Tell Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Not to End Protections for Gray Wolves

  • by: Sarah Skinner
  • recipient: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will consider options for removing Endangered Species protections for the Gray Wolf at its Oct. 9 meeting in Florence. With just 77 known wolves inhabiting the state of Oregon, it is far too early to consider delisting. With continued threats levied against federal wolf protections under the Endangered Species Act, state protections are the only thing standing between wolves like OR-7 and sport hunters. Wolves in Oregon occupy less than 20% of the available habitat in the state, and are just beginning to recolonize areas like the southern Cascades.
Tell the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife that wolves in Oregon are not yet recovered and still deserve protections. Tell them not to abandon their current, successful wolf management plan that stresses non-lethal methods to prevent conflicts with livestock while protecting and enhancing Oregon's growing wolf population.

Oregon's wolf population numbers just 77 known animals. That state of Oregon has enough habitat to support upwards of 1,000 wolves, yet much of that remains uninhabited. Oregon's wolf population is confined to a small corner of Northeastern Oregon, and a small population is starting to become established in the Southern Cascades.


Despite this, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is proposing the removal of state Endangered Species List protections for the Gray Wolf. At their Oct. 9 meeting in Florence, the ODFW will consider options including statewide delisting, partial delisting in Eastern Oregon, or maintaining continued protections.


We must urge the ODFW to maintain Endangered Species protections for wolves in Oregon, as removing protections statewide or regionally would jepordize the success of Oregon's wolf recovery.


Wolves in Oregon are continuing to make inroads into new territory. The most famous of these is OR-7, who wandered through Northern California before settling down in Southern Oregon and raising a family. More recently, OR-22, a male from the Umatilla River Pack and OR-25, OR-7's little brother, have made headlines by showing up in places where wolves have not been seen in more than 60 years.


With the continued Congressional assaults against the federal Endangered Species Act, including a bill recently introduced by Rep. Newhouse that would remove the gray wolf from the ESL in Oregon and Washington, state-level protections are essential to the recovery of the wolf in these states.


Wolves like OR-7, OR-22 and OR-25 could be subject to sport hunting and retaliations from ranchers if Endangered Species protections are removed. With just 77 wolves, Oregon's population is not large enough to sustain the losses that would occur without protections.


Over 60% of Oregonians support continued protections for wolves. The ODFW is accepting comments online via e-mail odfw.comments@state.or.us Please make sure to include “Comments on Wolf Delisting Proposal” in the subject line of emails. They will also hear testimony at their Oct. 9 meeting in Florence and their later November meeting in Salem. If you live in Oregon, please consider attending.

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