A hearing in Salem on proposed wolf management bills showed agreement from just about everybody involved on one issue — Oregon ranchers should be compensated for livestock losses.   SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A hearing in Salem on proposed wolf management bills showed agreement from just about everybody involved on one issue — Oregon ranchers should be compensated for livestock losses. But other issues may not be as easy to resolve. About 35 people showed up for the two-hour hearing Wednesday before the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources on five bills backed by the Oregon Cattlemen's Association. In addition to a pair of bills proposing a compensation plan, two other bills would authorize killing wolves — one when they attack livestock and another, without cause. A fifth bill would cut the state's population goal for wolf recovery in half, to four breeding pairs. Ranchers said they need the proposed changes to deal with livestock losses and threats to safety. But conservation groups said the proposals amount to a political end run around the current Oregon wolf management plan. "I am extremely disappointed to have to be here again today to discuss efforts to undermine Oregon's wolf plan and fragile wolf recovery that were proposed, discussed, debated, and soundly rejected in last year's extensive public process,'' Rob Klavins of Oregon Wild told the House committee. Opponents of the proposed management changes said the state should stick to the requirements for both wolf numbers and constraints on killing the animals outlined in the state wolf management plan updated last year. "The vast majority of Oregonians are proud of this compromise plan and the process that was used to create it, and it is important that state legislators defend it,'' said Randy Comeleo, of Corvallis. Suzanne Stone, with Defenders of Wildlife, said coyotes alone kill 10 times more livestock than wolves, while cougars, bears, bad weather, disease and birthing complications also take a toll. But ranchers told lawmakers that wolves are costing them money and peace of mind. Karl Patton, a rancher from Joseph in northeastern Oregon, said he was awakened last March by six wolves in the dark "coming full speed.'' He started shooting until they ran off. Wolves have killed his livestock twice, including two pregnant cows, one of which was carrying twins, he said. "When they were coming at me and the dogs, they were not coming to shake hands,'' Patton said. Ramona Phillips, also of Joseph, said wolves are changing the behavior of livestock and the members of her family. "Now we live the stress of wolf attacks 24/7,'' she said. Wildlife experts already are authorized to kill problem wolves, which can be killed if they are an immediate threat. But conservationists say easing protection for wolves as proposed by the bills could lead to poaching. "It would essentially take us back to the good old days where killing a wolf on sight was OK," Klavins said. "There's no way to prove after the fact that that wolf was, in fact, threatening your cattle or was within 500 feet of a house." Since wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995, the animal populations in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, eastern Washington and eastern Oregon have grown to nearly 1,500. The first wolf crossed into Oregon in 1999. Wildlife managers confirm 39 domestic animals have since been killed by wolves, whose population now totals at least 23. Another hearing by the committee is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday.

By: Don Germaise ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A St. Petersburg boy narrowly escaped an alligator attack because the gator bit his baggy pants instead of his leg, police said. Seventeen-year-old Kendrick Williams was walking home from work Monday night and taking a shortcut near a pond at the Reserve Apartments in south St. Petersburg. "I heard the hiss and then I looked down and I seen the alligator on the ground," said Williams. "I ran. I didn't look back." Williams said the alligator appeared to be six to seven feet long. However, one witness told St. Petersburg police the gator was 10 feet long, said police spokesman Mike Puetz. The gator took a bite out of Williams' baggy pants, tearing large holes in the fabric. Williams' mom thinks the pants might have saved her son's life. "That was the advantage of wearing baggy pants that day," said Tanita Murray. "It's dangerous. If a toddler had been standing there, it (the alligator) would have bit his neck or head." Wildlife officers told St. Petersburg police there are so many gators in the pond at the Reserve Apartments, they couldn't determine which one tried to bite Williams. The apartment complex would not let a reporter on the property to ask managers about the problem.

