State helps protect livestock from wolves

[denali]

Capital Press

With the number of wolves increasing in Washington, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife is stepping up efforts to help ranchers protect livestock.

Conservation Northwest of Bellingham also is working to help ranchers and wants to start a program to do so.

Within the past month, Fish and Wildlife helped a producer near Laurier, in the northeast corner of the state, install turbo fladry, electrified flagging and fencing, around a 3-acre calving pen, said Madonna Luers, department spokeswoman in Spokane.

Big red flags were used that have been effective in keeping wolves out of areas in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, Luers said. The rancher had an electrified fence around a 1-acre pen and expanded it to 3 acres. The department paid for the flagging and some of the electrification with funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, she said.

The department will do more as needs arise, particularly in the northeast corner of the state where there are lots of ranches and wolves, Luers said. The department has added four to five personnel dedicated to wolf monitoring, she said.

Steve Pozzanghera, the department's eastern regional director, discussed agency efforts with ranchers in Colville on April 25, she said.

Meanwhile, Conservation Northwest held a workshop the same day in Colville for ranchers to listen to a rancher from Blackfoot, Mont., and a program coordinator from Longview, Alberta, about successful management of wolves in those areas.

"One of our goals is to develop a program but we are far from it," said Jasmine Minbashian, special projects director for Conservation Northwest.

Large cooperatives of ranchers and other parties were formed in Blackfoot and Longview and have used range riders, electric fences and removed carcasses which reduced livestock deaths by 90 percent, Minbashian said.

Conservation Northwest would like develop a similar program in Washington at little or no cost to ranchers, perhaps paid by government grants, she said.

The workshop was a starting point to see if ranchers are interested and let them hear strategies from ranchers dealing with wolves, she said.

"Conflict is inevitable with more wolves but if we can get ahead of it we can reduce it," she said. "Wolves are social and human presence with livestock is one way to get them to learn livestock is not desirable prey."

Flagging, electric fencing and cracker shells (shooting blanks) have been tried in other states with varying degrees of success, said Jack Field, executive vice president of the Washington Cattlemen's Association in Ellensburg.

"The only effective tool is removal (shooting), but the department wants to exhaust all preventative tools before it gets to that and I understand that," Field said.

Ranchers are concerned about potential losses this summer, particularly as they move livestock to higher-elevation ranges, he said.

Fish and Wildlife estimates 10 wolf packs may be living in the state, up from five last year. It has documented three breeding pair and 27 wolves although each breeding pair is believed to have about 14 wolves.

There has only been one confirmed probable livestock loss to a wolf in the state, a calf near Laurier in 2007. Ranchers say there have been others, cattle and sheep, that are unconfirmed.


Turbo fladry is sooo much cooler then fladry     FAIL

[Moose22]

I am be wrong on this but, it sounds like "we" the tax payers are putting up the bill for a bandage fix to satisfy the liberal agenda. Just my opinion.

[humanure]

Seriously? Thats your attitude when the state and F&W step up to help out the livestock owners? How are people suppossed to be helped with such a lack of gratitude and willingness to work together?

[TWG2A]

I am be wrong on this but, it sounds like "we" the tax payers are putting up the bill for a bandage fix to satisfy the liberal agenda. Just my opinion.

Exactly.

Leave it to the liberal beauracracy to come up with a plan like this.

[TWG2A]

Seriously? Thats your attitude when the state and F&W step up to help out the livestock owners? How are people suppossed to be helped with such a lack of gratitude and willingness to work together?

Now there's a good one.  "Gratitude"?  GRATITUDE??? For WHAT? Liberals putting a useless and expensive bandaid on a problem THE liberals created.

And "working together"  Laughable.

No thanks.

[humanure]

Gratitude that people aren't being left pissing in the wind. Gratitude that the state is taking the ranchers concerns and plight seriously and doing something proactive about it.

