Stevens County rancher appointed to Washington Wolf Advisory Group

(The Center Square) – Stevens County rancher Scott Nielsen has been a vocal critic of state wolf management practices, so he admits it was a little surprising to be appointed to the Wolf Advisory Group.

“I will be bringing a much different viewpoint to these meetings about what is playing out on the ground,” he told The Center Square.

Nielsen applied to be member of the panel out of a strongly held belief that Northeast Washington needed greater representation.

“I was encouraged by several people to do this,” he said. “We have been very concerned about the way ranchers have been characterized by the department. Somehow the discussions seem to be more and more about controlling ranchers than wolves.”

The advisory group is comprised of hunters, livestock producers, conservationists and others to encourage a broad range of perspectives. Nielsen plans to bring his experience from observing the aftermath of wolf attacks, and the frustrations of ranchers when interacting with state officials who are reluctant to confirm a kill or injury because that could trigger a hunt.

“I want them to know how much ranchers have gotten out of their comfort zone to make this work, and how badly they’ve been burned for it,” he said.

His first meetings with WAG will be Jan. 4 and 5 in Goldendale.

Nielsen, 59, is a second-generation rancher and president of the Stevens County Cattlemen’s Association, as well as a board member of Cattle Producers of Washington. He is quick to point out that he is not representing either organization with his WAG service. Rather, he is volunteering as a rancher and private citizen.

WAG is tasked with recommending strategies for reducing wolf/livestock conflicts. The group is supposed to encourage livestock producers to take proactive, preventative measures to decrease the risk of loss from wolf predation.

“I really think that most people don’t see how much producers have done to try to comply with the state’s plans,” said Nielsen.

Since wolves were reintroduced into neighboring states and settled in Washington in 2008, the population has grown rapidly. There was a minimum of 206 wolves and 33 packs by late 2021, according to a WDFW report.

Nielsen said what has happened in the northern reaches of Washington is that wolf packs have grown increasingly aggressive. As a result of growing conflicts, some ranchers no longer exercise a deeded right to graze cattle on U.S Forest Service lands despite paying an administrative fee to do so.

Even when cattle are kept in private pastures and the rancher pays extra money for hay to supplement the available forage, wolves follow and the depredations continue, he said.

State policy allows a hunt of packs that kill or injure livestock three times within 30 days or four times within 10 months. The rancher must demonstrate that non-lethal measures failed to work before a wolf can be euthanized.

Nielsen said the state is not playing by its own rules. He said hunts often do not take place in a timely manner, so the pack has moved on by the time state officials arrive on the scene, or they do not take place at all.

Instead, he said more and more of the burden to regulate wolf behavior is being put on the shoulders of ranchers.

He said the state’s management plan requires livestock owners to try two or more non-lethal deterrents, such as fencing, lights and noise devices, before a hunt of problematic wolves will be considered.

However, he said WDFW now demands that ranchers deploy the entire list of potential deterrents before activating a hunt. Ranchers are also expected now to keep a daily log of activities on their private property to demonstrate that the attack occurred despite a human presence.

“If you are a policy person, you don’t want to admit that your policies aren’t working so you portray the problem as something else,” he summarized. “It isn’t for the state to tell ranchers how to run their own operations or expect them to manage wolves.”

Inconsistencies in the state’s efforts have eroded the trust of ranching families in the region enough that many will no longer work with WDFW, he said.

Therefore, WDFW reports that cattle depredations are down isn’t necessarily true, he said.

He has long championed having a “wolf czar” hired as a point of contact for ranchers when there are depredations. Rep. Joel Kretz, R-Wauconda, got the position approved and funded several years ago, but it has never been filled. That would help rebuild trust, said Nielsen.

As it is, he said ranchers are forced to call for backup from veterinarians to get kills and injuries confirmed.

He said the subject of wolves sparks strong emotions from ranchers and conservationists alike. For that reason, he said reforming the state’s management practices to bring balance is a matter of winning “hearts and minds.”

“I think most people are fair and if they knew what was happening here, they would support reasonable change,” he said.

Nielsen and his wife, Carmen, own more than 300 acres of ranch land north of Spokane and have a grown daughter.