TAPE/#

Speaker

Comments

TAPE 67, A

003

Chair P. Smith

Calls the meeting to order at 9:05 a.m. and opens a work session on the introduction of committee measures.

INTRODUCTION OF COMMITTEE MEASURES – WORK SESSION

006

Rep. Roblan

MOTION:  Moves LC 3618 BE INTRODUCED as a committee bill.

VOTE:  6-0-1

EXCUSED:  1 - Hass

Chair P. Smith

Hearing no objection, declares the motion CARRIED.

012

Chair P. Smith

Closes the work session on the introduction of committee measures and opens a public hearing on HB 3478.

HB 3478 – PUBLIC HEARING

015

Patrick Brennan

Committee Administrator.  Summarizes HB 3478.

027

Rep. John Dallum

House District 59.  Submits prepared testimony for Dennis Reynolds, a Grant County judge (EXHIBIT J).  States that there are already wolves in Grant County and HB 3478 would be a step in the right direction to help them control the wolves.

053

Warren Aney

Oregon Chapter, the Wildlife Society.  Submits and reads prepared testimony in support of HB 3478 (EXHIBIT A).  

087

Aney

Discusses the benefits of HB 3478.

119

Stephen Kafoury

Oregon Chapter, the Wildlife Society. 

123

Rep. Boquist

Inquires if there are portions of HB 3478 that Mr. Aney does or does not support.

128

Aney

Answers that the Oregon Chapter of the Wildlife Society hesitates to take a position.  Comments on how the society views the bill.

144

Rep. Roblan

Comments on the coast and the listings of numbers of salmon for particular streams.  Asks if the wolf that was brought to Idaho is the same wolf that was once indigenous to Oregon.

157

Aney

Answers that the organization has an informational paper on that issue and offers to provide the paper to the committee. 

177

Rep. Burley

Refers to Mr. Aney’s written testimony.  Asks if the Wildlife Society would support downlisting the wolf if the wolf management plan was implemented and the legislation was enacted.

188

Aney

Answers that if the federal government downlisted the wolf then it would turn to the state to determine the status of the wolf within state boundaries.  Discusses the process. 

210

Rep. Burley

Asks if the Wildlife Society would support changing the status to threatened if the plan was implemented.

223

Aney

Answers that he will ask the organization and give Rep. Burley an answer.

240

Phil Hassinger

President, Union County Farm Bureau.  Submits prepared testimony in support of HB 3478 with the changes outlined in the testimony (EXHIBIT B). 

323

Peggy Browne

President, Baker County Farm Bureau.  Submits prepared testimony regarding HB 3478 (EXHIBIT C). 

346

Browne

Tells a story of a woman from Baker County and her experience with wolves. 

373

Browne

Comments that they want to be on the same page as the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), because of how the department affects farmers.

399

Browne

Comments on the problems of verifying what has killed an animal. 

426

Rep. Sumner

Asks how losing a few animals financially impacts a ranch.

436

Browne

Answers that it depends on the size of the herd.  Remarks that on her ranch losing one animal seriously affects the operation, but on other ranches losing one animal would not haveas big of an impact.

TAPE 68, A

025

Doug Breese

Rancher, Prineville; President, Crook/Wheeler County Farm Bureau.  Testifies in support of HB 3478.

093

Coleen MacLeod

Commissioner, Union County.  Submits and reads prepared testimony in opposition to HB 3478 (EXHIBIT D). 

181

Ben Boswell

Member, Wolf Advisory Committee.  Submits prepared testimony regarding the wolf management plan (EXHIBIT E).  States that he does not support the plan as written but he accepts it as a step forward.  Remarks that the legislation being considered is not the same as what was called for in the plan. 

264

Glen Stonebrink

Oregon Cattlemen’s Association.  Submits prepared testimony in opposition to HB 3478 (EXHIBIT F).  Comments on the wolf management plan.

330

Stonebrink

Discusses the problems with the plan and the cost of implementation.  Comments that the plan does not manage wolves, it manages ranchers. Discusses problems with HB 3478.  Talks about what must happen in order for someone to take a wolf, or to scare a wolf off.

TAPE 67, B

043

Stonebrink

Continues discussing the problems with take in HB 3478.

053

Rep. Sumner

Asks for examples of what has happened in other states with wolves.

056

Stonebrink

Discusses the conversations that he has had with people in Minnesota. 

074

Rep. Greg Smith

House District 57.  Comments on the problem with the economy in eastern Oregon and the effect wolves will have.  Remarks that ranching is one of the last surviving industries in eastern Oregon.  Points out that ranchers are honest, hardworking people who do not want to be criminals, but are trying to maintain their business and take care of their families. 

122

Rep. G. Smith

Asks the committee to remember who this bill affects. 

160

Rep. Boquist

States that it is his understanding that HB 3478 is a product from the people that were involved with the Wolf Advisory Committee. 

175

Rep. G. Smith

Comments on a bill that he originally proposed.  States that the attempt in HB 3478 was to sit down with the stakeholders to put a bill together that will work for those most directly involved in this issue and the citizens of Oregon.

182

Rep. Boquist

Comments that during the last two public hearings the committee has heard from eight of the stakeholders that participated in the advisory committee, and not one of the groups agrees with HB 3478 as it is currently written. 

204

Boswell

Responds that the language in the draft bill was not the language in the plan. 

236

Rep. Boquist

Comments that seven or eight of the stakeholders have testified and none of them support the bill as written.

253

Mack Birkmaier

Rancher, Wallowa County.  Submits and reads prepared testimony in opposition to HB 3478 (EXHIBIT G).

326

Birkmaier

Comments on the validity of the wolf management plan.

391

Birkmaier

Testifies in opposition to HB 3478. 

TAPE 68, B

006

Kevin Westfall

Oregon Cattlemen’s Association.  Submits prepared testimony in opposition to HB 3478 (EXHIBIT H).  Discusses the Wolf Advisory Committee and the problems with developing consensuses.  Urges the adoption of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association’s -1 and -2 amendments.

038

Larry Jacobs

President, Oregon Foundation for North American Wild Sheep.  States that his organization acknowledges that wolves will inevitably come to Oregon.  Discusses the importance of the state having a plan in place to manage the wolves. 

089

Jay Ward

Oregon Natural Resources Council (ONRC).  Submits prepared testimony in opposition to HB 3478 (EXHIBIT I).  Discusses the problems the council has with the plan.   

111

Ward

States that HB 3478 does not implement the plan, and weakens the protection to an extent that ONRC cannot support it.  Talks about the changes resulting from the federal court decision.

140

Chair P. Smith

Asks if Mr. Ward supports the wolf conservation plan.

143

Ward

Answers that his organization supports the plan, but believes that      HB 3478 does not implement the plan.

145

Chair P. Smith

Requests clarification whether it is the bill that the Natural Resources Council does not support.

147

Ward

Concurs.

148

Chair P. Smith

Asks how long it would take for Oregon to have 1,400 wolves, the number mentioned by Mr. Ward as an ideal wolf population.

150

Ward

Answers that the research is from a graduate student at Oregon State University, and explains the thesis. 

159

Chair P. Smith

Closes the public hearing on HB 3478 and adjourns the meeting at 10:41 a.m.