Washington Wolves Update

I’m KayDee Gilkey with today’s Open Range.

One of the challenges of covering news within our three Pacific Northwest states is reporting on topics that affect all ranchers within our listening area BUT each of the states have different policy on handling the issue ... Wolves being a prime example of this. Today we will check in on what is happening in Washington state concerning wolves. Field reporter Lacy Gray shares more details:

A proposed checklist by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for ranchers regarding wolf management and recovery has been challenged by cattle ranchers in Eastern Washington with a counter checklist for the agency that would shift the burden of wolf preservation to the state instead of livestock producers. One option the WDFW’s checklist included was for producers to wait until calves reach 200 pounds before being turned out, or delay turnout until June, an option the Stevens County Cattlemen’s Association says greatly increases maintenance costs for ranchers. Producers are concerned that the WDFW doesn’t have enough information on current wolf populations and predation in the state. Dave Ware, Game Division Manager for the WDFW, says that the primary purpose behind the checklist was to open a dialogue with producers, stating that:

WARE: Conflict is the number one issue for recovery of wolves.

Ranchers agree that more communication with the department is needed. Ware says that the Department of Fish and Wildlife will continue to work with stakeholder groups, which include Conservation Northwest, a pro-wolf group, Cattle Producers of Washington, and the Washington Cattlemen’s Association.

Thanks, Lacy for the update.