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MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — State wildlife managers have avoided a lawsuit by temporarily repealing a rule requiring a review every five years to revise and update a plan for black bears.The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife took the action last week on a plan that had not been reviewed since 1998, The Mail Tribune reported.The delay had led to the threat of a lawsuit from the conservation group Big Wildlife.Spencer Lennard, Big Wildlife's program director, criticized the move."I think it's a lame excuse and embarrassing,'' Lennard said. "We needed that legal requirement to make sure they do the right thing. It's the way we and Oregon citizens know they're doing the right thing.''But wildlife officials said they wanted to focus on the plan, not a potential lawsuit.The black bear plan was set for revision in the early 2000s, but the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission shelved the effort in favor of plans for black-tailed deer, cougar and other animals."Clearly, in our minds, it was moot because the deadline was so far past,'' said ODFW Deputy Director Curt Melcher, who signed the order Dec. 29.Wildlife managers last month said revising the bear plan is one of the agency's highest priorities, and its review will include public meetings and the addition of new research from in-house sources and outside entities.Lennard has asked the state to suspend all sport-hunting of bears until the plan is completed, but agency biologists said they have no intention of doing so.Oregon sells about 30,000 bear tags annually, and about 1,700 bears are killed statewide during the spring and fall hunting seasons, according to ODFW statistics.The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission was scheduled to decide Friday whether to keep — or drop — the mandatory five-year review.
