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.
Russ Morgan, ODFW wolf coordinator, with the female pup radio collared on Feb. 13, 2010. Photo from ODFW.
Conservation groups finally had enough with what must feel like a never ending hunt for two wolves in Wallowa County.
Today, they filed a lawsuit to block any further hunting, and to protect Oregon’s small population of wolves.
The hunt doesn’t really go on forever. The current expiration date is August 31. But the last time the hunting period was extended, it was extended for more than two months.
That decision is what appears to have led the conservation groups to take legal action.
ODFW believes this is the alpha male of the Imnaha pack. Photo from ODFW.
From opposite end of the state, two environmental groups are asking Governor Kulongoski to call off the hunt for two wolves in Wallowa County.
The appeal comes from the Hells Canyon Preservation Council in LaGrande, and the Cascadia Wildlands Project in Eugene.
In the ongoing dispute between OHV riders, and the so-called “quiet” users of National Forests, the advocates of “quiet recreation” have a new argument to support their cause.
Hikers, fishermen, bikers, wildlife watchers and other “quiet” forms of recreation aren’t just easier on the environment. They play a much bigger role in supporting the local economies surrounding the forests.
A worker cuts down a tree to block an unauthorized ATV trail in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Courtesy U.S. Forest Service.
That conclusion is based on a study of visitors to the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in Northeast Oregon. The vast majority of visitors, about 97%, came to enjoy quiet recreation, while only about 3% were OHV riders.
That huge difference in numbers means “quiet” visitors have a much larger impact on the economy of Northeast Oregon than do OHV riders. The study says non-motorized visits generate nearly $19 million in economic activity for the region. More importantly, it says quiet recreation directly supports $2.9 million to $5.4 million in local salaries, representing 137 to 252 jobs.
The study was conducted by Dr. Kreg Lindberg, a Forestry professor at OSU’s Cascades Campus in Central Oregon.
The timing of the report is important because it comes as National Forests across Oregon are developing Travel Management Plans. These plans will determine where OHV riders will be allowed to go in the forest, and just as important, where they won’t be allowed.
Randy Rasmussen with the American Hiking Society says forest managers need to consider the economic as well as environmental impacts of these plans. He points to growing evidence that quiet users won’t return to an area if they’ve had a bad experience because of OHV use. “The noise, the exhaust, the smoke. They came to get away from all that,” says Rasmussen. If they don’t come back, it could have a greater impact on the local economy than restricting OHV access.
Greg Dyson, with the Hells Canyon Preservation Council, hopes that elected officials get the message too. He says that in some counties, OHV riders have greater political influence than quiet users of national forests. Dyson thinks the report sends a message to county officials to “Step back and look at all the facts” before they advocate for greater OHV access.
In the study, “quiet recreation” includes a wide variety of activities including, hiking, biking, fishing and picnicking. It also includes hunters who don’t use ATV’s to get around the forest.
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The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest is expected to release it’s Draft Travel Management Plan on June 19. That will be followed by a period of public comment and Dyson expects a final decision towards the end of the year.
Meanwhile, the environmental group Bark is organizing a rally to raise awareness about the Travel Management Plan for the Mt. Hood National Forest. The draft plan will be released in August. Mt. Hood is looking at creating six OHV “play areas” totaling 50,000 acres. Bark is calling the event “Quiet Riot”. It’ll be held Saturday, June 27th. See the group’s website for details.
For more information about our reporting on this topic, see our Quiet Forests category in the left side panel.
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While we wait for more information about the wolf attack on a Baker City sheep ranch, we’ve heard from a couple of the environmental groups in the area.
Suzanne Stone with Defenders of Wildlife in Idaho says the group has sent a staffer to offer help prevent future losses to wolves at the ranch. One way to do that is to install a type of fencing called fladry. That’s basically a long line of nylon, stretched around an enclosure, with long flags hanging from it. Fladry doesn’t physically stop wolves from getting through, but Stone says it creates a psychological barrier that wolves won’t cross. Sometimes the fladry is electrified. The technique has been field tested in North America for about a decade and Stone says it works well.
Stone says other techniques may include installing more lighting, adding noisemakers and guard dogs. More information can be found on the group’s website.
Defenders has also offered compensate the rancher for the losses, when official confirmation comes through that wild wolves were the predators in the attack. She estimates that the 19 lambs killed would be worth $2000 -$2500 at last fall’s market prices.
