November 27, 2011 in Outdoors

Commission will consider wolf proposal next weekend

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Associated Press photo

The gray wolf is listed as endangered by state law throughout Washington.
(Full-size photo)

After four years of development, extensive public review – and lingering controversy – the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will consider adopting a plan for managing wolves as they re-establish breeding packs on the east side of the state.

The commission, with seven citizen members, is scheduled to take action on the Fish and Wildlife Department’s recommended Wolf Conservation and Management Plan on Saturday, the second day of a public meeting set for Friday and Saturday in Olympia.

The agenda is posted on the WDFW website, wdfw.wa.gov/.

Key aspects of the proposed wolf plan establish recovery objectives for gray wolves in Washington, along with strategies for addressing their interactions with livestock and wildlife species such as elk and deer.

The plan does not necessarily come with permanent funding to pay for livestock losses or support the wildlife monitoring suggested by the plan.

WDFW began developing the plan in 2007, anticipating that gray wolves would naturally migrate to the state from Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and British Columbia. Since then, five wolf packs have been documented in the state – three in northeastern Washington and two in the north Cascades. Other packs are working along the Idaho-Washington border and at least one also is working along the Oregon-Washington border.

The gray wolf is listed as endangered throughout Washington under state law and as endangered in the western two-thirds of the state under federal law.

Since 2009, WDFW’s proposed plan has been the focus of 19 public meetings, written comments from nearly 65,000 people, a scientific peer review, and recommendations from the 17-member citizen Wolf Working Group, formed in 2007 to advise the department in developing the plan.

The wolf plan calls for allowing 15 breeding wolf packs before taking management measures to limit further growth of the packs. A dissenting faction within the wolf working group recommends about eight wolf packs be tolerated before controlling wolves.

Six comments on this story so far. Add yours!

• 

  Pete43 on November 27 at 4:32 a.m.

  sss

• 

  decoy on November 27 at 4:54 a.m.

  Make sure 12 of the packs are over in seattle. You folks only need to look at what has happened in Idaho since they were brought in from Canada….not pretty

• 

  beams on November 28 at 7:05 p.m.

  Oh look it here, we have the wildlife hating hunters coming on here advocating breaking the law. How does it make you wildlife hating hunters feel to know that wolves are back in Washington? The only reason you hate them isbecause you view them as competition for game.

• 

  sm270 on November 28 at 10:01 p.m.

  Your total lack of knowledge is showing there beams….educate yourself fully before taking on an issue you dont understand!!

• 

  beams on November 29 at 8:13 a.m.

  My lack of knowledge? I think you mean yours. You hunters hate it when the truth is exposed about you lunatics, so all you can do is claim the ones exposing you have a lack of knowledge. You idiot extremists will continue to be exposed for your extremist views against natural predators such as wolves.

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  B3601 on December 04 at 8:35 a.m.

  Decoy, sm270, the wolf huggers don’t care about wildlife. They care about predators killing anything of their choosing. Who’s defending the rest of the wildlife. Not them! they want to defend the wolf..
  A predator is a freaking predator, whether downtown or in the country. Obviously the (huggers) don’t like anything but their own beliefs.