Supporters Of Gray Wolves Rally In Portland

Environmental groups held a community meeting in Portland Monday evening, to show opposition to the federal government’s proposal to remove the Gray Wolf from the Endangered Species list.  Congressman Earl Blumenauer spoke to those that gathered outside of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service building.  Sristi Kamal with Defenders of Wildlife, one of the groups organizing the meeting, says she would like to see more wolves statewide.

"We would like to see the wolves continue to recover and disperse throughout the state in Oregon as well as throughout the country, and this is a very premature move from our perspective and that's why we want to make sure that our voices are heard.”

Some conservation groups worry de-listing could lead to trophy hunting or trapping of wolves.  Kamal said those practices aren't allowed in Oregon right now, but that could change.

“With no federal protection, all those terms and conditions such as hunting, trapping or how do we manage wolf populations, all comes down to the wolf plan. So, at least having some sort of federal protection under the Endangered Species Act gives this species a baseline protection that it desperately needs.”

Oregon still is in the process of developing a wolf management plan, which is another reason why Kamal thinks federal protections are important.

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