Pendleton Hosting Gray Wolf Listening Session on April 4

Congressman Bentz (OR-02) is hosting a listening session on the status of the gray wolf in Pendleton this week, on Thursday, April 4.

The listening session will feature members of the ranching community, USDA, USFS, and ODFW. It will be open to the public and held at Pendleton Convention Center, 1601 Westgate, Pendleton OR, 97801 at 2:30pm Pacific.

Last week, Bentz joined other congressmen in sending a letter to the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make a joint statement on the state of delisting the gray wolf as an endangered species, saying that ranchers should not "continue to be hamstrung by unnecessary regulations that over-protect a species that is thriving."

Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04) added:

It is clear that gray wolf populations have recovered and that state and local officials should be empowered to manage their gray wolf populations. As Chairman of the Western Caucus and Co-Chair of the ESA Working Group, I will continue to advocate for greater flexibility to manage the wolves and for reforming the ESA to make the law work better for rural communities and species alike.