Stepping It Up: Testifying with the Oregon Wild Ones

by Amanda Ferguson

I recently decided to step up my game as an activist. Each year I’m a little closer to 40, and though I’ve dedicated much of my free time throughout my adult life to volunteer work with shelter dogs, low-cost canine spay/neuter programs, and other animal and humanitarian causes, until recently I knew very little about how to influence legislative and government processes to bring about change. So when I happened upon an invitation to join Oregon Wild Ones’ activist training series, I thought, here’s my chance to step it up a notch. Learn a bit more about how government works. How I, as a citizen, can do more to help animals in ways I never have before.

Like most folks who follow Oregon Wild, I care a lot about wildlife and wilderness in the Pacific Northwest. As an environmentalist, I understand the great value of predators in an ecosystem. As a dog lover, I’ve always been fascinated by my canine companions’ wild ancestors. And being a city dweller who loves to hike, backpack, and explore this amazing corner of our world, even if I am never able to see a wolf in the wild, I want to know that they are thriving in Oregon. So when Wild Ones presented not only the training on how to testify, but also the opportunity to travel to Bend to put that new knowledge to the test, I seized the chance. The ODFW Commission was holding a public hearing to begin the delisting process to remove Oregon Endangered Species Act (OESA) protection for the grey wolf in Oregon, a species with only 77 confirmed individuals in the state. This concept seemed outlandish to me! How could 4 breeding pairs, the number in Oregon that would trigger the delisting process, be considered a “recovered” population of any species? Granted, my background is not in wildlife biology; it’s in editing and publishing peer-reviewed scientific research. So, to prepare for the hearing, I started reading as much as I could in the short period of time until the meeting about wolves, Oregon’s Wolf Management Plan, and the ODFW Commission.

As suggested in the Wild Ones training classes, I first prepared written testimony: one full page with cited references to literature that backs up my key points, and printed enough copies for all of the commissioners. Because I’m no expert on wolves, I framed my testimony from my expertise gained over 13 years working in scholarly publishing: the commission has a responsibility is to make a delisting decision based on the best available science—research that has been subjected to unbiased external review, as is the standard best practice for sound science the world over.

The day before the meeting, several Wild Ones and Oregon Wild staff carpooled down to Bend and met at a brewpub for food and drinks with a larger group of like-minded folks—a great chance for a novice like me get advice from staff and other activists with wolf expertise and experience giving public testimony. We were put up for the night in a staff person’s home, and early in the morning headed out to the commission meeting at the Deschutes National Forest Office.

We put our names on the list to speak and sat patiently through hours of other agenda items. Finally, ODFW wildlife biologist Russ Morgan presented his report, recommending that the commission move forward with the delisting process, and the floor was opened for public testimony. Three at a time, we were called up by Chair Finley to speak our testimonies. I was nervous, but, reminding myself that I am here to do what is in my power to help wolves, I spoke my piece (relying heavily on my notes) within my 3-minute allotment, then sat back in the crowd to listen to the remaining 2 hours  of public testimony. It was heartwarming that, in all, 30 people spoke up for continued protection of wolves under OESA—many quite eloquently with valid and interesting viewpoints, while only 5 were  in favor of delisting.

When all public testimony was given, the commissioners allowed us to stay and listen to their discussion on the issue. I was shocked that, despite the clear majority of public opinion present at the meeting and in previously-submitted public correspondence, the majority opinion of the commission seemed to favor delisting. I thought to myself, what is the point of hearing public testimony, if not for the possibility to influence the decision of the Commission? My heart sank as I listened to each commissioner speak about moving forward with the delisting process—all but one, who raised objections to moving forward with a decision just yet. A glimmer of hope. Chair Finley suggested pushing off a decision to allow for further research and debate. While it didn’t feel like a victory, at least a little time was bought for conservationists to continue to work on behalf of wolf protection.

Afterward, a large group of wolf advocates met up for a beer to reflect on the meeting and talk about next steps before we headed back to Portland. I met some truly fascinating people on this trip. The experience was exciting, challenging, and educational—I look forward to doing it again as I build my repertoire to be a more effective activist.

 

Photo Credits
Wolf photos by ODFW