Conservation Northwest updates
Inside Conservation Northwest
View from the Director
Standing in another���s shoes
In the pre-dawn dark of a spring morning, I caught a possum in my chicken
coop. I���m glad nobody was around to see the monster I turned into.
Despite a life-long fascination with both wolves and the wild ecosystems in
which they are essential, I can put myself���including my chicken-defending inner
monster���in the shoes of a rancher suffering wolf depredation.
It is right that we celebrate the return of wolves to Washington and that we
work for their protection and recovery to the extent that they can play their part
in nature���s script. Wolves belong here, and the ecological and social benefits of
their presence are many. I���ve been so fortunate to experience with my kids the
magic of hearing wolves howl in the wild.
But it���s also true that some people, often those who raise livestock, bear a disproportionate cost for the return of wolves. We at Conservation Northwest value
ranchers in part for the wildlife habitat their property provides, and we work
with them to find solutions for wildlife and agriculture. While there���s no place for
people who spread fearful myths of child-snatching mega-wolves or the end of elk
herds, not all horrors are mythical.
About three-quarters of Washingtonians support wolf recovery. I believe that
the public has the right to expect from ranchers:
��� Respect for our values,
��� Acceptance that wildlife belongs to the people and that property ownership (and especially the privilege to graze livestock on public land) comes
with responsibilities to wildlife and other public resources, and
��� A genuine effort to adopt stewardship practices known to reduce the risk
of conflict between wolves and livestock.
The ranchers have a complementary right to expect things from us:
��� Help with new costs of doing business, including learning and employing
new techniques to avoid or minimize predation loss,
��� Understanding that ranching isn���t easy and that the economic margin for
many ranchers is painfully thin, and
��� Respect for the ranchers��� lifestyle and challenges.
Conservation Northwest spoke out in August against the state wildlife agency
deciding to kill wolves in northeast Washington. Not in blanket opposition:
we understand that periodic wolf removal is part of the deal. But in this case we
thought the decision was premature and overly aggressive, based more on political
pressure than the available evidence. But when additional wounded livestock
emerged with telltale wolf marks, we accepted state action in accordance with the
wolf recovery plan.
My sincere hope is that the experience of this incident does not drive us farther
apart, but instead helps stakeholders better understand the roles and expectations
all around as we move into our future of a Washington with wolves.
Mitch Friedman. Photo by Paul Bannick
It is right that we
celebrate the return of
wolves to Washington
and that we work for
their protection and
recovery to the extent
that they can play their
part in nature���s script.
Wolves belong here.
