preservation Council, (541) 963-3950 x 22
Rob Klavins, Oregon Wild, (503) 283-6343 x 210

Lawsuit Filed to Stop Federal, State-sanctioned Killing of Endangered Wolves

PORTLAND, Ore.­ Four conservation groups sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s predator control branch, Wildlife Services, today for its role in killing wolves at the behest of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). The state has issued, and now extended to Aug. 31, a permit to the federal agency to hunt, track and kill two wolves across a 70-square-mile area in eastern Oregon. According to the conservation groups’ lawsuit, Wildlife Services never conducted the environmental analysis required to disclose the impacts of killing a substantial portion of Oregon’s wolves. Cascadia Wildlands, Hells Canyon Preservation Council, Oregon Wild and the national Center for Biological Diversity brought the suit, and are also strongly considering suing the state for its role in authorizing the kill permits.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wyoming wolf news June 18

This USFWS news also gives info from Oregon where the Imnaha Pack’s alpha male is missing-

wyomingnews-June18-2010 pdf file.

Posted in Oregon wolves, Wyoming wolves. Tags: , , . Comments Off on Wyoming wolf news June 18

Wickiup Wolves?

Are there wolves in the Cascades of Oregon?

This story came up in a Google Alert today and the first half of the article talks about radio tagging salmon, an interesting story but the second part of the article talks about an entirely different subject: wolves in the Oregon Cascades.

Over the last few years there have been a number of reported sightings of wolves in Central Oregon west of Bend. Are these truly wolves or could they be escaped pets? Certainly wolves could make the trek there from Idaho and there is a lot of wild country and a prey base that could support wolves here but are they there now?

On the air, alive and well from a fish’s stomach.
Bill Monroe – OregonLive.com

Imnaha pack’s breeding pair to be protected in Oregon control action

Wildlife Services authorized to kill only two uncollared wolves after pack kills 5 head of livestock-

The state of Oregon seems to be to be taking a reasonable, measured bit of action after that state’s only confirmed wolf pack killed a handful of livestock in the upper Wallowa Valley.

According to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, “The lethal action is aimed at killing wolves that are showing an interest in livestock, not wolves simply in the area, and will be limited to an area where three of the confirmed livestock kills are clustered. Under the terms of the authorization, the wolves can be killed a) only within three miles of three clustered locations with confirmed livestock losses by wolves and b) only on privately-owned pasture currently inhabited by livestock. ODFW’s authorization will be valid until June 11, 2010.”

If Idaho and Montana took this kind of approach, the wolf controversy would be much less.

ODFW authorizes lethal removal of wolves
Breeding pair to be protected

News Release from ODFW

“Wolves at the door: Wallowa County [Oregon] ranchers face their worst fears”

Terrible! Terrible! The vicious beasts actually dug up the carcass of a dead cow-

Wolves at the door: Wallowa County [Oregon] ranchers face their worst fears. By Kathleen Ellyn. Wallowa County Chieftain.

According to this reporter, not only did the bad wolves dig in a rancher’s bone pit, they left big scary tracks in the snow. And some squirrel hunters saw a pack of wolves right out in the open, up in a canyon, right in the middle of the day!!!!!!

While these horrible events were going on, some 60 silly local people were watching the film, the Lords of Nature, explaining that wolves might actually be good to have around.

Note: I understand this newspaper’s stories are only on-line for a week. So the link might disappear. That would be too bad because this story is remarkable for trying to make something out of nothing.

Wolf sightings rise in Oregon Cascades!

Incredible good news!

Wolf sightings on rise in Oregon Cascades. By The Associated Press

Note, I updated the link to a longer version of the story.  Ken

Wolf pack of at least ten in Oregon’s Imnaha River drainage

Here is some really good news to offset that about Idaho Fish and Game Commission-

The alpha female is former Idaho wolf B300F. I predicted earlier that the Imnaha River was a natural migration corridor for Idaho wolves into Oregon.

