Wolf protestors from Eastern Oregon gather in the state Capitol to tesitfy to the House Agriculture and and Natural Resources Committee, April 5.

SALEM The organization Wolf Free Oregon attracted about 20 members from Baker, Union and Wallowa counties to testify on the growing wolf populations in Eastern Oregon at an Oregon House of Representatives hearing in Salem Tuesday, April 5. Testimony from the anti-wolf contingent was countered by an equal number of pro-wolf advocates, including local resident Wally Sykes. Sykes provided the Chieftain with a question-and-answer interview that is included at the bottom of this report. 

Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner, hosted the groups from Eastern Oregon. 

The great thing about democracy is that we have a Capitol where folks can come down and testify and affect change in their community, he said. We welcome them and honor democracy by making our voices heard. We all dont have to agree, but it is important that there is the opportunity for elected officials to listen, he said.

Smith drafted and is the chief sponsor of four bills currently in legislative committee regarding the interaction between wolves and livestock producers.

Of the four bills, two have a good chance to make it out of committee, he said.

Smith believes that House Bill 3560 and HB 3562 have the best chance of making it out of committee and to a vote in the state House and Senate:

HB 3560 proposes to establish a compensation fund with the Oregon Department of Agriculture and local governments working together to compensate ranchers who lose livestock to wolf predation. State agencies currently dont have the authorization to make any type of compensation payments and the bill would also establish the authority for those dollars to go through the state.

HB 3562, if passed, would allow an individual to kill a wolf in defense of their life or the lives of others. Opponents of the bill argue that Oregon law already allows one to kill a wolf in defense of human life.

Smith is less confident that the other two bills, HB 3561 and HB 3563, will make it out of legislative committee:

HB 3561 proposes an update to the Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management Plan to establish a population objective of four breeding pairs of gray wolves for the whole state, instead of eight breeding pairs, to trigger a delisting of the wolf from the Oregon endangered species list.  The current plan calls for the stable presence of eight breeding pairs across the whole state to trigger the delisting.

HB 3563 would allow for the lethal taking of a wolf that comes within 500 feet of a residence or is caught in the act of wounding, chasing or harassing livestock, pets and working and sporting dogs.

Wallowa County Commissioner Paul Castilleja made the trip and testified in Salem.

In the sign-up sheet for testimony, they asked if a person was for, against or neutral on the wolf issue. I signed in as neutral because I didnt want to compromise what the Oregon Cattlemens Association is doing with the bills, Castilleja said. The OCA is in support of the proposed legislation and helped draft the compensation bill.

I testified and related exactly what is going on in Eastern Oregon.  The environmental groups, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the Endangered Species Act have an obscure agenda. When the wolves do end up on the west side of the state, then theyll know what were talking about, Castilleja said.

Overall, it was a worthwhile trip and we were satisfied with the testimony we gave. However, it was a moment when you feel youve done something good, but came away disappointed, Castilleja said of those who testified against the presence of the wolf.