FOUR ANTI-WOLF BILLS INTRODUCED IN OREGON LEGISLATURE
Four anti-wolf bills have been introduced to eliminate protections for imperiled gray wolves returning to Oregon. The bills aim to reclassify the wolf under state law as a predatory animal (meaning wolves could be shot on sight), and remove the wolf from the state endangered and threatened species list. The bills also aim to substantially weaken the State Endangered Species Act (ESA) in ways that will harm other species and eliminate protections for imperiled species on many state-owned parcels of land.
The Bills:
Senate Bill 97. Introduced by Senator Beyer
(1) Permanently removes gray wolves from the State threatened and endangered species list. This would eliminate important protections for wolves which return to Oregon, including protections on public State lands. This would also set a dangerous precedent by politicizing endangered species policy. Any decisions about delisting the wolf should be made by the responsible agency, based on a scientific process; it should not be managed as an arbitrary legislative decision; (2) Define wolves as “predatory animals.’ This would greatly increase the likelihood that wolves which return to Oregon will be shot unnecessarily and that people will try to eradicate wolves altogether; (3) Eliminate protections for imperiled species on State-owned public lands if county or federal government, or private individuals hold leases or easements on those lands. This would affect a variety of species, not just wolves, and would inappropriately treat public lands like private lands. http://www.leg.state.or.us/03reg/measures/sb0001.dir/sb0097.intro.htmlHouse Bill 2458 Introduced by Representatives Jenson, Kropf, Richardson Removes from the State threatened and endangered species lists any species that are removed from the federal species lists – even if the federal delistings are unwarranted. Federal delisting proposals are sometimes quite premature and politically driven. http://www.leg.state.or.us/03reg/measures/hb2400.dir/hb2458.intro.html
House Bill 2468 Introduced by Representatives Jenson, Kropf (1) Prohibits the State from listing species as threatened or endangered if they are listed as threatened or endangered under the federal ESA. This is worse than it appears, since the State is currently arguing that it need not take actions to protect federally listed species; (2) Remove from the State threatened and endangered species lists those species listed before May 1987. This would include gray wolves. This is another inappropriate attempt to legislate decisions that should be made through scientific processes -- and to prematurely eliminate protections for gray wolves. http://www.leg.state.or.us/03reg/measures/hb2400.dir/hb2468.intro.html
HB 2574 Sponsored by Representatives Butler and Senator Ferrioli; Representatives Garrard, Gilman, Krieger, Kropf, Kruse, G Smith, T Smith, Senators Beyer, Messerle (1) Allows county governing body to establish county wildlife board to advise body on numbers of predatory animals that may be taken in county. This violates state wildlife policy and law in that the State Fish and Wildlife Commission is the sole body which may decide such matters. (2) Allows county governing body to adopt recommendations of county wildlife board to allow taking of predatory animals at time and place and in manner and amount not allowed by State Fish and Wildlife Commission. This could result in year-round take of predators with no bag limits and no prescriptions on type of hunting methods used. This bill is clearly intended to once again eliminate all predators from the state. (3) Allows take of predators and manner of take to occur in violation of state requirements for hunting tags, the state wildlife policy and the state prohibition on the use of dogs or bait to hunt black bears or cougar. (3) Defines predatory animals to be black bears, cougars and wolves. This is in violation of the state ESA which currently lists wolves as endangered. http://www.leg.state.or.us/03reg/measures/hb2500.dir/hb2574.intro.html
The bills' text can be reviewed by going to the Legislature's webpage http://www.leg.state.or.us/billsset.htm and searching on the bill numbers.
Take Action to Defeat These Bills: ==> Call Governor Kulongoski's office and his staff:
* Governor Kulongoski: 503-378-3111
* Jim Myron, Assistant Natural Resource Advisor: 503-378-3589.
• State that you are calling about Senate Bill 97, House Bill 2458, House Bill 2468 and
House Bill 2574.
• Ask them to commit to vetoing any bills that would weaken the State Endangered
Species Act, remove the wolf from the State threatened and endangered species lists,
and/or remove protective measures for gray wolves.
• Tell them that any decisions about delisting the wolf should be made by the responsible
agency, based on a scientific process; it should not be managed as an arbitrary legislative
decision.
• Tell them that protection measures for wolves should not be removed as long as they do
not yet have secure, healthy populations in the state. ==> Call State Senators about Senate Bill 97 (SB 97):** Committee Vice-Chair Senator Charlie Ringo (D) (503-986-1717)
** Senator Rick Metsger (D) (503-986-1726)
** Senator Jason Atkinson (R) (503) 986-1702
** Committee Chairman Senator Ted Ferrioli (R) (503)986-1730• State that you are calling about Senate Bill 97
• Ask them to oppose SB 97 when it comes before the Senate Water & Land Use
Committee.
• (See the preceding request for talking points.)
• This bill has had one hearing already and will be set for another public hearing in a few
weeks so your calls are needed now.==> Go to http://www.leg.state.or.us/searchmeas.html to see which committees HB 2468,
2458 and 2574 are assigned to, and call those committee members to oppose both bills
(hearing dates have not yet been set for these bills but call committee members now!)
For more information, contact Nancy Weiss, Western Director of Species Conservation
for Defenders of Wildlife (541) 772-9653, nweiss@defenders.org