– – – – – – – – – –
News Release

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Contact: Michelle Dennehy (503) 947-6022; Fax: (503) 947-6009
Internet: www.dfw.state.or.us

Nov. 19, 2009

Video shows 10 wolves in the Imnaha pack

A video taken by ODFW on Nov. 12, 2009 in the Imnaha Wildlife Management Unit (east of Joseph, Ore. in Wallowa County) shows at least 10 wolves make up a pack that ODFW has been monitoring since June 2008. The video was taken from an adjacent ridge across a canyon and shows a mixture of gray and black individual wolves moving upslope.

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/news/video_gallery/imnaha_wolf_pack.asp

Also found here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/IEODFW

“ODFW has been regularly monitoring this pack but until this video was taken, we only had evidence of a minimum of three adults and three pups making up the pack, says Russ Morgan, ODFW wolf coordinator. “Pups can be difficult to distinguish at this distance, but it appears there may be as many as six pups in the video.

Read the rest of this entry »

County commits $20,000 for predator control

Two Oregon counties commit $40,000 taxpayer dollars but ranchers want more.

Ranchers ask for more subsidies in Oregon and receive taxpayer dollars to kill wildlife. Rather than adapting to a changing circumstance by doing more to proactively protect their livestock from predators they ask for the Federal Government to step in with funding while two counties divert $40,000 to hire a wildlife executioner who will spend their days killing coyotes, bears and cougars until the comparatively rare wolf depredation occurs.

Witness the beginning of another welfare ranching subsidy which turns into a system that asks for more and more taxpayer dollars and kills more and more wildlife.

County commits $20,000 for predator control.
Baker City Herald

Kill order placed on Ore. wolves killing livestock

This would be the first “control” of wolves in Oregon.

There are only two breeding packs in Oregon, one of them has been implicated in 5 incidents of livestock predation, two wolves are slated to be killed.

Kill order placed on Ore. wolves killing livestock
Associated Press

Oregon Cattle Association whines over lost lambs, but gets little sympathy from the Oregonian

Oregon Cattlemen’s Association wants to shoot wolves on sight-

Wolves: Ranchers deserve to protect their property. By Bill Moore, guest opinion. Oregonian. Oregon Cattlemen’s Association

The howls over wolves. By The Oregonian Editorial Board

– – – –

Why the Cattle Association is worried about sheep is hard to say. As usual they fail to mention that the 23 lost lambs will be paid for. This “oversight” serves to make the financial loss appear much larger than it will be. Bill Moore also didn’t mention that the Oregon State wolf plan was adopted after much deliberation by a panel that included ranchers.

Once again for the sake of comparison. In Oregon, annual sheep and lamb losses to predators in the most recent NASS annual report were

Coyotes = 5,700
Cougar = 1,200
Dogs = 700
Eagles = 200
Bears = 100

Wolf collared in Oregon, then released

The collared sub-adult male was traveling with a second smaller wolf near Baker-

News Story: Wolf collared, then released, near Baker City. Written by Jayson Jacoby. Baker City Herald.
– – – – – – –

Oregon Fish and Game News Release.

Wolf radio-collared and released in eastern Oregon

LA GRANDE, Ore. – A joint effort by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife specialists resulted in the capture, radio-collaring, and release of a male wolf on Sunday morning, May 3, at approximately 7 a.m. PT. The event marks the first radio-collaring of a wolf in Oregon.

The wolf captured and radio-collared was an 87-pound male estimated to be about 2 years old. The track size and a second, smaller wolf seen at the capture site indicate that the wolf is one of two involved in several livestock depredations in the Keating Valley area of Baker County over the past few weeks.

USFWS and ODFW had been attempting to trap these wolves since mid-April, after confirming the first known livestock depredation by wolves since they began their return to Oregon in the late 1990s.

The radio collar will be used as a tool to help prevent further livestock losses. ODFW staff will be monitoring the radio collar to determine the wolves’ movement patterns and alert ranchers to wolf activity in the area. They can also be used with RAG (radio activated guard) boxes, which emit loud noises when a radio-collared wolf approaches.

As of today (May 4, 2009) wolves in the eastern portion of Oregon (east of highways 395, 78 and 95) are “de-listed,” or removed from protection under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). Wolves in this area remain protected by Oregon’s ESA, while wolves west of the boundary remain protected by both the federal and state ESA.

