Wolf Meeting in Okanogan

[villageidiot]

 The meeting in Okanogan sounds very similiar to the one in Colville.  Although, the WDFW said there were way more people at the Okanogan meeting. The room was full plus people standing side by side all around the room and the foyer was also full.  They spent over and hour giving a slide show of the plan then entertained questions.  Most of the questions were much like the Colville cattlemen questions.  I'm sure there were at least two different people that said they would shoot on sight the first wolf they see. One lady said she has two black wolves crossing her back yard freqently and one for sure has a collar.  WDFW admitted that one of the Smackout pack had migrated over to Orville so she was probably correct.  Another lady in 2 miles south of Orville says she sees them very frequently and can't let her dogs out at night an has to go get wood for the stove with her side arm she's so afraid of getting attacked.  Somebody ask why we need wolves. They went into this speel about how the wolves will help keep the deer population in check plus keep the coyote population down plus they said they are "Natural" and were once here so we want them back.  Another rancher stood up later and said "So if wolves are natural and we need them then why don't we reintroduce Polio".  He told them they didn't have to answer that question.  Several folks offered (including Jim Detro, county commissioner) to catch and relocate some of these packs to the West Side where the people seem to really love them.  WDFW said they prefer letting them just migrate  but then it was mentioned that by the time we reach the 15 BP's the east side will be overwhelmed with way too many.  The head of the Farm Bureau had some paperwork he printed off WDFW''s info. and he stated that WDFW had taken a survey and that 75% of the people on the poll wanted wolves.  This guy stood up and ask for a show of hands of how many people in here want wolves.  One person raised their hand.  Then the guy pointed out that the survey was clearly not done in Okanogan County because less than 1% wants wolves here so he suggested they put them where the people want them.  This same offer was made several times by people in the audience.   One guy mentioned of all the deterents they showed the ranchers could use and that they were very expensive and time consuming and even though he is a small cattleman he still has eleven miles of fence and would take a whole month to flag the whole thing so who is going to pay for this expense and time it takes since he does not have either.  WDFW said they have some "cost sharing money". In other words they will give you a small pentence and you pay the lions share.  WDFW has a full time person hired to collar wolves and monitor them and was ask if he takes DNA from the wolves he catches.  He said no he doesn'.  Then they ask how he knows they are wolves and he said he just knows.  Then he pointed out that there was a wolf down by Spokane that was DNA tested because they suspected it was a hybrid and it was. Then folks questioned how could they verify these are not hybrids if they don't DNA test them.  The guy never really could come up with a good answer on that but just that they look like wolves.  Dave Ware said they do have some DNA results and that the public can get that info. , although one person mentioned that Joel Kretz had been requesting DNA results for a long time and still can't get it.  It didn't appear that many people were facinated by WDFW's offers to sign into an agreement to let them show you how to manage wolves and come onto their property.  They offered some sort of agreement that a few cattlement have signed that allows them to work with the cattlemen and show him how to manage wolves.  Many of the (if not most) of the feeling in the room was not receptive to any agreement.  With all the mumbling and grumbling and distrust of the cattlemen of the WDFW several of them openly stated they would just shoot the wolves if they come onto their place.   The meeting ran from 6 to likely after 9 and many of us left.  I heard later that one person from Gold Creek below Twisp threatened some of the law enforcement and was escorted out of the meeting by the sheriff.  Several cameras were running and I do believe that WDFW had a video camera so that footage might be avaliable to the public if a request is made.  Just guessing I think there were about 6 or 7 WDFW bio types giving the presentation, then about 3 or 4 WDFW law enforcement and about 6 or so state police or county police.  They wrote all the questions down and plan to give answers I suspect at their next meeting.  I'd say if WDFW gets paid any extra for taking shots they sure racked up the pay last night.

[bobcat]

Thanks for the report. Things are going to get interesting!

[Ridgeratt]

Bobcat!!
Seems most folks on this side of the state would like to send you guy's some!!   

[NoImpactNoIdea]

Thank you for posting this.  I hate to say it but I am probably neighbors with the 75% that wanted wolves.  Uninformed on the issue as a whole and completely removed from it by geography...not a lot of skin in that game.

[bobcat]

Bobcat!!
Seems most folks on this side of the state would like to send you guy's some!!   

I'm sure they do but we have no use for them.

So well let you have them all.   

[bearpaw]

When the people of Idaho really started getting more control over wolves is when they elected for governor the man who said "I want to notch the first wolf tag in Idaho", not too long after his election and the elction of numerous "openly opposed to wolves" state legislators, several heads rolled in the top ashelon of Idaho F&G. The people started cleaning out the trash in Idaho F&G.

Currently 100% (myself included) of Washington residents will admit this can not happen here in Washington currently. However, 5 years ago you would not have seen the the solidarity in a group of people as you saw at these wolf meetings. Most people simply don't know the impact wolves can have but when they have seen and experienced the wrath of the wolf attitudes change.

I have seen how wolves have changed the people of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, public sentiment in WA is only scratching the surface of public discontent at this point. As wolves spread through Washington and more people see and suffer the impacts of wolves, more outspoken legislators will be elected. I know that many of you think we will never get relief in Washington, but I disagree, the key is that the wolves will change peoples minds, eventually we will change the laws and eventually we will clean out the trash in WDFW. It's just going to take time for the learning process to occur and people's attitudes to get there, but as WDFW admitted, the wolf population has grown faster than they ever thought possible, this means public discontent will grow faster than they ever thought possible.

Management in WDFW should be on notice, if you continue to force unrealistic wolf numbers and management in Washington and destroy ranchers incomes, the state's big game herds, and local economies, "We the People" will identify which managers are responsible for the mismanagement and we are eventually coming for your job.

[buckfvr]

 



EIther they think we are a bunch of total numbskulls, or they are completely ignorant, or they are outright lieing to us at every turn........which is it ?   We need to purge the political aspect from WDFW.....I support and promote TOTAL house cleaning......start over.

[Ridgeratt]

Bobcat!!
Seems most folks on this side of the state would like to send you guy's some!!   

I'm sure they do but we have no use for them.

So well let you have them all.   

Well if you poll the audience over here seems we don't want them either!!

But the faster you get them the faster the Management goals are reached. Then the faster they can be managed in the state. Just plain truth & logic. 

[boneaddict]

THanks for the update.  I wondered how it went

[CementFinisher]

Management in WDFW should be on notice, if you continue to force unrealistic wolf numbers and management in Washington and destroy ranchers incomes, the state's big game herds, and local economies, "We the People" will identify which managers are responsible for the mismanagement and we are eventually coming for your job.

 

[bearpaw]

THanks for the update.  I wondered how it went