Oregon Farm Bureau applauds gray wolf delisting

The Oregon Farm Bureau said Thursday it applauds the U.S. Department of Fish & Wildlife Service’s proposal to remove the gray wolf from the federal endangered species list.

Here’s the rest of the statement:

The recovery of the gray wolf in Oregon and other states is a conservation success story by any measure. The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife reports that there are at least 124 known wolves in the state today, well above the goals set by the state Wolf Plan, and this number has increased annually since 2009. In fact, wolves recently have been found as far west as the Oregon Coast.

The U.S. population of gray wolves also far surpasses recovery targets called for by the federal Endangered Species Act.

A federal delisting will help simplify Oregon’s patchwork of laws. Right now, because of such strong recovery rates, wolves on the east side of the state are not covered by the state endangered species law, only the federal ESA.

The federal delisting proposal is also a laudable example of successful collaboration between ranchers, landowners, environmental groups, and government agencies. All of these stakeholders want and depend upon a healthy ecosystem.

We are glad the Trump administration has joined both the Obama and Bush administrations in supporting the federal delisting of the gray wolf, basing decisions on sound science, and negotiating with a diverse group of stakeholders.

We hope this will inspire greater collaboration at the state level around wolves and their increasing harm to livestock and Oregon’s ranching families.