Oregon’s Wolf Management Plan provides livestock producers and wildlife managers with specific tools to respond to wolf depredation. For more information, see ODFW’s wolf Web page at http://www.dfw.state.or.us/wolves/ or call ODFW’s La Grande office at (541) 963-2138.

– – – – – –

Here is a large photo of the collared wolf.

Oregon Cattlemen’s wolf bill is dead

Bill to shoot Oregon wolves has died in Oregon legislature-

Wolf bill dead. Written by Ed Merriman. Baker City Herald

The Farm Bureau guy said, ““I understand they have a full plate, with the state economy in trouble, but if something isn’t done about the wolf attacks, this could possibly throw Baker County’s economy in a tailspin,” Browne said. [emphasis mine].

Must be a very fragile economy!

Wyoming wolf news (and some from Oregon)

Mike Jimenez’s report on WY wolves and the situation in Oregon-

WYOMING/US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE WOLF PROGRAM

WEEKLY REPORT

To:                          Regional Director, Region 6, Denver, Colorado

From:                     USFWS Wyoming Wolf Recovery Project Leader, Jackson, WY

Subject:  Status of Gray Wolf Management in Wyoming and the NRM

WYOMING WOLF WEEKLY- April 13 through April 17, 2009

Web Address – USFWS reports (past weekly and annual reports) can be viewed at http://westerngraywolf.fws.gov . Weekly reports for Montana and Idaho are produced by those States and can be viewed on the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and Idaho Department of Fish and Game websites. All weekly and annual reports are government property and can be used for any purpose.  Please distribute as you see fit.

Annual Reports

The Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery 2008 Annual Report is available at: http://westerngraywolf.fws.gov . Read the rest of this entry »

Wolves nail some lambs in Oregon

First confirmed loss of livestock in Oregon has livestock association upset-

Although no wolf packs are confirmed yet in Oregon, it looks like at least one is present despite years of reports and illegal shootings of lone wolves. The usual suspects are agitating for the removal of these wolves.

Wolves kill 23 lambs on Oregon ranch. By Mark Furman KVAL.com Staff
Update. I see that the Associated Press has decided to caption the photo in the link above as “Camera captures wolves killing lambs in Oregon.” But that’s not what the photo shows. It clearly shows one wolf gingerly sniffing a dead lamb.

Ranchers cry for wolf hearings. AP
Ranchers say ‘rogue’ wolves must go. By Ed Merriman. Baker City Herald.

Once again private compensation for losses to wolves is not good enough. They want to reach in the taxpayer’s pockert for their losses. The truth is they don’t like to ask a conservation organization, no matter how willing they are to pay; and they especially don’t like to ask a woman.

Note:
In Oregon, sheep and lamb losses to predators in the most recent NASS annual report are as follows:

This is for one year.

Coyotes = 5,700
Cougar = 1,200
Dogs = 700
Eagles = 200
Bears = 100

Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery 2008 Interagency Annual Report

All 3 states and the FWS reports available.

Wolves in Central Idaho © Ken Cole

Wolves in Central Idaho © Ken Cole

The annual reports of all three of the recovery states have been released. There is a wealth of information in these reports about various packs.

The minimum estimate of wolves in the three states is 1645, a 9% increase over last year.

In Idaho there are 846 wolves, a 16% increase.
In Montana there are 497 wolves, an 18% increase.
In Wyoming there are 302 wolves, a 16% decrease.

You can view the reports here:
Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery 2008 Interagency Annual Report

Salazar’s Wolf Decision Upsets Administration Allies

Salazar’s failure to consult POTUS gives new Administration a headache (as it should)-

Salazar’s Wolf Decision Upsets Administration Allies
By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post

It appears that Salazar wasn’t interested in consulting anyone but the Bush Administration personnel and some other agency folks for the “good science” they have already “produced”.
He only consulted governors with less than favorable attitudes on predators, wolves in particular. He had no intention of hearing anything other than what he wanted to hear to make this decision.

Fortunately, not everyone in our halls of governing agree with him. Perhaps due to the fact that they are not ranchers.  He didn’t seem to think that his boss needed to be consulted either, even directly following commitments by Obama himself to uphold the ESA and scientific integrity in speeches within 48 hours of announcing this “Friday night” ruling.

