Letter to the editor: Invasive wolves

Plain and simple truth is, these wolves that have taken up residency in Oregon are a non-native species and therefore should be treated as such. The wolf native to Oregon was killed off more than 70 years ago, unfortunate but true. Since that time Oregon hunters have footed the majority of the bill to establish and preserve a huntable and sustainable population of big and small game animals. What the oh so wise members of the ODFW have basically done is let an invasive species come in unhindered to mess all those things up, maybe not yet but definitely an impact will be felt in the future.

It is a cute cuddly animal with a taste for whatever flesh it can easily get a hold of. I have read in past posts that the farmers are compensated for lost stock, so no big deal right? Well wolf lovers, where does the money come from that is compensating the ranchers? Guessing not out of your pockets. I pay fees to keep out other invasive species (those not native to Oregon) every year. We want to keep out the Zebra muscle, Northern Pike Minnow, and all sorts of plants, all of which ODFW has deemed dangerous to the environment. Why pick and choose? Well because it is cute and cuddly.

The west side of Oregon should not dictate to those affected in Eastern Oregon how to deal with this issue. We already deal with an exploding cougar population, so hey lets let another predator go unchecked in what is now a fairly decent population of game animals and livestock, great idea. Wolves will impact many things in Oregon.

I personally believe they need to be treated the same as a feral hog, see one shoot one. Not politically correct, too bad. The head of the ODFW needs replaced and the good governor of our state needs to be replaced.

Our state has an uncertain future with this introduction of the Canadian wolf, it would just be nice if politics did not dictate the day and established policies on dealing with invasive species should be followed. And thats my rant for the day.

Chad Rager

Maupin