[ODFW-News] Trapping advisory committee to meet Thursday

[ODFW News]

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 	
Contact: 	Anne Pressentin Young (503) 947-6020	
Internet: www.dfw.state.or.us  Fax: (503) 947-6009
	
For Immediate Release	Monday, October 27, 2003

Trapping advisory committee to meet Thursday

SALEM - The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will host the second meeting of an advisory committee Thursday, Oct. 30, to study issues surrounding trapping of predatory animals in Oregon. 

The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. in the third floor Director's Conference Room B in the ODFW headquarters office in Salem, 3406 Cherry Ave. N.E. Members of the public are welcome to attend and listen to the proceedings.

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission decided Oct. 10 to form a stakeholder advisory committee after hearing from more than two dozen people with differing opinions on trapping practices for predatory animals. Members of the public were testifying on a proposal to define, in administrative rule, what constitutes "on a regular basis" as it relates to checking traps for predatory animals. 

At the first meeting, the committee discussed its assignment, legislative intent associated with a bill passed in 2001 on trapping, and a range of trap check times for restraining traps. The committee will be discussing trap check times associated with devices designed to kill predatory animals at the upcoming meeting. 
The seven-member Commission is the rule-making body for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The panel meets monthly to adopt policies and administrative rules covering fish and wildlife issues in the state.

The Commission said additional information was needed on trapping, trapping regulations in other states and results from a legislatively-appointed task force before a final decision could be made. 

In 2001, a state law was adopted to require furbearer traps to be checked every 48 hours and predator traps to be checked "on a regular basis." The Oregon Legislature left it to the Commission to define "regular basis." 

In Oregon, predatory animals as defined in statute include coyotes, rabbits, rodents, feral swine and birds that are, or may be, destructive to agricultural crops. Furbearers are defined as beaver, bobcat, fisher, marten, mink, muskrat, otter, raccoon, red fox and gray fox. 

For more information, please contact Larry Cooper, ODFW Wildlife Division, (503) 947-6311. Directions to the meeting location are posted at:  http://www.dfw.state.or.us/Move/directions.htm. 


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Information and Education Division
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
(503) 947-6002