Posted on 06/23/2006 11:09:07 AM PDT by girlangler
Wildlife advocates seek environmental analysis of cougar killing 6/22/2006, 4:13 p.m. PT By JEFF BARNARD The Associated Press
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — Wildlife advocates are asking a judge to order federal government hunters to analyze the environmental impact before they start shooting cougars to reduce the Oregon population.
But the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Service has already started work on an environmental analysis, which should be done by the end of the year, said Ron Anglin, head of the wildlife division of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Until then, state wildlife personnel will kill the 60 cougars targeted for removal this year in Jackson, Malheur and Morrow counties under the state's new cougar management plan, he said.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Portland against the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services by the Humane Society of the United States, the Humane Society of Oregon, Big Wildlife, the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, Cascadia Wildlands Project, Umpqua Watersheds, and the Mountain Lion Foundation.
It alleges that Wildlife Services violated the National Environmental Policy Act by agreeing to start killing cougars under the state management plan adopted last April by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission without first doing an environmental analysis or environmental impact statement.
Jonathan Lovvorn of the Humane Society of the Untied States said they would like to see the more detailed and time-consuming environmental impact statement done because ultimately thousands of cougars may be killed under the plan.
Attorney Maryanne Dugan, representing the plaintiffs, said Wildlife Services refused to respond to two different Freedom of Information Act requests on whether it was doing any kind of environmental analysis, and she would wait to see proof of what the agency is doing before deciding whether to withdraw the lawsuit.
Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Hallie Pickhardt said from Washington, D.C., that they had not seen the lawsuit, and could not comment.
Anglin said ODFW met May 31 with Wildlife Services about analyzing the environmental impacts.
The cougar management plan tries to restore the balance of cougars, humans, livestock and game animals that was in place in 1994, when Oregon voters adopted a ban on hound hunting, widely considered the most effective means of killing cougars. Voters reiterated their support for the ban two years later.
The cougar plan calls for holding Oregon's cougar population at or above the 1994 estimate of 3,000 animals. The current estimate is 5,000. It gives the department authority to kill cougars as long as livestock kills and complaints from people exceed 1994 levels, which they now do, and in 66 wildlife management areas where deer, elk and bighorn sheep herds are struggling.
Enviromental impact of hunting cougars ..... ooo I got it, how about less humans being eaten?? cool now pay me the government grants.
The irony of all of it is that wildlife management is funded through small taxes imposed on sporting goods, firearms, state park permits and hunting and fishing licenses.
Also in most western states, there are small assessments on the above items for search and rescue operations. Something like $0.25 each permit.
The people who do the most complaining about wildlife do not purchase hunting or fishing licenses, or sporting goods or anything which contributes to the welfare of wildlife management, but demand a voice over those who do.
I just had a visit with a Search and Rescue leader from central Colorado two days ago who told me that the people that they most frequently have to rescue from the Collegiate Peaks area, do not purchase any of the aforementioned licenses which contribute to Search and Rescue efforts either. However, they expect to be rescued on the other guys dollar.
Interesting, eh?
Having lived in Southern Oregon for 15 years in a rural area, I did not appreciate the fact that mostly city dwellers passed the 1994 ban on hunting cougars with dogs.
If the people that live in the cities had to watch their kids and grandkids every minute they played outside for fear of cougars, they wouldn't have voted that law in.
Concho, I am well aware of who pays for wildlife management and who is responsible for bringing some wildlife nearing extinction back.
The AR freaks don't contribute one dime to the effort. They and the Sierra Clubber type environmentalists actually cause a great deal of harm, constantly filing lawsuits against wildlife managers, taking away time, effort and money that could be used for enhancing wildlife populations.
I'm with you, but then, with you and I, it is preaching to the choir.
Earth to Wildlife Whacko's: do you have any idea how long hunting has been going on without environmental impact studies? I can tell you what the study will conclude: hunting will result in FEWER COUGARS!!
Reminds me of a cougar that was threatening hikers NW of Flagstaff Az. The game & fish dept. were discussing killing the cougar and this tree-hugging lib went on record by saying that she would rather be killed by the cougar than to have it killed.
" . . . this tree-hugging lib went on record by saying that she would rather be killed by the cougar than to have it killed."
What an out of touch with nature freak.
They need to send her to Oregon to become the environmental impact study.
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