Wolf advisory group to meet in Ellensburg this week

[denali]

The statewide Wolf Advisory Group will conduct two days of meetings Wednesday and Thursday at Central Washington University’s Student Union and Recreation Center Building, Room 135, according to a state notice.

The meetings are open to the public, and the group will allow public comments at 2:30 p.m. Thursday. The group was put together by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The committee is made up of representatives of a variety interest groups concerned about the state’s growing gray wolf population, and examines issues surrounding the populations and recommends policy directions the state might take concerning the wolves.

The Wednesday session runs from noon to 5:30 p.m. and includes an update on the status and concerns related to the state’s wolf packs, a time for questions and answers, and identifying large-scale threats to some people’s way of life from the growing population of wolves.

Group members also will discuss how to create mutually beneficial preventative plans for individual livestock producers to reduce wolf-livestock conflicts.

The Thursday meeting runs 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and continues discussion on preventative plans for individual livestock producers.

For more information, contact Donny Martorello, wolf policy lead, WDFW, 360-902-2521 or email donny.martorello@dfw.wa.gov.

http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/members/wolf-advisory-group-to-meet-in-ellensburg-this-week/article_87644828-6624-11e5-a846-675039973b0b.html

[CAMPMEAT]

I've noticed this meeting is all over the news too....

[wolfbait]

I've noticed this meeting is all over the news too....

More head games from WDF&Wolves, different year, same game.

[2labs]

Is the over paid marrige counselor coming? For that kinda dough she better be mesmerizeing 

[timberfaller]

"Group members also will discuss how to create mutually beneficial preventative plans for individual livestock producers to reduce wolf-livestock conflicts."

Spotted Owl anyone!!??

Same stupidity, Different creature!

[jasnt]

waste of money!!!! 

[PA BEN]

why there and not Colville

[Skyvalhunter]

They are at University because there they will get support for their program of cuddling the wolves thru the younger generation.

[jasnt]

They are at University because there they will get support for their program of cuddling the wolves thru the younger generation.

   

[timberfaller]

  AND the university will get more $$$$$$$$$ for use of their "public" buildings!

Besides, they need someone there WHO can set up and run a sound system

[denali]

A "wolf-friendly beef" label for meat from cattle raised under wolf protection measures and ways to help a rancher who lost a lot of sheep to wolves were discussed by Washington's wolf advisory group.

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — The state’s wolf advisory group continued discussing how to help one of its rancher members who lost more than 300 sheep to wolves last year.

The group also talked, during a Sept. 30 meeting at Central Washington University, about a “wolf-friendly beef” label for meat from cattle raised following wolf protection measures.

In it’s Sept. 3 meeting in Tumwater, the group reached a tentative agreement to help rancher member, Dave Dashiell of Hunter, who estimates he lost more than 300 sheep in July 2014 to the Huckleberry wolf pack in northeastern Washington.

Dashiell was not at the Sept. 30 meeting in Ellensburg, but his brother Stevens County Commissioner Don Dashiell was. He also is a rancher. Don Dashiell said the sheep were worth about $200 apiece, more than $60,000 total.

Unable to find suitable grazing land this year, Dave Dashiell moved his flock to a pasture north of Pasco where he’s spent $10,000 per month on hay. Don Dashiell called it an emergency short-term option that will put his brother out of business in the long-term.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife killed the pack’s breeding female but dropped plans to kill three more wolves in the pack after Dave Dashiell removed the sheep. WDFW also compensated Dashiell for 30 to 40 sheep it confirmed as killed by wolves.

Hancock Timber Resource Group offered Dave Dashiell land unsuitable for grazing but didn’t want his sheep back on the land it leased to Dashiell where the slaughter occurred because it was a “public relations nightmare for Hancock,” Don Dashiell told Capital Press prior to the meeting.

During the meeting, the group discussed trying to help Dave Dashiell find suitable grazing land, hazing methods on wolves and what should be on a checklist of actions prior to killing wolves.

Paula Swedeen, carnivore policy lead in Olympia for Conservation Northwest, suggested helping ranchers by having a label for “wolf-friendly beef” from cattle raised with WDFW wolf protection measures. Dan Paul, state director of The Humane Society of the United States, said as with cage-free eggs, some consumers would be willing to pay more for beef raised with wolf protection measures.

Jack Field, executive vice president of Washington Cattlemen’s Association, said such marketing ideas a long-range and that the group should focus on checklists of ways to mitigate and prevent wolves from killing livestock and of efforts that must be tried before the state kills wolves.

Trent Roussin, WDFW wolf biologist, said summer wildfires made wolf monitoring and tagging difficult. Two adult female wolves were trapped in an area burned in the Carpenter Road fire, he said. One was a healthy 75 pounds despite missing half of a rear leg, he said. It hasn’t been determined if they are part of the Huckleberry Pack or a distinct pack to the north, he said.

Roussin also reported that one of the Teanaway Pack wolves moved into the eastern end of Whatcom County, making it the second confirmed wolf sighting in Western Washington. The other one was a female wolf struck by a vehicle on Interstate 90 near North Bend April 27 after it had been shot in the right rear leg, apparently several weeks earlier.

http://www.capitalpress.com/Washington/20151001/wolf-panel-discusses-wolf-friendly-beef#.Vg1jpxNS3nI.facebook


WOW !!   

[MuleDeer]

why there and not Colville

The WAG does not meet in Colville.  It meets in a rotation between Spokane, Ellensburg, and Olympia, for travel reasons.  Those decisions were made by all on the WAG, to ensure the most people could attend any given meeting.
The WAG did, however, take a tour of a couple of livestock producers in NE WA back in May, to better understand the operations, challenges, and solutions those producers have put into place.

[Bango skank]

Wolf friendly beef?   

[MuleDeer]

A "wolf-friendly beef" label for meat from cattle raised under wolf protection measures and ways to help a rancher who lost a lot of sheep to wolves were discussed by Washington's wolf advisory group.

http://www.capitalpress.com/Washington/20151001/wolf-panel-discusses-wolf-friendly-beef#.Vg1jpxNS3nI.facebook


WOW !!   

That idea was brought up, and very quickly dismissed, due to the MANY issues that would keep it from being possible right now.  Funny how one brief discussion can make up the majority of his article when it was never even considered as an option.  Even more funny that you guys are trusting the Capitol Press as your source for accurate, unbiased news.
If you want to know what's going on and then be able to make educated, sensible comments about it, then attend a meeting.  Most of the comments that get made right now by the majority of the forum aren't even worth a response, they are so far off base.
So you know, we have made a lot of progress the last meetings with getting the environmental groups to agree to a clear, undisputable resolution process, which will include lethal measures, and we're doing that to get rid of any possibility of lawsuit because they don't agree with how the plan is written.  They are conceding many ideas that they previously had, and we are going through the protocol line by line until everyone agrees 100% with the process, taking away any grounds for injunction or litigation when it comes time to kill wolves.  And, we are not adding anything into the plan beyond what was initially written...so, we are not giving anything up, while they are, in order to follow the lethal take protocol to the letter.
You guys should remember, the environmental groups are outnumbered 14 to 5, and WDFW is siding with us much more than anyone else.  Attend a meeting, and you won't have to take anyone's word for it, you can see for yourself what's going on in there.
Next meeting, in December, the "hunters" group is making their presentation to the WAG, and showing why hunting and management are so important to us.  We are having a few guest speakers, including Shane Mahoney, and the meetings are in Spokane.  If you want one WAG meeting to attend, this is the one I would recommend.  If you don't know who Shane is, watch some of his speeches on youtube...he's worth the trip over to hear.

[saylean]

Wolf friendly beef?