All you are doing is standing there, arms crossed and bitching, which does no one a *censored* bit of good. This is the situation, there's no need for pissing on the efforts to make it livable for ranchers. I mean, seriously, the wolves will never, EVER... everevereverevereverevereverevereverevereverevereverever... be gone from this state again. Them being something that once was is not going to ever happen again. You are going to have to learn to live with that reality, because that's what the reality of the situation. They are here to stay, but why remain bitter instead of helping to create co-habitation?

You can resort to vigilantism and poaching all you want, fine. That'll just be more of you out of the way while you rot in prison. The White family might have avoided jail time, but that won't happen again. They used up that excuse of being fed up, now that everyone can see that you can't walk away from poaching wolves, I'd be hard pressed to see a judge give any leniency to any future poachers.

And useless? Those fladry lines have been proven time and time again to be very useful at keeping wolves at bay. Thats why the Russians use them for hunting wolves. But hey, a measure that works and helps make things more co-habitable doesn't fit into your bitching speech, so I get why you would purposefully ignore that.

The state is stepping up and doing it's part to prove co-habitation is possible, and all you can do is act like children.

[TWG2A]

Gratitude that people aren't being left pissing in the wind. Gratitude that the state is taking the ranchers concerns and plight seriously and doing something proactive about it.

All you are doing is standing there, arms crossed and bitching, which does no one a *censored* bit of good. This is the situation, there's no need for pissing on the efforts to make it livable for ranchers. I mean, seriously, the wolves will never, EVER... everevereverevereverevereverevereverevereverevereverever... be gone from this state again. Them being something that once was is not going to ever happen again. You are going to have to learn to live with that reality, because that's what the reality of the situation. They are here to stay, but why remain bitter instead of helping to create co-habitation?

You can resort to vigilantism and poaching all you want, fine. That'll just be more of you out of the way while you rot in prison. The White family might have avoided jail time, but that won't happen again. They used up that excuse of being fed up, now that everyone can see that you can't walk away from poaching wolves, I'd be hard pressed to see a judge give any leniency to any future poachers.

And useless? Those fladry lines have been proven time and time again to be very useful at keeping wolves at bay. Thats why the Russians use them for hunting wolves. But hey, a measure that works and helps make things more co-habitable doesn't fit into your bitching speech, so I get why you would purposefully ignore that.

The state is stepping up and doing it's part to prove co-habitation is possible, and all you can do is act like children.

Just because you spew it, doesn't make it so.

You are wrong. but that's ok.  You can blame your ignorance, and go thank a so-called "teacher".

[humanure]

That can be turned around just as easily.

But I ask again, why stay bitter and not help reach co-habitability?

Bucking the tide is only going make the results/odds even worse on your end. The hunting community is only a small special interest group among this states demographic, so i would think it unwise to show such unwillingness to work together. the state stepped up, why not you?

[NWBREW]

Seriously? Thats your attitude when the state and F&W step up to help out the livestock owners? How are people suppossed to be helped with such a lack of gratitude and willingness to work together?

Let the people who want wolves there pay for it. The people who want Deer, elk and moose pay to help keep them. 

I am all for a program to help but I think the people who want them there should bare the majority of the cost of damages.

 The first Bio's said the YNP could sustain 170-190 wolves without impacting Ranching, Hunting, Native species and other business. Where was the "willingness to work together" then. Look where Idaho, Montana, Washington and soon to be Oregon and Utah are at now. 3 breeding pairs....5 breeding pairs.....and now 15 breeding pairs for 3 years.....really? Where is the "willingness to work together"? Cause I haven't seen it. 

And also, while I am giving my opinion, do you think livestock is the only damage a wolf does? If so, why don't you have a talk with all the people who have owned businesses in Montana and Idaho who have lost their livelyhood due to the distruction a 1000 wolves can do? If it was you maybe you would understand how big of an issue the wolf really is.

I'm kinda wondering about the IQ of some on this site.... ....No, your not the only one. 