Authorities have shot a mountain lion that was wandering around a residential Redwood City neighborhood.   REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) — Authorities have shot a mountain lion that was wandering around a residential Redwood City neighborhood. State Department of Fish and Game Lt. Todd Ajari says a warden with the agency hit the animal with two rifle shots around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in the backyard of a home. Authorities concluded that trying to tranquilize the animal was too risky. Ajari said it could have become angry and escaped into the community. The animal was first spotted about three hours earlier on a busy street near Sequoia Hospital. The sighting prompted authorities to ask the residents of about 600 homes to evacuate or stay inside. A house-by-house search led them to the animal. Officials say the mountain lion weighed between 100 and 150 pounds. It's not clear how it got into the neighborhood, which is not near any open space.

Missouri conservation officials have confirmed that a tuft of hair found on a fence in southwest Missouri came from a mountain lion.   WEST PLAINS, Mo. (AP) — Missouri conservation officials have confirmed that a tuft of hair found on a fence in southwest Missouri came from a mountain lion. Conservation resource scientist Jeff Beringer says DNA from the hair showed it belonged to a mountain lion. The hair was found March 9 on a fence near the Oregon County town of Rover. The Missouri Conservation Department says a resident said he saw a mountain lion get its hind leg caught in the fence before escaping. The Carthage Press reported Tuesday that the hair will be sent to a genetics lab in Montana to try and determine the cat's origin. This is the sixth verified mountain lion sighting in Missouri since late November. Beringer says the conservation has no evidence that a breeding population is living in Missouri.

State wildlife officials say a six-month effort to remove wolves considered dangerous has succeeded, with 10 of the animals killed in the Anchorage area. ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — State wildlife officials say a six-month effort to remove wolves considered dangerous has succeeded, with 10 of the animals killed in the Anchorage area. Mark Burch of the Alaska Fish and Game Department estimated that four wolves remain in the area, after one died in a collision with a car that was not connected to the predator-control effort. "We believe we've mitigated the risk,'' Burch told the Anchorage Daily News. "We're not trying to eradicate wolves. We're trying to reduce the risk.'' Fish and Game officials and wildlife officers said the control efforts are necessary because of a pattern of increasingly bold wolf behavior. Last November, a man walking his dogs on base was briefly surrounded by four wolves. The predators also treed two female runners with a dog for about two hours nearly a year ago. "It's not common for wolves to become aggressive toward people, but when they do, it's a public safety issue,'' Burch said. "While wolf attacks on humans are rare, this lack of fear and aggression is the kind of behavior seen by wolves that have attacked people in the past — so we are doing what we can to minimize the risks.'' Others think the fears are overblown. Gary Gustafson, chairman of Chugach State Park Citizens' Advisory Board, has criticized the fish and game department for nearly wiping out the wolf population in a portion of the half-million-acre park. "I'm not a biologist in any way, shape or form,'' Gustafson said. "But what's troublesome to us is that the department has decided one size fits all and that the plan is to exterminate all wolves.'' Pete Panarese, another member of the board and a former state parks deputy director, agreed. "If somebody sees a wolf and it just looks at them and doesn't run away, is that grounds to shoot the wolf?'' he asked. "Sometimes wolves, when they show up, they're checking something out to see if it will go away. "They're predators, looking at you to see what you're going to do. A very small number of them keep pushing the envelope.'' Food, trash, unsecured dog food and habitation to humans tends to draw them in, Panarese added. Burch said that though the winter-long control effort is over, Fish and Game employees can still kill wolves they deem dangerous. "It's the same judgment that's involved with dealing with moose, bears and wolves on a daily basis,'' he said. "The public accepts the judgment of professionals on matters like this that involve public safety.'' State wildlife officials say a six-month effort to remove wolves considered dangerous has succeeded, with 10 of the animals killed in the Anchorage area.   ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — State wildlife officials say a six-month effort to remove wolves considered dangerous has succeeded, with 10 of the animals killed in the Anchorage area. Mark Burch of the Alaska Fish and Game Department estimated that four wolves remain in the area, after one died in a collision with a car that was not connected to the predator-control effort. "We believe we've mitigated the risk,'' Burch told the Anchorage Daily News. "We're not trying to eradicate wolves. We're trying to reduce the risk.'' Fish and Game officials and wildlife officers said the control efforts are necessary because of a pattern of increasingly bold wolf behavior. Last November, a man walking his dogs on base was briefly surrounded by four wolves. The predators also treed two female runners with a dog for about two hours nearly a year ago. "It's not common for wolves to become aggressive toward people, but when they do, it's a public safety issue,'' Burch said. "While wolf attacks on humans are rare, this lack of fear and aggression is the kind of behavior seen by wolves that have attacked people in the past — so we are doing what we can to minimize the risks.'' Others think the fears are overblown. Gary Gustafson, chairman of Chugach State Park Citizens' Advisory Board, has criticized the fish and game department for nearly wiping out the wolf population in a portion of the half-million-acre park. "I'm not a biologist in any way, shape or form,'' Gustafson said. "But what's troublesome to us is that the department has decided one size fits all and that the plan is to exterminate all wolves.'' Pete Panarese, another member of the board and a former state parks deputy director, agreed. "If somebody sees a wolf and it just looks at them and doesn't run away, is that grounds to shoot the wolf?'' he asked. "Sometimes wolves, when they show up, they're checking something out to see if it will go away. "They're predators, looking at you to see what you're going to do. A very small number of them keep pushing the envelope.'' Food, trash, unsecured dog food and habitation to humans tends to draw them in, Panarese added. Burch said that though the winter-long control effort is over, Fish and Game employees can still kill wolves they deem dangerous. "It's the same judgment that's involved with dealing with moose, bears and wolves on a daily basis,'' he said. "The public accepts the judgment of professionals on matters like this that involve public safety.''

Federal officials on Monday signaled their preliminary support for a plan to kill gray wolves in western Montana that have preyed on big game herds along the Idaho border.   BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Federal officials on Monday signaled their preliminary support for a plan to kill gray wolves in western Montana that have preyed on big game herds along the Idaho border. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a draft environmental review of a Montana proposal to kill 18 of an estimated 30 wolves along the West Fork of the Bitterroot River. That would include the elimination of between one and three packs in the area. A similar petition from Idaho remains pending. Wildlife advocates have challenged the states' plans in court. A proposed settlement in a related case would lift federal protections for wolves and render the challenge moot. A final decision will follow a 14-day public comment period, said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Shawn Sartorius. He did not have any further timeline for action. "On the face of it, it appears to meet the requirements we made,'' Sartorius said of Montana's plan. However, he added that officials could alter their initial inclination to approve the plan based on the public comments received. Montana wildlife officials say elk populations along the West Fork have suffered due to increasing wolf numbers. Other measures to boost elk numbers have not worked, including more hunting of other predators such as black bears and mountain lions, habitat improvements and changes in elk hunting harvest limits. An estimated 764 elk live in the area where wolves would be targeted. That compares with a population objective of 1,600 to 2,400 of the game animals, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. "We want to be able to keep things in balance and, from what we can see, the only way to get there is to start managing wolves,'' said agency spokesman Ron Aasheim. Wolves have also been blamed for declining elk herds in other parts of the state, particularly around Yellowstone National Park. Aasheim said there are no current plans to submit additional petitions to kill wolves in those areas — but added that could change depending on the outcome of the proposed settlement. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in Missoula has been asked to approve the deal. Molloy has rejected prior attempts to lift protections for wolves. Four wildlife advocacy groups have objected to the settlement, saying it would put the animals at risk of widespread extermination.

