JOSEPH, Ore. - About a dozen conservation groups are protesting a state agency's decision last month to kill two gray wolves it says were killing livestock. The groups contend there are non-lethal methods to keep wolves and cattle apart, but say neither the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) nor some of the local ranchers are taking them seriously.

Wally Sykes, a wolf advocate and co-founder of Northeast Oregon Ecosystems, says those who have taken steps such as installing a simple type of flagged fencing, known as fladry, have had good results.

"This usually stops wolves. Whereas last year there were quite a few calf deaths in the calving areas, this year there were none. Wherever there was fladry, there was no wolf depredation. That was a big improvement."

The groups say ODFW has granted more kill permits than there are wolves in the state. The permits allow ranchers to shoot wolves if they're caught harming livestock.

Michelle Dennehy, ODFW spokeswoman, says the agency does not intend to revoke the ranchers' permits, and notes that they are only given to people who are also using non-lethal methods to keep cattle safe.

"Ranchers have the right to kill a cougar that's damaging their livestock - or to kill a bear, or to kill a coyote. With wolves, without this permit, they can't do anything to protect their property. And we believe it's important to give them a tool to protect their property."

Sykes, who lives in Wallowa County, says the wolves have added economic value to the area. They keep people employed, not only for wolf-management efforts but as part of a growing facet of tourism.

"Some of the people in the tourist business certainly recognize it. We've got a number of B-and-Bs now offering wolf tours for their guests, and bringing in wolf biologists, and even some ranchers who can talk about it, and people like myself, activists. People really enjoy it."

Dennehy denies rumors swirling in Union and Wallowa Counties that ODFW intends to remove the Imnaha pack.

"We're not intending to kill off the entire pack or stop the viability of this pack because it is very well established. We know a lot about this pack because it has four collars on it. And we want to continue to see it thrive in northeast Oregon. We just don't want to see them killing livestock."

The conservation groups say Oregon wolves have been responsible for 12 cattle deaths since 2009. They are asking that ODFW revoke the kill permits and make wolf recovery its priority. In eastern Oregon, wolves are listed as endangered by state law.


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Today is Earth Day, and one initiative in southern Arizona is helping build public gardens providing beneficial habitat for pollinators, from Monarch butterflies to bees and bats.

Emily Bishton, founder and coordinator of the Arivaca Pollinator Pathway Project, said the human population depends on these animals and insects, as many of our foods and plant-based products require pollination. But human activity and climate change have put pollinators in jeopardy and Bishton wants to increase awareness of how crucial they are.

"The best chance you have for attracting and nurturing pollinators is with the species that they've co-evolved with," Bishton explained. "They will instinctively know that is food for them, or a place they can lay their eggs. They also are more likely to be able to put up with the way our climate is now and the way it is changing."

Bishton pointed out one focus of the project is to get Arizonans to plant more native species like milkweed, which is especially critical for Monarch butterflies. She would also like people to reconsider the use of pesticides since they do kill pests but also other beneficial insects. She suggested contacting a local county extension service or master-gardener program for alternative methods.

Madian Romero, technical assistant supervisor for the Caviglia-Arivaca Library, has been responsible for getting teenagers in the area to participate in the Arivaca Pollinator Pathway Project. They not only help build garden spaces around town but grow their knowledge behind the importance of pollinators, as well as community building.

"The teens, they've come up with ideas on how to fundraise for the projects," Romero emphasized. "Each business that agrees to have a garden, it can be free."

Romero added the project has also been a character-building exercise for the young people of Arivaca, and hopes it is an experience they will cherish.

The state Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State University are looking for volunteers to help create a new Bumble Bee Atlas.

Bees are an important part of the ecosystem, and scientists are figuring out their habitats to help them thrive.

Iowa is home to at least 14 species of bumble bees that help pollinate native wildflowers and flowering crops in farm fields and backyard gardens.

Iowa State University University Professor of Sustainable Agriculture and plant pathologist Matt O'Neal said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently listed several bee species as endangered.

"And that includes the Rusty Patch bumble bee," said O'Neal, "20% of what it used to be, and that includes parts of Iowa. There is also evidence that other bumble species are in decline and so, this survey will give us a chance to see where those bees are and how abundant they are."

With that information, O'Neal said scientists can work to protect the bees' habitats and create Iowa's Bumble Bee Atlas.

It's part of a larger project to map the bees and foster bee development nationwide. Sign up online to volunteer.

The national project is part of a collaboration with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Some 900 people have volunteered for the national atlas project, and counted more than 20,000 bumble bees - which O'Neal said face several major threats.

"Pesticide exposure, parasite and pathogens," said O'Neal, "and then the last 'P,' and probably the most important, is poor forage."

The researchers will work to alleviate those threats by knowing where the bees are.

Volunteers have discovered species thought to be gone from their states, contributed to new field guides, and improved scientists' understanding of bumble bee populations across the country.




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A coalition of conservation groups has sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for refusing to relist wolves under the Endangered Species Act.

Helena-based Alliance for the Wild Rockies is part of the suit. The Alliance sued to successfully overturn the wolf's delisting in 2012 but the move fell victim to congressional funding bill negotiations.

Mike Garrity, executive director of the alliance, said the wolves clearly qualify to be protected under the Act and hunting is driving down their numbers, which could cause problems for the animals.

"As their numbers decline, they are at greater risk for inbreeding," Garrity pointed out. "Once inbreeding sets in, the population is sunk."

Livestock and cattle owners argued wolves are a threat to their flocks and herds and want their numbers reduced. The suit was filed in federal District Court in Missoula.

Beyond keeping a robust population of wolves on Montana's lands and helping their species thrive, Garrity noted wolves can also help reduce the population of diseased animals.

"We're starting to have disease in deer, such as Chronic Wasting Disease," Garrity explained. "Predators like wolves are really good at focusing on the sick animals, so that's an excellent way to control Chronic Wasting Disease."

Garrity added wolf management policies in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, all of which allow aggressive hunting of the animals, fail to protect wolves and all native species for future generations, the primary mandate of the Endangered Species Act.