[humanure]

Well, you can't divide the parties like that. There are PLENTY of hunters, sportsmen and ranchers who do want wolves here. There are also liberals who don't have an opinion on the matter, so you can't say it's the liberal party who completely wants them, either. It's too mixed up to determine demographics that should or shouldn't pay for it. I must say, those who oppose aren't that big of a demographic judging from polls, voting, testimonies, ect. They just happen to be the loudest(just an observation, could be wrong).

All I can see here is, people are just starting to take responsibility for the RISK'S, and there are those who couldn't seem more displeased. It's as if they are saying, "How DARE you prove us wrong on our assumptions of where your priorities are?!". At least they are making an effort to help out the opposing parties, you know? As far as the plight of the hunter's and sportsman, there's not much you can do there. They are not going to corral the ungulates at night and keep them from being hunted. All they can do is monitor the numbers and effects and acting according to the science that was required of them to master to get the job we are paying them to do. They are not going to cater to the hunters nor the tree-huggers. They have a job to do no matter who gets the shorter end of the stick.

And I'm sorry, but I can't accept that they allowed wolves to return simply because 'people wanted them'. Thats rediculous. How would people wanting wolves somehow trump people wanting elk? There's more money in elk, so that theory is... moot. They took in testimonies of people's opinion's, yes. But they based their decisions according to the science, in the end. The wolf management plan does not cater to one side. I've read it a few times, and it seems quite middle of the road, imo.

[NWBREW]

Well, you can't divide the parties like that. There are PLENTY of hunters, sportsmen and ranchers who do want wolves here. There are also liberals who don't have an opinion on the matter, so you can't say it's the liberal party who completely wants them, either. It's too mixed up to determine demographics that should or shouldn't pay for it. I must say, those who oppose aren't that big of a demographic judging from polls, voting, testimonies, ect. They just happen to be the loudest(just an observation, could be wrong).

All I can see here is, people are just starting to take responsibility for the RISK'S, and there are those who couldn't seem more displeased. It's as if they are saying, "How DARE you prove us wrong on our assumptions of where your priorities are?!". At least they are making an effort to help out the opposing parties, you know? As far as the plight of the hunter's and sportsman, there's not much you can do there. They are not going to corral the ungulates at night and keep them from being hunted. All they can do is monitor the numbers and effects and acting according to the science that was required of them to master to get the job we are paying them to do. They are not going to cater to the hunters nor the tree-huggers. They have a job to do no matter who gets the shorter end of the stick.

And I'm sorry, but I can't accept that they allowed wolves to return simply because 'people wanted them'. Thats rediculous. How would people wanting wolves somehow trump people wanting elk? There's more money in elk, so that theory is... moot. They took in testimonies of people's opinion's, yes. But they based their decisions according to the science, in the end. The wolf management plan does not cater to one side. I've read it a few times, and it seems quite middle of the road, imo.

If you read my post there isn't a single mention about liberals.

It is also a smaller portion of people that have to live with the wolf and the damages then those in big cities that do not.

All I want is to manage them....and to stick to the first deal....or the second. You say " As far as the plight of the hunter's and sportsman, there's not much you can do there." Is that "the willingness to work together" you talked about earlier?

The plan does cater to one side?...look at how the plan changes over and over again....just too cater to one side.

The I.Q seems to be falling around here. You can think what you want...everyone has that right. It is obvious that you know not what your talking about. Maybe your username has gone to your head. I have better things to do then to play your stupid game. I do not want any prizes.

[seth30]

Wow, humanmanure must be off his meds again

[BOWHUNTER45]

Grrrrrr...Only one fix for the wolf ...a 140gr BULLET    make that a Boattail bullet 

[TWG2A]

Wow, humanmanure must be off his meds again

Indeed.

I don't even bother trying to explain it to them anymore.  It's like trying to talk with a jacked-up heroin addict about the perils of heroin.

It's just a big, fat waste of time.

They've been brainwashed, and they're beyond hope at this point.

[seth30]

You are correct, and its a shame on how many others are out there as well.