[ODFW-News] ODFW News: Commission Directs Creation of Wolf Management Plan

[ODFW News]

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife    
Contact: Anne Pressentin Young (503) 872-5264 x5356 
Internet: www.dfw.state.or.us  Fax: (503) 872-5700
  
For Immediate Release Thursday, March 20, 2003
 
Commission Directs Creation of Wolf Management Plan
 
NEWPORT - The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission decided Thursday to initiate an open, public process to develop a wolf management plan.
 
Commission members also expressed their strong desire to provide livestock producers with the flexibility to address depredation likely to occur with wolves in Oregon.
 
The planning directive came after hearing heart-felt testimony from people who believe wolves should be in Oregon and those that believe their presence threatens the livelihoods of rural livestock producers. Wolves are not confirmed to live in Oregon at this time, however, biologists expect wolves to disperse from the Idaho population and eventually establish a permanent population. No plans exist to actively reintroduce wolves into Oregon.
 
"To do nothing is not an option," said Commissioner Marla Rae. "We can't not prepare."
 
The Commission is the rule-making body for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The seven-member panel meets monthly to establish policies and administrative regulations for the agency to implement. 
 
The Commission directed ODFW staff to report back on April 11 with draft wording for a goal statement and plan framework, and a proposal for a planning process that uses a public advisory committee. During the discussion, the Commission said the planning process should take into account the reality that wolves will eventually be in Oregon, the current endangered status under the Oregon Endangered Species Act, the statutory requirement to conserve native species, public concerns from town hall meetings, and the need to provide landowners with tools to deal with livestock depredation by wolves. 
 
The decision to initiate a planning process comes after several months of Commission discussion on wolves. The Commission held four informational workshops to become educated on wolf issues from experts, directed ODFW staff to hold 15 town hall meetings to hear the concerns of Oregonians and heard briefings from ODFW staff. Thursday was the first time the Commission took formal public testimony on wolves at a Commission meeting. 
 
Earlier this week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that gray wolves will be reclassified throughout the west from 'endangered' to 'threatened' under the federal Endangered Species Act due to successful recovery efforts in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Despite the federal government's reclassification of gray wolves to the 'threatened' designation, the species remains listed as 'endangered' under Oregon state law. 
 
The Oregon ESA currently bans the killing of wolves in Oregon, even if they are in the act of killing livestock. However, the Commission has the authority to adopt rules aligned with the federal reclassification to grant 'damage take' permits to livestock owners, if the rules are consistent with conserving the species in Oregon. 
 
ODFW staff will report back to the Commission on the wolf planning process April 11 at the next regular meeting in Portland at the ODFW headquarters.
 
Information on the federal reclassification can be found at
http://midwest.fws.gov/wolf/fnl-rule/index.html .
 
Information on wolves in Oregon can be found at: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/ODFWhtml/InfoCntrWild/gray_wolf/wolf_main.htm .
 
 
Commission Gives Approval to Fish Passage Proposal for Hood River-area Dam Removal
 
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a plan Thursday to improve current fish passage methods at a private hydroelectric facility near Hood River as part of a settlement to operate the dam until it is removed in 2010.
 
PacifiCorp proposed in 2002 to decommission Powerdale Dam in 2010 because the economic benefits of operating the facility no longer outweighed the costs. A settlement agreement was reached earlier this year on the decommissioning plan between the company, interest groups, state agencies, and federal agencies. During dam removal, PacifiCorp will take actions to allow anadromous fish to move up and downstream.
 
The delay between the final settlement agreement and dam removal will allow the completion of an ongoing research project to evaluate the value of hatchery supplementation and wild fish interactions in summer steelhead, winter steelhead and spring chinook. ODFW and the Warm Springs Tribe began a federally-funded, multi-million dollar project in 1990, which will be complete in 2010. The study included the construction of a modern fish passage and sorting facility.
 
As part of the settlement agreement, PacifiCorp will alter hydropower operations to better assist juvenile fish out-migrate to the ocean and protect aquatic resources starting this year. Upon dam removal, PacifiCorp also will transfer 464 acres of project lands to another entity to allow the long-term preservation of recreation lands and aquatic habitats. 
 
State statutes require the Commission to approve the fish passage plan because the dam removal constituted a "fundamental change in permit status." 
 
 
Commission Approves Hunting Access and Wildlife Habitat Grants
 
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission approved $135,600 in grant awards for seven projects that improve hunting access and wildlife habitat. 
 
Revenue for the grants comes from a $2 surcharge on hunting licenses and the sale of Access and Habitat auction tags and raffle tag chances. The Access and Habitat Board reviews project proposals and makes funding recommendations to the Commission.
 
The projects include:
* Sealby Farm Habitat: $6,469 toward a $12,938 project in Malheur County to improve 137 acres of upland and waterfowl habitat and provide public hunting access by permission.
* Riverside Wildlife Area: $39,456 toward a $62,750 project in Malheur County to improve habitat conditions and encourage use of a state wildlife area.
* Scanlan Ranch: $4,000 toward a $7,000 project in Klamath County to improve wildlife forage, big game winter range and by-permission public hunting access.
* Sullivan Land Access: $17,900 toward a $43,900 project in Baker County to compensate a landowner for wildlife damage of crop losses and continue to allow by-permission public hunting access in an area surrounded by fee hunting.
* Sled Springs Management Demonstration Area: $37,771 toward a $130,817 project in Wallowa County to continue public access to 107,000 acres of private Boise Cascade lands, reduce vandalism and game law violations, and further the Blue Mountain Initiative habitat project. 
* Murderer's Creek Winter Range: $10,000 toward a $84,250 project in Grant County to improve winter range habitat through native seedling plantings on the state's Phillip W. Schneider Wildlife Area.
* Linn Forest Protective Association: $20,000 toward a $1.1 million project in Linn County to provide public access to 410,800 acres of private timberlands.
 
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