Facing mounting pressure from lawmakers over gray wolves, wildlife advocates reached an agreement with the Obama administration Friday to lift protections for the species in Montana and Idaho and allow hunting.   BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Facing mounting pressure from lawmakers over gray wolves, wildlife advocates reached an agreement with the Obama administration Friday to lift protections for the species in Montana and Idaho and allow hunting. The settlement agreement — opposed by some environmentalists — is intended to resolve years of litigation that has kept wolves in the Northern Rockies shielded by the Endangered Species Act even as the population expanded dramatically. It also is meant to pre-empt action by Congress, where Western Republicans are leading efforts to strip wolves of their protections nationwide. "For too long, wolf management in this country has been caught up in controversy and litigation instead of rooted in science, where it belongs. This proposed settlement provides a path forward,'' said Deputy Interior Secretary David Hayes. Court documents detailing the proposed agreement between the U.S. Department of Interior and ten conservation groups were filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Montana. If approved by a federal judge, the deal would keep the species on the endangered list at least temporarily in four states where they are considered most vulnerable: Wyoming, Oregon, Washington and Utah. And it calls for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to set up a scientific panel to re-examine wolf recovery goals calling for a minimum 300 wolves in the region _ a population size wildlife advocates criticize as inadequate. Supporters of the settlement hope that process will accelerate wolf recovery efforts in Washington and Oregon, where populations are just beginning to take hold. Wolves last century were exterminated across most of the lower 48 states. By the end of 2010, there were an estimated 1,651 wolves in the Northern Rockies following a 15-year, $30 million federal restoration effort. That program has stirred deep antipathy toward the predators among western ranchers and hunters, who are angry over livestock attacks and a recent decline in some elk herds. Court rulings blocked prior efforts by the Bush and Obama administrations to lift protections for the species. With Congress now threatening to intervene, the 10 national and local groups involved in Friday's settlement said they wanted to head off what they regard as precedent-setting legislation. They fear pending bills to delist wolves would broadly undermine the Endangered Species Act, with ramifications for imperiled fish, animals and plants nationwide. "Both the Fish and Wildlife Service and ourselves were in the middle of a political firestorm that all parties wanted to resolve,'' said Kieran Suckling of the Center for Biological Diversity, which signed onto the settlement. "The nature of a settlement is you can't get everything you want.'' Four groups that had been co-plaintiffs in the case did not agree to the settlement. That will complicate efforts to garner approval from U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in Missoula. Attorneys for Earthjustice previously represented most of the plaintiffs in the case. They withdrew this week citing "ethical obligations,'' but three of the four groups opposed to Friday's agreement already have brought on new attorneys. Western Watersheds Project executive director John Marvel said the groups agreed to the settlement "should be ashamed'' to give up the fight on wolves in the face of threats from Congress. "What we've seen is a series of politically-motivated decisions that have clearly violated the law in order to achieve a political end, and this proposed settlement is no different than that,'' he said, adding that his group will ask Molloy to reject the deal. Support from Molloy is crucial. He is being asked essentially to reverse a ruling he issued last summer that reinstated wolf protections in Idaho and Montana. Molloy is slated to become a senior judge in August, meaning another judge eventually would be appointed to take over his duties. But his office said Friday he will continue to carry a full caseload for now. Some Republican lawmakers dismissed the settlement as insufficient. Wyoming Rep. Cynthia Lummis, whose state was carved out of the deal, referred to it as "a wolf in sheep's clothing'' and said there was no guarantee the lawsuits would stop. In Montana, Gov. Brian Schweitzer said wolf hunting could begin as soon as this fall if the settlement holds. Schweitzer last month had encouraged Montana residents to shoot wolves illegally if they attack livestock. He also said state officials were going to start eliminating any packs involved in such attacks — a prospect that wildlife officials warned could drive the population to unsustainable levels. He said Friday the comments were meant to "nudge'' the issue toward a settlement. "Sometimes you get the crosshairs of the scope on something and it gets attention,'' he said. Almost 1,300 wolves were tallied in Montana and Idaho in recent counts by state, federal and tribal biologists. The population reached the original federal recovery goal a decade ago but many of the groups involved in Friday's settlement had long maintained that those goals were too modest. Wolves in Wyoming also are considered biologically recovered. They have been kept on the endangered list because of concern over a state law that allows them to be shot on sight across most of the state. The federal government announced earlier this week that it was resuming negotiations with Wyoming. About 40 wolves have moved into Oregon and Washington over the past several years. Suckling said the settlement agreement lays the groundwork to for more wolves in those states and beyond, by protecting them through their anticipated expansion. "In 15, 20 years you could have 1,000 wolves in those states. Then you're going to start to see wolves in Nevada, Utah, California,'' he said. "We could really repopulate the West.''

