The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has canceled a series of wolf management-related meetings after online threats of violence toward the agency and public.
The Wolf Advisory Group meetings are part of the department’s steps in planning for when wolves are no longer a state or federally endangered species by developing a post-recovery conservation and management plan.
As Fish and Wildlife started planning the meetings, they worked with local law enforcement knowing wolf issues are usually contentious. That’s when they started seeing Facebook posts threatening violence, including threats focused around agency plans to kill wolves that had attacked cattle. The threats came from both sides of the issue.
Public input is necessary for that process, and while the meetings have been canceled, the process remains open to public comment online through November 1st. The agency will also conduct three virtual open houses scheduled in lieu of in-person meetings.
Wolves have killed and injured a number of cattle this summer, prompting Fish and Wildlife to kill members of two packs, which has led to lawsuits from some environmental and conservation groups. At the same time, some ranchers feel that the department hasn’t responded fast enough to reports of cattle depredations.
Wolves are protected by the state in the eastern third of the state, while they remain federally protected in the western two-thirds.
Under the state’s wolf recovery plan, wolves can be delisted after 15 successful breeding pairs are documented for three consecutive years or after officials document 18 breeding pairs in one year.
Washington has seen its wolf population grow, on average, 30 percent annually since the canines naturally returned to the state in 2008. (Spokesman-Review)
