As Oregon’s wolf population expands, so do the conflicts surrounding it. Ranchers, hunters, tribal representatives and environmental advocates are increasingly divided over livestock losses, elk herds, lethal removals and what the future of wolf management in the state should look like.

Songer stated that he believes arresting someone for killing a wolf when it is attacking or killing livestock to be “a violation of the individual’s Constitutional rights.”

A male wolf that wandered into Klickitat County now has a female companion. Officials say it’s the first wolf pack in the region and may soon become a breeding pair.

The move allows federal agencies to shift management of wolves to state agencies across Columbia River Basin.