An Oregon county has approved a compensation fund for ranchers who lose livestock to wolves in the northeastern corner of the state, next to Idaho and Washington.   ENTERPRISE, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon county has approved a compensation fund for ranchers who lose livestock to wolves in the northeastern corner of the state, next to Idaho and Washington. The Community Alliance Livestock Fund, or CALF, was approved unanimously on Monday by Wallowa County commissioners, who hope it can serve as a statewide model for Oregon, The East Oregonian newspaper in Pendleton reported. The fund was proposed to commissioners last June by Dennis Sheehy, a rancher who grazes cattle in the heart of the Imnaha wolf pack's territory in northeastern Oregon. CALF will begin as a community-based program accepting donations from individuals, businesses and nonprofits, but the long-term goal is to receive state and, or, federal funding, either through U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife or possibly through the federal farm bill, said Rod Childers, wolf committee chairman for the Oregon Cattlemen's Association. Without a statewide plan, Oregon cannot receive federal funds for compensation — as Idaho and Montana do, Childers said. The 2011 grazing season will be run as a pilot, he said. Compensation won't be given out until after the 2012 season. However, Defenders of Wildlife will be compensating on cattle losses confirmed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife to be caused by wolves through Sept. 30. Board of Commissioners Chairman Mike Hayward said there may be problems with a compensation program based on the honor system. Childers agreed and said, "We are looking at ways to handle verification. It is the biggest challenge.'' Commissioner Susan Roberts said she understands the challenges. "We all know it isn't going to be perfect out of the box,'' she said. One measure that will help, Roberts said, is that a producer must be signed up for the program in order to receive potential compensation. "Part of that is having someone verify your counts,'' she said. Wallowa Stockgrowers President Todd Nash said he and others have discussed different ways to make verification more uniform. One idea was to pay the brand inspector $2 more per head of cattle to help with counts, but that just adds more cost. "Every time we try to help ourselves it seems it costs more money,'' Nash said. He also said he worries that the compensation plan may send out the wrong message about the cattlemen's attitude toward wolves. "The plan makes it seem like we think it's OK to have wolves, but the stockgrowers voted to do it to get compensation and to provide education on hard numbers of losses,'' Nash said. Oregon State University Extension Agent John Williams said some ranches heavily affected by wolves in Idaho estimate a loss of $268 per head, which includes body score loss, wounding and increased staff time necessary to protect herds.

Alaska wildlife officials said Tuesday they were appalled the federal government rejected their plan to kill wolves to protect caribou on a remote Aleutian Island. ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska wildlife officials said Tuesday they were appalled the federal government rejected their plan to kill wolves to protect caribou on a remote Aleutian Island. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced this week it would not sign off on the state killing seven wolves in the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge on Unimak Island. The decision ignores subsistence needs of Alaskans who live on the island and conflicts with sound wildlife management policies aimed at preserving a rapidly declining caribou herd on Unimak Island, Alaska officials said in a statement. "If action is not taken soon, hunting will remain closed for years,'' said Bruce Dale, an Alaska Department of Fish and Game regional supervisor. "Moreover, there is the real possibility of losing not only this caribou herd, but also the wolf population, which depends on the caribou to survive.'' Service officials said predator control showed potential to improve future subsistence opportunities but would have negative effects on natural diversity and wilderness character of the island. The dispute has been simmering since last year. State officials said in May they would move ahead with plans to kill wolves inside the refuge. The Fish and Wildlife Service said doing so would be considered trespass. Unimak Island is the largest in the Aleutians chain and the closest island to the Alaska Peninsula. It is home to the village of False Pass, which has a population of 41. The Unimak caribou herd has declined from 1,200 animals in 2002 to about 300 in 2010. Only about 20 were bulls. Hunting has been prohibited, and the state concluded wolf predation on calves has impeded the herd's recovery. State wildlife officials floated a plan to kill seven wolves on caribou calving grounds, using airplanes and helicopters to spot or selectively shoot wolves preying on caribou calves. Part of the plan also was to possibly move bull caribou to the island to supplement the herd. