Recent Register-Guard stories about wolves — the federal move to lift protections on wolves and the killing of 23 sheep in Curry County — spell out the paradox of wolf preservation: Most Oregonians assume we can have either ranching or wolves, but not both.

This assumption is flawed.

First, according to a recent USDA census of livestock losses, wolf predation is extremely rare. Wolves account for 0.2 percent of all stock losses, and only 4.9 percent of losses to predators. Dogs and coyotes kill ten times as many. Wolves instinctively avoid human habitations and prefer wild game.

Second, wolf restoration is good for business. In Yellowstone, tourists flock to see wild wolves. Wolf-related tourism annually brings $35.5 million to the area, stimulating local businesses and increasing tax revenue in rural communities, without damaging the land as ranching and logging does.

Third, studies show that ecosystems with wolves enjoy greater forest health and water purity and larger fish populations, and an enhanced capacity to purify air and water, control erosion and sequester carbon to help fight global warming.

Tell the state and Governor Brown to develop a strong plan to protect Oregon’s wolves in the face of this federal attack.

Will Watson, Eugene