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Defenders Magazine
Defenders in Action: Oregon Ready, Waiting for Wolves
After nearly five years of discussion and public input, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission recently adopted a plan for managing wolves once they are living and breeding in the state.
Wolves have not resided in Oregon since the 1940s. However, recent sightings of wolves in the state—including three from the thriving, re-established populations in neighboring Idaho—lead biologists to believe it is only a matter of time before the animals move in permanently.
With the 106-page plan in place, Oregon is ready for them. The plan describes in detail how the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will conserve and manage wolves. It includes measures for protecting livestock, a plan for monitoring wolf populations, a public education strategy and a state-administered program for compensating ranchers for livestock killed by wolves, among other provisions.
"This wolf plan was crafted with hard work and consensus among everyone with a stake in the issue. It should serve as a model to our neighbors and to the courts of how states are ready to responsibly take on wolf management when the federal government moves the species from endangered status," says Amaroq Weiss, Defenders' director of western species conservation and a member of the 14-person committee that helped draft the plan. "In fact, our state’s plan maps out the fastest route we all want to see, real recovery for the wolf and the handling of wolf management responsibilities by the states."
Wolves are currently listed as endangered under both state law and the federal Endangered Species Act, following a court ruling in January that overturned the Bush administration's attempt to "downlist" the species (see “Judges Double Up in Favor of Wolves.").
