Oregon State University faculty and student researchers have been studying the potential effects of wolves coming back to Oregon. When the first wolf crossed from the experimental reintroduction area in Idaho into Oregon in 1999, she could not have known the political storm that would follow.

Essentially extirpated from the state since the 1930s, wolves were suddenly back. As recently as last week, wolves have been spotted in eastern Oregon, one on Wednesday just north of John Day.

"We continue to get dispersing wolves in Oregon," said Jerry Cordova, gray wolf coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Eventually we will end up with packs.

"This state will have wolves. It's imminent. We suspect that even now we have wild wolves in Oregon."

Beginning in the 1980s, the USFWS began a program of wolf reintroduction in the western United States.

"To achieve that goal, experimental wolf populations were established in central Idaho, Yellowstone National Park, and northwest Montana," said Dr. Fred Obermiller of the OSU Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics. "Oregon is potentially new territory for the Idaho wolves," he said.

In 1995 and 1996, 35 wolves were reintroduced into central Idaho. Since then, the population has grown to an estimated 261 wolves, and biologists expect these animals to seek new territory in eastern Oregon. In the past five years, three wolves have been confirmed in the state, while there have also been over 70 unconfirmed wolf sightings.

The problem is that Oregon was never chosen for part in the gray wolf reintroduction project. According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), "Oregon does not have sufficient contiguous wolf habitat of adequate size to support wolves on a year-round basis without livestock damage problems." Sharon Beck, former president of the Oregon Cattlemen's Association, and conservationist Dr. Reed Noss represent two opposing camps concerning wolf recovery.

"The potential for recovery without extreme conflict is non-existent," Beck said. "Oregon does not have an adequate prey base for the large predators we have now, evidenced by the drop in large game animals since the 'no dogs/no baiting' law was passed for hunting bear and cougar."

However, Noss believes that the potential for wolf recovery is excellent if Oregon closes non-essential roads, compensates livestock owners for animals killed by wolves and bases its recovery plan on the state Endangered Species Act (ESA).

"Wolves and humans can coexist, and in fact they have for many thousands of years," Noss said. "People simply have to learn to respect these animals and to cultivate the generosity of spirit that allows them to survive and prosper."

Beck's point of view is that wolves, which eat about nine pounds of meat a day, are a detriment to their cattle. Conflicts, she believes, will not arise if the ODFW simply eliminates the gray wolf from the endangered species list and follows their policy of removing any wolves coming into the state.

Environmentalists maintain that the negative economic impacts of wolves are relatively trivial and localized.

"Programs that compensate livestock owners for animals lost to wolves are quite affordable and have been applied to other regions," Noss said. "The chief ingredient that is lacking for wolf recovery in Oregon is political will, largely because of pressure from a small minority of special interests, such as the livestock industry."

A difficulty is that in Idaho, wolf populations are classified as 'experimental non-essential,' which means that they are treated as threatened.

Wolves in Oregon, however, are classified as fully endangered under both the Federal and State ESA. This means that killing one is a federal crime carrying a maximum penalty of $100,000 and one year in jail.

Plus, there is very little management flexibility. Since wolves are listed as fully endangered, government agencies have less ability to control those animals that kill livestock.

"The goal of any plan that Oregon creates should be to manage with wolves, not for wolves," said Ben Miller, a junior in fisheries and wildlife management. Miller has testified twice before the ODFW commission about gray wolf law and policy. He is also one of the principle authors of a law and policy review concerning the gray wolf in Oregon.

"The plan should be geared towards effective management and compensation programs, not recovery," Miller said. "By having these tools in place you'll foster a much better acceptance of wolves."

The gray wolf policy paper started in the winter of 2002 as a class project. Under the direction of Obermiller, it was written largely by Miller and Britta Hinrichsen, a junior in environmental science and environmental economic policy and management.

"It's a paper to analyze the relationship between the ESA and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and to determine how economic interest has standing in relation to wolves in Oregon," Hinrichsen said.

"We look at the case history of economic interests under ESA and NEPA and then focus on the history and current status of wolves in the western United States."

Oregon State University has a number of professors and students who are studying wolf-related issues. Dr. Robert Beschta, emeritus professor in the Department of Forestry Engineering, is researching riparian succession patterns with results that may have implications with regard to wolves. Dr. Bill Ripple, a senior researcher in the Department of Forest Resources, has published two papers dealing with the connection between aspen trees, elk, and wolves in Yellowstone National Park.

"Wolves, as a top predator, may play a part in modifying elk browsing patterns," Ripple said. "We found that aspen recruitment ceased during the same years that gray wolves were extirpated from the park in the 1920s.

"Once the wolves were gone, the elk were free to browse among the aspens unhindered.

The ODFW is putting on town-hall meetings across the state. The public is encouraged to voice their opinions on wolves and wolf management in the state.

"The commission has been conducting wolf workshops since April. They get all sorts of experts from around the country to talk to them about everything related to wolves," Miller said.

"They've got ranchers from Idaho, animal damage control professionals, USFWS experts, economists, politicians, environmentalists, wolf biologists, county commissioners, tribal spokesmen, et cetera. It's a wide range of opinions and viewpoints.

Of those interested in wolves all agree on one simple fact: wolves will be in Oregon soon.

"It could be anytime," Cordova said.