Perhaps the same comments on commitment to scientific integrity made by Obama on stem cell research should be applied to the ESA and wolves.

Possible Wolf Sighting in Central Oregon

A wolf in the Cascades?

Possible Wolf Sighting in Central Oregon | KOHD.

Photos of what appears to be a black wolf and its tracks were taken near Highway 20 at Santiam Pass in the Cascade Mountains.

Santiam Pass is between Bend and Salem, Oregon.  Here is a link to Google Maps showing the general area.

More great wolf news, a confirmed pack in NE Oregon!

Yes!  Yes! The wolves are spreading out. First wolves were recently confirmed in north central Washington and now a pack in NE Oregon. Furthermore, they must be protected by the federal government because wolves in the area are now back on the Endangered Species List. They are also protected by Oregon State law.

Story in the Oregonian. First wolf pack in Oregon confirmed in a century. By Jeff Barnard . The Associated Press

News Release from Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Contact: Russ Morgan, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, 541) 963-2138
Michelle Dennehy, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, (503) 947-6022
Rick Hargrave, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, (503) 947-6020
Gary Miller, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, (541) 962-8509
Joan Jewett, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, (503) 231-6121

Wolf pack with pups confirmed in northeastern Oregon

LA GRANDE, Ore.-A wolf pack that includes both adults and pups was confirmed in a forested area of northern Union County on Friday, the first evidence of multiple wolves and wolf reproduction in Oregon since wolves were extirpated from the state back in the mid-1940s.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wolves will be delisted in Eastern Oregon too, but protection continues under state plan

The delisting of the wolf is scheduled to go into effect March28. The boundaries of the delisted zone are “generous,” wiping out federal protection in Eastern Oregon, Eastern Washington and Northern Utah as well as Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

A radio-collared wolf from Idaho’s Timberline pack dispersed into the NE Oregon Wallowas last winter. This wolf and all others in the entirely of Oregon will continue to be protected because Oregon has a fairly strong state wolf plan.

Meanwhile the wolf is being watched closely, and there is evidence of more single wolves and a least one group in the state.

Wolves get federal delisting in Eastern Oregon. Wallowa Chiefton.

Earlier story. Radio-Collared Gray Wolf from Idaho is Verified In Northeast Oregon. Jan. 24, 2008.

Later story. Wolf actions elsewhere won’t affect Oregon rules. Wyoming, Montana and Idaho have ended endangered status. Statesman-News. This story describes the Oregon state wolf plan.

Posted in Delisting, Oregon wolves, Wolf dispersal, Wolves. Tags: . Comments Off on Wolves will be delisted in Eastern Oregon too, but protection continues under state plan

Wolf migration into Oregon could cause an unusual alliance

Idaho wolves are moving into Oregon, but soon wolves in Eastern Oregon will no longer be a federally protected species (assuming delisting actually happens). However, Oregon has its own strict, but only partially completed state wolf plan. So wolves will remain legally protected in Eastern Oregon (but by the state).

According to the Wallowa County [Oregon] Chieftain, the situation is one of uncertainty that might cause ranchers to get more friendly with Defenders of Wildlife and also hope that the conservation groups opposing delisting win their suit.

Making friends with the enemy. By Kathleen Ellyn. Wallowa County Chieftain Reporter

– – – – – –

Note that should any wolves make it to western or central Oregon, they will remain a federally protected endangered species (not an experimental population) as well as have Oregon state protection.

Posted in Delisting, Oregon wolves, Wolves. Tags: . Comments Off on Wolf migration into Oregon could cause an unusual alliance

Radio-Collared Gray Wolf from Idaho is Verified In Northeast Oregon

Here is some great news!

Update: Video of the Oregon wolf on YouTube.

Update: Here is the story from a local newspaper. Biologist sees wolf in Wallowas. Baker City Herald. By Jayson Jacoby.

