Hunters, cattlemen, RMEF back wolf kill order

Oregon ranchers and elk advocates have joined the fray over a state decision to kill two wolves in Wallowa County's Imnaha pack. The Oregon Cattlemen's Association filed an objection last Thursday, Nov. 3, to any further delay in allowing the state to shoot the wolves. The objection is part of a growing file in the Oregon Court of Appeals, which issued a temporary stay Oct. 5 that prevents the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife from killing the wolves. The stay was sought by three conservation groups, who say the killing of problem wolves runs counter to endangered species laws. The Oregon attorney general on Nov. 2 asked for a 28-day delay to a court deadline to submit records for review in the case. Any delay in moving the case forward will deprive ranchers "of their ability to control chronically depredating wolves and the problem wolves will be allowed to continue to maim and kill livestock," argued the Cattlemen's attorneys Elizabeth Howard and Mary Anne Nash of Portland. Aside from the objection over delay, the cattlemen's association and nine Eastern Oregon counties, including Grant County, filed briefs late last month in support of the state's case for using kill orders as last-resort management tools. The Oregon Hunters Association also filed a brief supporting the state's authority to manage wolves. "The Oregon Hunters Association has never welcomed the immigration of imported Canadian gray wolves to Oregon, and we have insisted that OHA be at the table in wolf management discussions since the first wolf crossed our borders," said Duane Dungannon, OHA state coordinator. More recently, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation filed a motion seeking permission to file a "friend of the court" brief defending the Oregon wildlife officials authority to manage and control wolves under a state-approved plan. The Elk Foundation has been active in legal battles over wolves in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and the Great Lakes states. "Our organization has over 15,000 members in Oregon, including hunters, ranchers and other conservationists. Together we endorse the efforts of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to manage and control wolves alongside other wild species as part of an approved plan," said David Allen, foundation president and CEO. "We support the agency's work to balance the needs of wildlife with the needs of citizens."...more