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last year said it was required by federal law to do an environmental assessment of the state's plan to kill wolves. The state contended the herd needed help sooner. A federal judge sided with the Fish and Wildlife Service. In its announcement Monday, the Fish and Wildlife Service said the herd has fluctuated considerably over the past century, from a high of 7,000 in 1925 to near-zero in the 1950s. Hunting was suspended in 2009. The service's Alaska Regional Director Geoffrey Haskett said the agency recognizes predator control as a valid wildlife management tool in support of subsistence when appropriate. "However, in this case our analysis did not support such a decision,'' he said. The service in December prepared its environmental assessment and received 95,000 comments through Jan. 31. Spokesman Bruce Woods said comments prompted a close review of policies and refuge regulations. Permits remain in place for the state to move in caribou bulls from the Southern Alaska Peninsula, which could lower the cow-bull ratio from the current worrisome 20:1, he said. "Even a small number could mean a significant increase,'' Woods said. The state also has permits to monitor cows and calves with radio collars, which could nail down whether wolves are the main problem for the herd coming back. "We don't even have any solid population figures of wolves or bears on the island,'' Woods said. State officials said statutes require the department to manage for consumptive use by people. Subsistence hunters, they said, have few alternate sources of red meat. Corey Rossi, the state's Division of Wildlife conservation director, said the decision hampers the state's ability to manage wildlife held in trust by the state but happen to be on federal land. "We have an obligation to our citizens to restore this valuable subsistence resource in spite of the lack of federal support,'' he said.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — The "ghost cat'' is just that. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday declared the eastern cougar to be extinct, confirming a widely held belief among wildlife biologists that native populations of the big cat were wiped out by man a century ago. After a lengthy review, federal officials concluded there are no breeding populations of cougars — also known as pumas, panthers, mountain lions and catamounts — in the eastern United States. Researchers believe the eastern cougar subspecies has probably been extinct since the 1930s. Wednesday's declaration paves the way for the eastern cougar to be removed from the endangered species list, where it was placed in 1973. The agency's decision to declare the eastern cougar extinct does not affect the status of the Florida panther, another endangered wildcat. Some cougar enthusiasts have long insisted there's a small breeding population of eastern cougars, saying the secretive cats have simply eluded detection — hence the "ghost cat'' moniker. The wildlife service said Wednesday it confirmed 108 sightings between 1900 and 2010, but that these animals either escaped or were released from captivity, or migrated from western states to the Midwest. ``The Fish and Wildlife Service fully believes that some people have seen cougars, and that was an important part of the review that we did,'' said Mark McCollough, a Fish and Wildlife Service biologist who led the eastern cougar review. "We went on to evaluate where these animals would be coming from.'' A breeding population of eastern cougars would almost certainly have left evidence of its existence, he said. Cats would have been hit by cars or caught in traps, left tracks in the snow or turned up on any of the hundreds of thousands of trail cameras that dot Eastern forests. But researchers have come up empty. The private Eastern Cougar Foundation, for example, spent a decade looking for evidence. Finding none, it changed its name to the Cougar Rewilding Foundation last year and shifted its focus from confirming sightings to advocating for the restoration of the big cat to its pre-colonial habitat. The wildlife service said it has no authority under the Endangered Species Act to reintroduce the mountain lion to the East. Once widely dispersed throughout the eastern United States, the mountain lion was all but wiped out by the turn of the last century. Cougars were killed in vast numbers, and states even held bounties. A nearly catastrophic decline in white-tailed deer — the main prey of mountain lions — also contributed to the species' extirpation. McCollough said the last wild cougar was believed to have been killed in Maine in 1938. "If there were cougars surviving in the wild, or had somehow survived since European contact, there would be a lot of sign of those animals, a lot of evidence they are present,'' McCollough said. The wildlife service treated the eastern cougar as a distinct subspecies, even though some biologists now believe it is genetically the same as its western brethren, which is increasing in number and extending its range. Some experts believe that mountain lions will eventually make their way back East. The loss of a top-level predator like the cougar has had ecological consequences, including an explosion in the deer population and a corresponding decline in the health of Eastern forests.