I don't quite understand...

[Yummy and Tasty Animal]

This is the response I received for my e-mail in support of HB 2214.

We just had a hearing on this bill in the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee (AGNR). I left with very mixed feelings on the bill. I feel for my colleagues in eastern Washington who are concerned that they will bear all of the weight of the recovery and that wolf recovery may be deemed achieved with all breeding pairs being located in Eastern Washington and none in Western Washington. That means passage of the bill will then require that wolves be reintroduced in Western Washington before recovery is deemed to be achieved. This guarantees that my constituents will bear the burden of wolf recovery and suffer all of the consequences. I am not sure I can support that…
 
Ed
 
 
Representative Ed Orcutt
18th Legislative District

Um?

[KillBilly]

You e-mailed all the Committee. After the meeting ended yesterday, Ed Orcutt  still had some questions that needed answered. He responded to everyone that e-mailed him, hoping to get clarification... he got lots of answers and even more confused    so he is digging deeper to get the info he needs to make an educated decision on how to vote HB2214.

Don't worry, it really shows we did good by e-mailing them. They came back to us looking for answers.

Good Job

[Bob33]

At least Orcott appears to be paying attention, and seems to care.

Here's a reply that one of my colleagues sent him:


Thanks for your response.  Wolves are moving into, and through, eastern Washington and WDFW has already confirmed four wolf packs.  None of the wolves were "translocated"; a term WDFW uses to identify wolves that are transported for reintroduction by humans. 

Wolves will spread to western Washington.  It is just a matter of time.  What is unfair under the WDFW wolf recovery plan is that ranchers and sportsmen in eastern Washington will bear the entire cost of the wolf "recovery" until natural expansion occurs sufficient to meet the 15 breeding pairs   threshold.   

Because Idaho did not actively manage wolves from the inception, wolves are now consuming approximately 50% as many deer, elk, and moose annually in Idaho as are harvested by hunters.  Even though Idaho now allows wolf hunting, IFG is convinced that hunters will not be able to control wolves to the extent needed so IFG is paying for helicopters, pilots, and paid shooters to reduce wolf numbers to reasonable levels.  $800 to $1,100 per hour plus wages for a pilot and gunner equates to very expensive predator control.

Idaho antlerless hunts for deer and elk have been canceled in many game management areas because there are no longer enough animals, or the surviving females are too stressed, to sustain herd populations.  John Rachael, Idaho Fish and Game (IFG) wolf program manager's prediction is that it will take decades for Idaho's ungulate populations to recover.  Idaho's recovery goal was 10 breeding pairs.  Mr. Rachael believes there are currently about 50 breeding pairs, 100 wolf packs, and between 800 and 1,000 wolves in Idaho.  Wolves are crossing the western Idaho border into Washington and Oregon on a continual basis.

Do we want what has happened in Idaho to happen in Washington?  Waiting until the entire state   is repopulated to begin wolf management is per folly.  The sooner that Washington begins to actively manage wolves, the greater chance we will have to control the damage.  Beginning to manage wolves immediately in eastern Washington will help gauge how effective WDFW's management plan is and what the actual cost of predator management will be. 

Thanks for your consideration and best wishes.