What is the goal of the Oregon Ranch Rescue effort

What is the goal of the Oregon Ranch Rescue effort?

To bring together all groups and individuals who believe that our rights have been violated by the Fish and Wildlife Commission’s adoption of the Wolf Conservation and Management Plan in order to develop a united purpose to either amend the plan and rules or rescind them and start anew, through the legislative process based on the following elements.

Protection of Private Property

Livestock producers must have the right to protect their livestock anyplace, anytime against loss for which a wolf is responsible. Private property includes but is not limited to land, livestock, horses and dogs. We require a clear commitment from ODFW to aggressively resolve wolf/private property conflicts with owner/managers. The commitment must include lethal control of wolves that test, menace or stalk livestock. Ranchers must have no legal limits on their ability to protect their property, themselves or another person from immanent potentially injurious contact with a wolf.

Wolf Zones

If wolves are to be tolerated by ranchers there must be zones in Oregon where wolves will not be allowed to persist, or “no wolf zones” where aggressive control action will be encouraged. There would also be zones identified where suitable habitat exists, or “highly desirable wolf zones.” These would be identified areas of Oregon that would allow for wolves to exist without conflict with the primary use of the land and human safety would not be an issue.

Oregon ESA Review

The imported Canadian Gray Wolf does not belong on the Oregon ESA list. It is neither indigenous nor native to Oregon as required by law. ODFW must do the required 5-year review on listed species to determine whether verifiable scientific information exists to justify their reclassification or removal from the endangered species list. The review approach must be “can the species be safely delisted under the law?” rather than “how can we use the law to prevent delisting?”

Compensation

Livestock producers should be compensated for any and all loss or damage to their property caused by wolves, including those animals missing at the end of the season above the normal death loss. This compensation should be at the market price of the animal and should be from federal and state funds. Third party funding is not acceptable.

A wolf compensation committee should be the locally elected Farm Service Agency Committee.

Transportation/Relocation of Wolves

A firm commitment from ODFW to manage wolf conflicts, that is lethal take of wolves that kill or injure livestock or other domestic animals or kill injure or threaten people and under no circumstance to move (transport or relocate) wolves within the state of Oregon.

Dedicated wolf management Budget

ODFW implement wolf management with a dedicated budget and necessary funding for all the provisions of control, compensation and research gaps. If the Commission fails to develop or acquire an adequate budget to meet wolf management needs, the wolf plan should be automatically voided and the wolf removed from the Oregon endangered species list.

Protection from Disease

Neosporosis, and other diseases are known to be carried and spread by wolves. These vectors and their risk to Oregon livestock production have not been adequately investigated. If Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission decide that we must allow Canadian gray wolves in the state they must commit to researching these risks and agree to prevent and/or mitigate any damage caused by them today or in the future.

Wolf status must remain Exotic or if deemed wildlife then predator

The wolf (Canis lupus) is defined in Oregon law as an Exotic Animal that should be managed under Oregon Department of Agriculture jurisdiction. If they are to be deemed wildlife then they must be classified as a predator to allow outright take of wildlife that is damaging livestock, or agriculture or forest crops. Allowing these animals to be managed as game mammals is unacceptable as it negates our ability to protect our private property. Considering that cougar and bears are managed as game mammals in Oregon, common sense tells us that managing wolves in the same manner will be equally unsuccessful.