The Public Trust Doctrine and Wolf-Livestock Conflict Management in Oregon

Abstract

Oregon's Public Trust Doctrine extends to all wildlife species, not just game species. The state often fails to fulfill its fiduciary duties when forming wolf management policy. In particular, wolf-livestock conflict management often favors concentrated private industry profits over the public interest. Oregon extirpated its native wolf population by the mid 1900's. Wolves began to recolonize their former territory in 1999. Livestock producers, who had become accustomed to wolf-free grazing lands, strongly opposed wolf recovery. The wolf delisting process has begun, despite the fact that the statewide wolf population is below 100. Delisting would allow the state to conduct aggressive lethal management of wolves that attack cattle. This article discusses Public Trust violations inherent to lethal management of wolves in response to livestock depredation.