Representative Bentz looks to end protective status of gray wolves

U.S. Representative Cliff Bentz assembled a panel of county commissioners, state representatives and federal employees at a public hearing on the gray wolf on Thursday, April 4 at the Pendleton Convention Center.

It was the third hearing that Rep. Bentz (R-Ontario) has held on the gray wolf, which was reintroduced to parts of Canada and the Yellowstone National Park in the late 90s. The gray wolf has expanded its range and territory over the past two decades.

Joining Rep. Bentz were Mark Kersh – US Fish & Wildlife; Marissa Meyer – US Fish & Wildlife; Todd Nash – Wallowa County Commissioner; Dan Dorren - Umatilla Commissioner; Oregon Rep. Bobby Levy; Jake Seavert - Union Co. Cattlemen's Assoc. President; Kevin Christensen – US Dept. of Agriculture State Director; and Nick Myatt – Oregon Dept. Fish and Wildlife.

While the panel did weigh-in and answer some questions, the testimony from members of the audience stole the show.

Speaker after speaker took to the podium and described a dangerous situation that is looming for livestock producers, family farms, and wildlife in central and eastern Oregon.

To open the session, Representative Bentz asked the audience, "how many wolves is enough?" The response from the audience and those that provided testimony is that wolf numbers are already too high in Oregon.

Data collected by US Fish and Wildlife and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) shows that there have been 458 confirmed livestock killed by wolves in the state. Of those livestock killed, 257 were cattle, 146 sheep, and 55 other (goats, etc.)

But Matt McElligott, President of the Oregon Cattlemen's Association, said that those numbers are hollow and that quantifying the impact on livestock producers is impossible.

"The loss of livestock and income can't be measured," McElligott said.

McElligott and others shared stories of herds that had gone into a frenzied state. Cattle that had experienced a wolf attack became aggressive, lost weight, and failed to become pregnant. Livestock producers are buying more feed in a desperate bid for cattle gain weight before calving season.

"It affects the animals psychologically," McElligott said. "And very rarely can we find loss and say definitively that wolves did it."

While the state has created a fund to pay livestock producers for animals that are killed by wolves, known as depredation, the impact on the overall herd has created an economic nightmare for ranchers.

McElligott shared that wolves often will torment cattle for weeks before a death occurs. Typically, wolves will create wounds by biting a cow or steer's leg. Weeks later, they return when the wound is infected.

The stress and trauma that herds are facing results in long term problems. "It's PTSD for cows," McElligott said. "It's a real economic impact for those of us on the ground. We're carrying the load for the rest of the country and for the state of Oregon."

Glen Krebs, President of the Oregon Sheep Grower's Association, said that the challenges have been widespread and that the state and federal government have made mistakes over the past twelve years. However, he also said that ODFW had turned a corner recently.

"The last twelve months has had more management than the last twelve years," Krebs said. By going back to language in the original Wolf Management Plan, Krebs said that better partnerships had been created in the past year.

"The key to success is to get producers' buy-in," Krebs told the panel. "Producers are the key and that was in the original plan, but in the last two plans since, they have forgotten that statement."

John Williams, who sits on the Depredation Committee for the Oregon Cattlemen's Association, has studied the issue closely. Williams was once part of a research group that studied the impacts of wolves on livestock.

Williams said that "Cow PTSD and production losses are real."

His findings show that stressed cattle are costing livestock producers $382 per cow when wolves are present.

"Every rancher in Wallowa, Union, Baker County isn't surprised to see a wolf in the middle of their operation," he said. Even if no cattle are killed, the herd is severely damaged, he said. "Losing 36 calves from 3,600 head – that is a mortgage payment," Williams said.

Beyond livestock producers, several wildlife species are also being threatened by gray wolves. In particular, the population of mule deer and elk have plummeted in areas with wolves present in Eastern Oregon. The depredation of deer and elk are not monitored as closely as livestock but data from ODFW have monitored 656 potential wolf prey acquisition sites and identified prey remains of 159 carcasses. The most common ungulate in wolf diets was elk (64%), followed by white-tailed and mule deer (36%).

Dennis Sheehy, who is on the Wildlife Committee for the Oregon Cattlemen's Association, said that wolves pose a unique problem for wildlife and livestock.

"Mule deer have crashed to 50% of what it was in the 1980s," Sheehy told the panel. He continued, saying "the primary prey species is now elk, mule deer, and then domestic livestock."

Sheehy's concern is that continued pressure on elk will significantly diminish elk populations in Eastern Oregon. Should fewer elk exist in Oregon, the next prey will be domestic livestock, Sheehy said.

"That is the major reason to delist the wolf population in the state," he said. "Wolves should be treated the same as other large carnivores – they should be game animals with hunting seasons."

All of this has led Rep. Bentz to believe that wolves are not deserving of protection under the Endangered Species Act.

In March, Bentz sent a letter to US Fish and Wildlife Director Martha Williams, calling for the agency to delist the gray wolf from the list of endangered species.

Rep. Bentz will hold a hearing in Minnesota on May 3 with other members of Congress that are seeking to remove the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act. Bentz is asking for photos and videos of wolves. The hearing will be on C-Span.