SALEM — A bill that would allow the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to use aerial hunting as a game management tool was roundly denounced by environmentalists Tuesday and probably will languish in House Ways and Means.

Jacksonville resident Sally Mackler, wildlife chairwoman for the Oregon Sierra Club, and George Hutchinson, a spokesman for the Southern Oregon Forest Coalition, testified before the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.

ODFW wants to use aerial hunting to harvest diseased animals, such as elk afflicted with chronic wasting disease, and for predator control. Included on the agency’s predator list are wolves, now considered an endangered species by the state and federal government.

"Wolves got caught up in this," said Hutchinson. "They never should have." He also questioned why the agency needs this authority now, given the state’s dismal revenue picture.

The Southern Oregon Forest Coalition includes a diverse membership, ranging from the Williams Water Council, the Deer Creek Valley Natural Resources Coalition, and the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Project to area granges and local landowners.

Mackler said the Sierra Club has no quarrel with the use of aircraft to protect wildlife species and the public from the "very real" threats of disease.

"These constitute an emergency, and we feel aerial hunting should be reserved for emergencies only," she said. However, by not defining in statutes what constitutes an emergency, aerial hunting could be used in any number of ways, from shooting coyotes to gunning elk and deer, Mackler contended.

She also cited the potential danger to hikers and other recreationists from wildlife being gunned down from a plane or helicopter. "Aerial hunting is not something that anyone would anticipate or want to be part of their wilderness experience," Mackler said.

An amendment had been prepared defining game management as protecting the public and conducting wildlife research. But Ron Anglin, wildlife manager for ODFW, opposed it.

"The language restricts us to scientific research," he said. "We could not use aircraft for other wildlife management."

Following the hearing, the committee voted to ship the bill to Ways and Means because of potential fiscal implications in hiring helicopters and for liability insurance.

Don Jepsen is a free-lance writer living in Salem.