As I sit down to ponder the plethora of wolf information I have gathered over the past few weeks my mind keeps wandering back to one thought-is its bark bigger than its bite?
I came to the conclusion that in some sense it is. That sense is the fact that the environmental and animal rights factions has the ear of the public and boy are they making a lot of noise. From naming the wayward wolf in Southern Oregon to romantasizing the ecotourism centered around them to offset economic losses in the community, the wolf is being applauded by those factions as a great addition to the area. While in reality ranchers continue to watch not only their livelihood be affected but the overall mental and physical health of the very herds they have been entrusted to care for and protect.
Although I have seen some great print stories throughout the past few weeks, I have to say one of the most moving pieces of media I have found so far is the one produced by the Wallowa Valley Online at http://wallowavalleyonline.com/wvo/?p=10041 .
With this said, it is truly our time to step up and call the environmental factions bluff. We need to ultimately decide whether their bark is bigger than their bite? Check out this video and you decide what role you want to play in this game. Either pass it on or delete it, the decision is yours.
Oregon Sheep Connection 
I support Ranchers, cattle, elk, outdoor enthusiast, private property rights, and a person’s God given right to enjoy the opportunities to make a living off the land, recreate on the land, harvest the produce of the land, and be good stewards of what we have been given. It isn’t right to cause harm by introducing a species at the expense of other species that are in place. Not only is it wrong, it is criminal
Cathy,
It has been an interesting journey for everyone as the wolves have been reintroduced. My heart goes out to the ranchers that have to deal with the wolf issues day in and day out. It must be extremely frustrating and exhausting because they are not only fighting the predator but also the environmental movement which I think is ultimately a bigger challenge.
With that said, the goal of the Oregon Sheep Connection is to try to promote the Oregon Sheep Industry as well as bring everyone together to empower all of the shepherds. By uniting and standing together we can ultimately stand up to some of the strains being forced upon us.
Social media offers a quick and inexpensive way to counteract the voice of the other folks with cold hard facts. In addition we can put a name and face behind the families of our industry. Supporters can help by passing on information and helping to educate the public. I thought this video did a nice job presenting the rancher’s point of view.
Thank you for taking time to stop by Oregon Sheep Connection.
KJ
If the Environmentalists REALLY want “Balance” they will Seriously consider the Population Management and Control of the Wolf Numbers !! The wolves have caused irreversible dammage in many areas in Idaho, There are no longer enough numbers of elk to achieve a good repopulation because of the now dangerously low genetic pool, without genetic diversity these herds just simply will NOT come back to sustainable numbers. As it is now the Wolves are so overpopulated that I fear the State of Idaho will NOT catch up, they will NOT be able to kill as many as they need to with just hunters right now, they were not allowed to manage them when they needed to and now it IS too late !! The dammage to the herds is done. I hope Oregon does NOT allow this to happen !! But fear we with any common sense are completely outnumbered by those with a hopless romatic Mystic view of the Monsters they are opening they’re doors for…
Mitch,
I agree with your theory regarding getting an early start on managing numbers. It will be interesting to see how they handle this issue in Oregon and if they learn from their counterparts in Idaho and Montana.
One of the reasons I chose to put this video on my blog is that I thought it was one way to get our message out. I think there are a number of people out there that feel the same way as you do. Hopefully we can use the power of social media to get our side of the story out to the public.
Thanks for taking time to stop by the Oregon Sheep Connection site and air your views.
KJ
Yes, all of us need to find our voice in this costly issue. For the sake of many. Thank you for your views