Northeast Washington needs action on wolves

A northeast Washington legislator Friday laid out for the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee the state of ranching in wolf country. "My folks are at the breaking point right now. I've got people who are not going to continue in the business," said Rep. Joel Kretz, who figures about 90 percent of the state's wolves are in the four counties he represents."We're going to see more family ranches going by the wayside. That might not sound like a big deal to some of you in more urban areas, but it is the base economy in some of these counties," he said. "It doesn't just affect the rancher. It affects every small town up there."Before adjourning, the Democratic-controlled committee voted 11-3 to endorse Kretz's bill directing the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to consider whether it's time to take wolves off the state's endangered species list in the eastern one-third of Washington.