legislation

Commission to decide blaze orange on Sept. 30; hunters needed to testify

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission on Sept. 30 will decide whether blaze orange will be mandatory for Oregon big game rifle hunters and upland bird hunters. The Commission will vote on Sept. 30 in Bend, at the Deschutes County Commission Hearing Room, at 1300 NW Wall Street Suite 200. The Commission meeting is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. The blaze orange subject is one of the first items on the agenda.

We need to have as many hunters there as possible to state their views. Plan on attending the Sept. 30 meeting and make your voice heard.

OHA comments on sage grouse conservation plan

OHA recently sent a letter to ODFW commenting on the Greater Sage Grouse Conservation Assessment and Strategy for Oregon that was issued on July 6. The letter outlined OHA support for the sage grouse conservation guidelines, but also listed a few concerns.

OHA stated in its letter that the plan identified most of the risk factors, but OHA thinks emphasis should be placed on wild horses and burros and wind farm development. The letter also noted that proper management of wild horses and burros has always been a challenge for agencies, but the degradation of sensitive wildlife habitat cannot be ignored.

OHA also pointed out that wind farm development has spread rapidly throughout the state and that the cumulative effects of this development must be considered in the plan.

OHA representative placed on Cottonwood Canyon park planning committee

OHA member Buck Teasley has volunteered to serve on an Oregon Parks and Recreation Department advisory committee that will recommend guidelines for public use of the new Cottonwood Canyon State Park on the John Day River.

The committee met in August to put together proposed plans for the 8,000-acre area acquired from the Western Rivers Conservancy.

OHA has sent letters to OPRD requesting that hunting continue to be allowed on the property as it was under WRC ownership, and we are pleased that an OHA representative will be on the committee to speak on behalf of Oregon hunters.

OHA sends comments on Oregon’s wolf plan

The OHA Board of Directors in July submitted to the Commission comments on the Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management Plan. Here are a few of the comments that were submitted:

1. Expand the area in which wolf removal may occur following a livestock kill. “Adjacent property” is too restrictive. A wolf can be on land very near where the damage is occurring and not be on adjacent property.

2. Caught-in-the-act permit should be changed to be the same as a regular kill permit.

3. There should be a maximum number of landowner agents allowed on one kill permit.

4. Who will verify wolf damage needs to be clarified.

5. The line dividing Oregon into East and West wolf management areas should be changed to coincide with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service line.

6. There should be no relocation of wolves. Wolves causing damage should be eliminated, as they will likely continue to cause problems after moving.

7. All domestic animals, including pets, should be protected from wolves.

8. As stated in the plan, liberalized options for lethal control by livestock producers must be provided.

The second part of the comments submitted by OHA addresses where the management plan is failing. OHA believes that the plan is failing in the following areas:

1. Non-lethal methods are having no impact on livestock depredation.

2. Wolf-livestock conflicts are not being resolved before they result in losses.

3. ODFW wildlife biologists are spending an inordinate amount of time dealing with wolf issues. Each hour they spend on wolves is one hour taken away from important work related to big game and other wildlife species. OHA objects to the use of funds generated by hunting license and tag fees for management of problem wolves at the expense of huntable wildlife species. The Wolf Plan leads us to believe hunter fees will not be used for wolf management. There are no provisions in the plan for the use of hunter fee funds to implement the plan. Other resources, both funding and personnel, must be found to support wolf management.

ODFW may face general-fund cuts

ODFW has formed an External Budget Committee made up of stakeholders that will help develop the ODFW 2011-13 budget. The committee has had two meetings and will not be asked to meet again this year. The office of the Governor has asked ODFW to prepare a budget based with general-fund cuts at the 5 percent, 10 percent and 25 percent levels. This approach provides ODFW with many challenges and provides OHA with many questions such as: if cuts in the general fund do occur at this magnitude, what programs in the Wildlife Division do hunters want to use to backfill the loss of general funds? These questions and others will be answered by OHA throughout the remainder of the budget process.

ODFW to submit concepts for 2011 legislative session

ODFW has developed several draft legislative concepts for the 2011 Legislative Session. Here are four of the legislative concepts for 2011:

Authority to Charge a Penalty for Mandatory Reporting of Harvest and Effort. This concept would give ODFW the authority to charge a penalty fee for those who do not report on hunts that are included in the Mandatory Reporting of Harvest and Effort system. To be eligible to apply for or purchase a tag for the next season, the hunter would need to pay a penalty fee first.
Authority to Issue Free Big Game Tags. This concept would give ODFW the authority to offer extended-season statewide tags for pronghorn antelope, deer or elk as incentives to hunters who comply with the Mandatory Reporting of Harvest and Effort. Initially, one of three tags will be issued to selected hunters who have complied with the reporting requirements.
License Reinstatements. Currently, when licenses are suspended, only the suspension timeframe needs to be met for reinstatement, but all terms do not. This bill concept would add language that the license could not be reinstated until all terms of the license suspension are met.
Habitat Conservation Stamp. This concept would give ODFW the authority to sell a Habitat Conservation Stamp. The stamp would provide matching funds for habitat and species restoration activities identified under the Oregon Conservation Strategy.

OHA stumps for hunting at new Cottonwood Canyon State Park on the lower John Day

The Oregon Hunters Association is asking the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department that its newly acquired land on the lower John Day River that will become the new Cottonwood Canyon State Park remain open to hunting under state ownership.

In part the OHA letter to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department states:

“While considering recreation opportunities within the management plan for the Cottonwood Canyon State Park, we ask that hunting be included as a future use. Along with providing quality opportunities for hunters, hunting plays an important role in the local economy and wildlife management.”

The letter further states that OHA is aware that Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC) has sold one third of the purchased property to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and intends to sell the remainder of the property to that agency within approximately three years. OHA pointed out that WRC currently allows hunting access and has installed kiosks and signs to help facilitate public use. OHA also noted in the letter that WRC has requested that State Parks continue to allow public hunting after the purchase and that State Parks has agreed to this concept.