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Commissioner Bob Main will not get my vote

I listened to the recent Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting regarding the beaver trapping ban in the national forests. The intent of the ban was to protect our declining fisheries. Beavers are a “keystone species,” an organism whose pond-creating powers support entire biological communities. In Oregon, a host of threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead runs depend on them.

A growing body of evidence suggests that by creating ponds, storing water, and converting straight streams into multi-threaded ones, beavers expand shelter for young fish and keep creeks well-hydrated. One 1992 study found that two-thirds of Oregon’s coastal coho overwintered in beaver ponds and slack waters. In its coho recovery plan, the National Marine Fisheries Service recommends “encouraging the formation of beaver dams.”

I was surprised to learn our Commissioner Bob Main testified at the ODFW Commission meeting that he wanted to support beaver trapping and was against any rule changes. Under the current rules trappers only have to check their traps every seven days. Seven days in a trap is nothing short of cruel. The same goes for the cyanide poisoning across Oregon.

Commissioner Bob Main will not get my vote this year. He has shown complete disregard to our fish and wildlife.