30-day comment period opens
" ;The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is beginning an environmental review of the state of Oregons request for a federal permit to manage gray wolves in the state, where wolves are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act as an endangered species. The Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public comments on the permit application and the environmental review until September 11, 2006.
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted a Wolf Conservation and Management Plan in December 2005 that was designed to meet the Oregon Endangered Species Act conservation mandate while at the same time providing practical and flexible approaches for dealing with problem wolves, or those involved in chronic depredation of livestock. Oregon officials requested the permit, known as a recovery permit, because some of the actions the state may take under its plan could harm or kill these problem wolves, which would be a violation of the Endangered Species Act.
The goal of Oregons plan is to promote wolf recovery objectives and enhance the survival of wolves in the wild. Chronic wolf-livestock conflicts are detrimental to the long-term survival of gray wolves because relying on livestock for food keeps the wolves from hunting their natural prey and functioning in their natural environment. Continued depredation of domestic livestock also discourages public acceptance of wolves presence in Oregon.
Oregons wolf plan (available at http://www.fws.gov/pacific/ecoservices/endangered/recovery/default.htm Other information relevant to wolf permits is available for review, subject to the requirements of the Privacy Act and Freedom of Information Act, by any party who submits a request for a copy of such documents to the address above or calls 503-231-2063.
dditional information about wolf recovery and conservation in the northwestern United States, including control of problem wolves, can be found in various reports at: http://westerngraywolf.fws.gov/">.
