Howard Gieger A public forum letter in the Eugene Register Guard on 5-6-03, by Brooks Fahy, the Director Predator Defense, raises some questions. Where is this poll that Ms. Fahy writes about? I have never seen a poll that has shown that more than 70% of Oregonians support wolf restoration. Where could a copy the poll results be obtained for review? Also please advise who sponsored the poll? Is it fair that the 14-member advisory committee have more than one member that is a wolf advocate? I feel that if we have to have such a committee, it should be made up of members that will be most affected by this crazy wolf restoration plan. The population in rural Oregon will be impacted far greater than the population of the western Oregon. Wolves feed upon cows, sheep, elk, deer, pets and most importantly people. This impact will last for a years or until the wolf runs out of food then they will then move to a better food source. Then the populations of Portland, Eugene and Salem will then have them in their back yards. I have heard from some people that the wolf only kills the weak and older prey. If you think this is true you had better check on the facts. To make this research easy just get the true facts on what is happening in Yellowstone Park. The elk, deer and sheep herds have been greatly impacted. Some people don’t want to admit that the wolf will kill humans. If you want the truth, just check the history of the wolf. When the wolf kills a human in Oregon, that will be one to many, is it worth that chance? Should the people of rural Oregon have to be faced with such an economic impact? The population on the West Side of the Cascades has taken the lumber production, our water and has closed a large part of our forest in the name of wilderness to only the select few. If the wolf is allowed in the forest without some type of control, game herds and a lot of our outdoors recreation will cease to exhist. I have talked to a lot of people that have stated that they would stop camping and hiking in our forest because of the fear of a hungry wolf. The wolf restoration program will impact the attempt by many of the rural towns who have been trying to develop a tourist-based economy. Rural Oregon rolls out the red carpet to welcome hundreds if not thousands of hunters each year. They spend a great deal of money during their stay, but if there is no game they will not come. Should the rancher and farmer accept the loss of their livestock? The ranchers are the backbone of rural Oregon and work very hard to put food on all our tables. You say you don’t eat meat, well most farmers and ranchers can’t make a living on just one type of production, so if they loose their stock, they will loose their business. My last questions are: WHY DO WE NEED TO RESTORE THE WOLF? Do you want to expose your child, pet or livelihood to a pack of wolfs? If you really want the wolf in Oregon, I guess we could plant a pack in downtown Eugene, Salem or Portland. Just take a look at the cougar population since the western Oregon voters outlawed hunting with dogs. It will be just a matter of time before some child is killed by one of these cats. The records have shown that there have been more attacks since this law was passed than in the past 100 years. Howard Gieger John Day, Oregon |