UPDATE: Oregon Wolves Get Four Week Break From Hunting

Russ Morgan, ODFW wolf coordinator, with a 97-pound male wolf collared Feb. 12th. Photo from ODFW.

Oregon’s small population of wolves are safe from hunting – for now.

USDA Wildlife Services, which has orders to kill two wolves in Wallowa County, says it will call off the hunt until the end of July.

The decision is the first good news in a long time for the state’s wolf advocates, who filed a lawsuit yesterday to permanently stop the hunt.

The announcement comes with some conditions attached. The feds say they reserve the right to resume the hunt, if the wolves go back to attacking livestock in the area. They also say it’ll take about a day to remove traps that were placed to capture and kill wolves.

Still, the four groups that sued to stop the hunt are breathing a sigh of relief.

“Oregon’s struggling wolf population has been given a reprieve,” says Noah Greenwald of the Center for Biological Diversity. “With a mere 14 wolves in the state, killing two has a big impact. We’re glad this won’t be happening – at least for now.”

Josh Laughlin of Cascadia Wildlands says the suspension takes some pressure off the legal battle. Instead of going to court for an emergency restraining order, enviros now have some time to prepare for the next step, a temporary injunction against the hunt.

Yesterday, Oregon Wild, Cascadia Wildlands, Hells Canyon Preservation Council and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit against Wildlife Services, saying the agency didn’t do a legally required environmental analysis of how the hunt would impact Oregon’s wolf population. The groups argue that if Wildlife Services had done that, it would have come to the conclusion that the hunt was unnecessary.

All this began in late May when Oregon Fish and Wildlife issued orders to kill two of the uncollared wolves in the Imnaha pack. ODFW was responding to a series of wolf attacks in which six calves were killed at ranches in Wallowa County. By only going after uncollared wolves, the breeding pair of the pack would be protected. Both the alpha male and female wear tracking collars.

But ODFW continued to extend the hunt even when the attacks stopped on June 4th. Just a week ago, ODFW extended the hunt until the end of August.

The Next Step

The next step may be for the conservation groups to sue ODFW. They say they’re preparing to file a claim against the agency. The groups believe ODFW is violating the state’s Wolf Management Plan by allowing the hunt to continue long after the attacks have stopped. They also think ODFW and ranchers need to prove that non-lethal methods aren’t working.

ODFW says its allowed to kill wolves that are involved in “chronic depredation” of livestock. Even though the attacks stopped nearly a month ago, ODFW says the wolves are still nearby and remain a threat.

The Wolf Plan

The killings, the hunt, and the court battle comes as Oregon’s Wolf Management plans is up for a five-year review. ODFW staff will recommend changes to the plan, and will make those suggestions public in August. A vote by the Fish and Wildlife Commission is scheduled for October. Public comments are still being accepted via email at ODFW.Comments@state.or.us.

Conservation groups want to make sure the new plan does a better job of protecting wolves.

“We’re rooting for the few wolves we’ve got in Oregon.” says Laughlin.

Note: Wildlife Services did not return my phone call.

Related Stories:

Lawsuit Filed To Stop Oregon Wolf Hunt

Oregon Wolf Hunt Extended Two More Months, ODFW Defends Its Actions

Time To Speak Up For Oregon’s Wolves

Tags: cascadia wildlands, center for biological diversity, gray wolf, gray wolves, hells canyon preservation council, oregon wild, wildlife services