Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Outdoors blog

Stevens County Commission condemns state wolf management

Wolf-killed sheep from Dashiell flock on private timber company land grazing lease in southern Stevens County in August 2014. (Stevens County Cattlemen's Association)
Wolf-killed sheep from Dashiell flock on private timber company land grazing lease in southern Stevens County in August 2014. (Stevens County Cattlemen's Association)

ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Stevens County Commissioners have unanimously passed a resolution that hammers Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife managers for failing to protect people, wildlife and livestock from wolves that are naturally recolonizing the region.

The resolution (attached) stems from the Huckleberry Pack attacks on sheep grazing on Hancock timber company land, officially killing at least 24 sheep from mid-August to early September, when the rancher rounded up the flock that started at about 1,800 sheep and moved them to distant pasture.

The resolution says more than 200 of the sheep are still missing and attacks that might be attributed to wolves have been reported by other livestock owners in the area. The commissioners are particularly upset that a livestock grower was forced off private land by wolf attacks.

Meanwhile the Stevens County Commission contends the WDFW "failed to honor its obligation and an imminent threat to life and property still exists."

The resolution says the commission "will consider all available option to protect the residents" and declared that "the wolves of the Huckleberry Pack are subject to whatever Constitutional means necessary to secure our public in their lives, liberty and property."

No specific actions were listed.

Stay tuned.

 

 

 



Rich Landers
Rich Landers joined The Spokesman-Review in 1977. He is the Outdoors editor for the Sports Department writing and photographing stories about hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, conservation, nature and wildlife and related topics.

Follow Rich online:




Go to the full Outdoors page