Tag: Restoring Wolves and Other Species

Breaking: Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission ends wildlife killing contests on Oregon’s public lands

Breaking: Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission ends wildlife killing contests on Oregon’s public lands

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, September 15, 2023 

BEND, Oregon (Sept. 15, 2023)—Today at a hearing in Bend, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted unanimously to prohibit wildlife killing contests for coyotes and other species classified as unprotected mammals in the state. A coalition of 22 local and national wildlife and conservation organizations and hunters, wildlife management professionals, scientists, veterinarians, and advocates across Oregon submitted testimony in support.

WildCATs looking over maps for the Calloway Timber Sale during this Summer's Basecamp (photo by Cascadia Wildlands).

WildCAT Volunteer Meeting: this month, only on ZOOM — Sept 13

*Due to a COVID exposure, this meeting will now ONLY BE ON ZOOM* And Mapping 101 will be rescheduled for a different time. WildCAT Wednesday, typically on the first Wednesday … Continue reading WildCAT Volunteer Meeting: this month, only on ZOOM — Sept 13

Press Release: Cascadia Wildlands Statement on Oregon’s 2022 Minimum Gray Wolf Population Count

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 18, 2023          

Today, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) released its annual report of the minimum 2022 gray wolf population and pack count for the state, which shows a continuing pattern of very low growth. The 178 wolves documented in 2022 is only an increase of three wolves over year-end 2021 numbers, while the number of wolf packs increased from 21 to 24. The state’s minimum wolf population only grew by two wolves in 2021, from 173 to 175 wolves. The stagnant population numbers are a cause for great concern in a state with significant suitable –  yet unoccupied –  wolf habitat. Removal of state Endangered Species Act protections was predicated on an assumed steady population increase, an assumption that has proven false since 2020.

Opinion: Rewilding the West with wolves and beavers will curb climate change

by Bethany Cotton, Conservation Director for Cascadia Wildlands
Originally published in The Register-Guard, August 28, 2022.

As the Western U.S. again endures record-breaking summer heat and enters our third decade of drought, it’s time for us to adopt bold, regionwide solutions that will support climate-resilient communities, safeguard drinking water sources, reduce wildfire risk, protect remaining mature and old-growth forests and enhance wildlife habitat.  

Press Release: Lawsuit Challenges Washington’s Failure to Enact Wolf Management Rules

August 5, 2022 — Five conservation groups filed a lawsuit today asking a state court to enforce Gov. Jay Inslee’s order directing state wildlife officials to enact wolf management rules. The rules should have outlined what steps must be taken before wolves can be killed for conflict with livestock.

Press Release: 2021 Worst Year for Oregon’s Wolf Population Growth Since Return

April 20, 2022 — Conservationists are concerned about the plateau of Oregon’s wolf population in 2021, largely resulting from poaching and agency killings. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (ODFW) annual wolf population report, released late yesterday, shows Oregon’s wolf population grew by the lowest percentage (just over one percent) since wolves naturally returned to the state. The 2021 minimum population of 175 wolves increased by just two animals from the 2020 minimum count of 173.

Press Release: VICTORY! Wolves’ Endangered Species Status Restored

February 10, 2022 — Today, a federal court restored Endangered Species Act protections for the gray wolf after they were eliminated by the Trump administration in 2020. The ruling orders the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to resume recovery efforts for the imperiled species. Today’s decision redesignates the gray wolf as a species threatened with extinction in the lower 48 states with the exception of the Northern Rockies population (map), for which wolf protections were removed by Congress in 2011.