Update: Here is the story in the Oregonian. Idaho wolf spotted in northeast Oregon. The radio-collared female is the first live wolf seen in Oregon since March 1999. Friday, January 25, 2008. By Richard Cockle. The Oregonian Staff

___________

Original news release Jan. 24, 2008

Contact: ODFW:
Russ Morgan: 541-963-2138
Michelle Dennehy: 503-947-6022
FWS: Phil Carroll: 503-231-6179

A female gray wolf from Idaho’s Timberline Pack has been positively located in Oregon, using radio signals from her tracking collar. The wolf, a two- to three-year-old female identified as B-300F, has been wearing the collar since she was captured northeast of Boise by Idaho biologists in August 2006. She’s now traveling in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest near the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area, between Medical Springs and Wallowa. Biologists have observed evidence of wolves in this area over the past six months.

Aerial searches for signals from wolf tracking collars, specifically those which have been reported as missing from Idaho, helped the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife located the wolf. A signal was picked up January 17, but the location of the animal was not confirmed. A ground search the next day turned up tracks which appeared to be of a wolf.

Read the rest of this entry »

Oregon Ag Press “Delisting wolf may not help”

Oregon may have as few as a pair of wolves and it’s state protections drop after four breeding pairs, but just west of the Snake lies a temporary reprieve for wolves. Capital News, an Ag publication, illustrates a few of Oregon’s state protections “Delisting wolf may not help” (broken/pay) :

One thing the federal delisting will do is give the state authority to intervene and kill a problem wolf in cases of chronic depredation. It also will give the state authority to issue a permit for lethal take to livestock producers who suffer wolf depredation – provided the producer first fails to resolve the conflict through non-lethal strategies.

Emphasis mine. I’m still rubbing my eyes.

Pair of wolves moves into Eastern Oregon

At least it looks like a pair of wolves, rather than a single wolf has moved into Oregon. The tracks of the pair (and there could be more) have been repeatedly seen in the canyon and high peak country of the Wallowa Mountains.

Story in the Baker, Oregon (Baker City Herald). newspaper. Local wolves not all lone. By Jayson Jacoby.

When the wolf is delisted, slated for late February, any wolves in Eastern Oregon will lose their federal protection because the USFWS was careful to draw the delisting lines to more sure good wolf habitat adjacent to Idaho in other states would not be protected. Fortunately, Oregon does have a state wolf protection plan in place.

Feds, Conservationists Offer Reward for Oregon Wolf Killer

PORTLAND, Oregon, August 17, 2007 (ENS) – Two conservation groups have sweetened the pot for anyone who has information about the illegal shooting of a female endangered gray wolf in eastern Oregon last October.

Oregon Wild and the Center for Biological Diversity Thursday offered a $4,000 reward to anyone who can provide information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators of the crime.

The fund is in addition to $5,000 that has been offered as a reward by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The animal was found dead in early October between Battle Mountain and Whittaker Flats along Oregon Highway 395 near Ukiah, Oregon.

Tests, recently completed at the agency’s national forensics laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, confirmed that it was a wolf and that it was killed by a bullet from a high velocity rifle.

Tests on the contents of the wolf’s stomach show that it had not been feeding on livestock. Read the rest of this entry »

Gray wolf found shot dead in NE Oregon

This news release is from the USFWS.

It will probably be the Oregon papers tomorrow.

GRAY WOLF FOUND DEAD IN UNION COUNTY, OREGON

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the discovery of a dead gray wolf in Union County, Oregon. The animal had been shot, and was recovered on May 25, 2007, from a forested area north of Elgin.

The carcass was badly decomposed when first discovered, making initial identification of the animal nearly impossible. Testing has confirmed that the animal was a mature female wolf, genetically related to the wolf population in Idaho, and that it died from a gunshot wound. Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement agents are requesting that anyone who may have information regarding the death of this or any other wolf contact them immediately at 503-682-6131.

This is the fourth confirmed wolf to have been found in the state. In March 1999, a radio-collared female was captured near John Day and returned to Idaho. In 2000, a collared wolf was found dead along Interstate 84 south of Baker City, and a wolf without a radio collar was found shot between Ukiah and Pendleton. All three animals were confirmed to have been migrants from Idaho.

