Feds seek comment on Oregon wolf plan

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is beginning an environmental review of the state of Oregon's request for a federal permit to manage gray wolves in the state, where wolves are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act as an endangered species. The Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public comments on the permit application and the environmental review until September 11.

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted a Wolf Conservation and Management Plan in December 2005 that was designed to meet the Oregon Endangered Species Act conservation mandate while at the same time providing practical and flexible approaches for dealing with problem wolves, or those involved in chronic depredation of livestock. Oregon officials requested the permit, known as a recovery permit, because some of the actions the state may take under its plan could harm or kill these problem wolves, which would be a violation of the Endangered Species Act.

The goal of Oregon's plan is to promote wolf recovery objectives and enhance the survival of wolves in the wild. Chronic wolf-livestock conflicts are detrimental to the long-term survival of gray wolves because relying on livestock for food keeps the wolves from hunting their natural prey and functioning in their natural environment. Continued depredation of domestic livestock also discourages public acceptance of wolves' presence in Oregon.

Oregon's wolf plan (available at www.dfw.state.or.us/wolves/) provides guidelines for responses to situations that may arise as gray wolves migrate into Oregon from adjacent states and outlines specific criteria that must be met in order to delist wolves from the State Endangered Species Act. Under the plan, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (0DFW) proposes to conduct non-lethal actions to reduce or resolve wolf-livestock conflicts and human safety concerns. If non-lethal efforts are unsuccessful and livestock depredations continue, ODFW requests authorization to conduct lethal control of wolves. No lethal measures by private landowners would be authorized by this permit.

The Service will conduct its environmental review of ODFW's permit request in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Under this law, a range of alternatives to a proposed project must be developed and considered in an environmental review. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the potential impact of alternatives for managing conflicts with wolves in Oregon. An alternative will be selected and a decision made on permit issuance after comments are considered and analysis is complete.

Currently, ODFW is authorized through a cooperative agreement known as a Section 6 permit to conduct non-lethal gray wolf management actions in Oregon. These actions include trapping, collaring, taking blood and hair samples, harassing, and other actions that are not reasonably expected to result in the death or permanent disabling of a wolf.

Publication of this notice in today's Federal Register opens a 30-day public comment period. Comments on this permit application and environmental review must be received on or before September 11, 2006. Written data or comments should be submitted to the Chief of Endangered Species, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological Services, 911 N.E. 11th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232-4181 (fax: 503-231-6243). Please refer to the ODFW Wolf Permit when submitting comments. All comments received, including names and addresses, will become part of the official administrative record and may be made available to the public.

The state's application is available at: http://www.fws.gov/pacific/ecoservices/endangered/recovery/default.htm. Other information relevant to wolf permits is available for review, subject to the requirements of the Privacy Act and Freedom of Information Act, by any party who submits a request for a copy of such documents to the address above or calls 503-231-2063.

Additional information about wolf recovery and conservation in the northwestern United States, including control of problem wolves, can be found in various reports at: http://westerngraywolf.fws.gov/.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System.

KTVZ