“It’s important for people to be thinking about the possibility of wolves in their area and to understand how to respond,” said Russ Morgan, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife wolf coordinator in Northeast Oregon. “It is illegal to shoot a wolf, even one mistaken for another animal. Hunters in particular need to identify their target before shooting because wolves can look similar to coyotes.”

Hunters, livestock producers and others can visit http://www.dfw.state.or.us/wolves/ for more information on how to identify wolves and respond to encounters including predation.

Any gray wolf which shows up in Oregon is listed as an endangered species under both state and federal law. Killing an animal protected under the federal Endangered Species Act is punishable by a fine of up to $100,000, one year in jail, or both. Killing a wolf is also a violation of Oregon state game law, with fines and penalties that are assessed by the court. In the unlikely event that a wolf attacks a human, any person may use lethal force to prevent or stop the attack. Such an incident must be reported to the Fish and Wildlife Service, at 541-786-3282, or 541-962-8584; or ODFW at 541-963-2138, within 24 hours. The wolf carcass must not be disturbed.

Individuals who see a wolf, or suspect or discover wolf activity are asked to contact one of the following immediately:

* Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Wolf Coordinator Russ Morgan in La Grande: 541-963-2138

* U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wolf Coordinator John Stephenson in Bend: office, 541-312-6429; cell, 541-786-3282.

* U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service La Grande Field Office: 541-962-8584.

Experts have long predicted that wolves from the expanding Idaho population would continue to cross the Snake River and enter Oregon. Breeding pairs and packs could also become established.

Although the Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to remove the wolf from the list of threatened and endangered species in the Northern Rockies, including part of Oregon, the wolf will remain federally listed until that process is complete. The proposal is open to public comment until August 6, 2007, after which comments will be considered carefully and more procedural steps will be completed before a decision is made. Information on the proposal can be found at http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/wolf/

Oregon has a Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, created with extensive, state-wide public input and collaboration, which was adopted by the Fish and Wildlife Commission in 2005. More information on wolves and wolf management in Oregon is available on the website: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/wolves/

Update July 13. Here’s the story in the Oregonian. By Michael Milstein. It adds little new information, except that it wasn’t the wolf that has been videoed in the area.

post 1316

An American icon in the crosshairs? Bush’s delisting plans harmful to wolf recovery in Oregon

Few animals stir up as much emotion and heated debate as gray wolves. In many ways these majestic predators are the symbol of American wilderness, of wild places that have not yet been clear-cut or paved over. They were once common throughout Western America, including Oregon, but a misguided policy of using tax dollars to fund extermination programs drove them to the brink of extinction.Today gray wolves represent the beginning of a great American conservation success story. Because of the safety net provided by the Endangered Species Act, and the hard work of countless biologists, landowners and concerned citizens, wolves are making a strong comeback.But in February, the Bush administration announced plans to remove western gray wolves from the endangered species list and hand over management to state governments. The proposal comes as a mixed blessing. On one hand, it means wolf populations are rebounding, at least in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming — there are still no confirmed wolf packs here in Oregon. But it also means the feds will hand the keys over to states like Idaho, which could spell disaster for Idaho’s wolves and wolf recovery in Oregon.This is from a guest opinion in the Salem (OR) Statesman Journal. Read the full story. (Link has been moved or deleted by Statesman Journal)

OR wolf said to have been sighted this winter

A black wolf is said to have been sighted in the Wenaha Wildlife Area in Oregon and tracks found all around outside of Troy.  Ralph has posted in the past that There is at least one wolf in NE Oregon and Wild wolves again might be at home in Oregon.  This one seems to be in the same general area.  Read the AP’s story in The Olympian – or KTVB.COM for a longer version with more information.

Posted in Oregon wolves. Comments Off on OR wolf said to have been sighted this winter

About 50 people show up at wolf delisting hearing in Pendleton, Oregon

The next to the last wolf hearing was held Web. night in Pendleton, Oregon, a state that officially has no wild wolves, although most think one or more do wander the Eastern Oregon backcountry.

The initial news story reads like wolf supporters had a pretty good turnout. Story in the Oregonian. Breaking News.

The last scheduled hearing will be March 8 in Spokane, WA, although another, so far secretive, meeting is expected in Cody, Wyoming.