Why It Matters: As signatures for Oregon’s Initiative Petition 28 (The PEACE ACT) surpass 126,000 and the measure inches closer to the November 2026 ballot, sportsmen and women must understand its real-world consequences. Proponents’ claims paint a simplistic picture of humane wildlife management, but the reality involves devastating impacts on native species, agricultural lands, and the funding that sustains Oregon’s conservation programs. IP-28 would handcuff the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) by removing critical management tools, ultimately harming the very wildlife it claims to protect.
Highlights:
- Proponents’ suggestions that pest control and wildlife management be conducted utilizing “humane, non-lethal traps,” contraceptive vaccinations, and relocation ignore the proven risks of invasive species within an ecosystem.
- Claims that federal grants would remain untouched overlook the functions and requirements within the American System of Conservation Funding.
- The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) is continuing our mission to share the truth about the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and the conservation contributions made by sportsmen and women.
Based on the latest Secretary of State submission log, proponents have now returned 126,000 unverified signatures on behalf of the PEACE ACT (People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions), also known as IP-28. To make the November ballot, proponents will need 117,173 validated signatures. On average (based off the last four qualified OR initiatives) approximately 21% of signatures fail the validation process. So, the measure is not guaranteed to appear on the November 2026 ballot at this point. That being said, Aas the ballot initiative moves closer to the November 2026 ballot, it is time to take a serious look at the implications of this measure and correct some of the misleading claims made by its proponents. While framed as an animal cruelty prevention effort, IP-28 would eliminate longstanding exemptions in Oregon law, effectively criminalizing essential wildlife management practices, hunting, fishing, trapping, and even certain agricultural and pest control activities. This would leave ODFW without vital tools needed to protect native species, manage conflicts, and maintain healthy ecosystems.
One such example of ecosystem risk through IP-28 is pest control in homes. Proponents claim that mice and rats could be humanely trapped, given contraceptives, and relocated. Sadly, reality is rarely that simplistic, especially with wildlife management. If city rats and mice were trapped en masse in urban settings and relocated to agricultural lands or wildlife habitats, they could add substantially to existing populations and create more competition for resources. An existing example of extensive damage caused by rapidly reproducing populations is demonstrated with non-native nutria in Oregon. According to ODFW, nutria are aggressive competitors with the smaller native muskrat, which has been largely eliminated or greatly reduced in areas where nutria have been established. Nutria burrows cause considerable stream bed erosion, damaging banks, dikes, and infrastructure, which can also impact spawning areas for threatened, native salmon populations. Additionally, nutria depredate on many human food crops like wheat, corn, sugar, and more while also girdling trees and impacting natural plant communities. Handcuffing ODFW’s wildlife management of any species through IP-28 is not a kindness to wildlife; in fact, it would prove inhumane to native species and erode Oregon’s biodiversity. Even Oregon Metro recognizes that lethal removal is a necessary tool for protecting ecosystems and benefiting conservation efforts.
Proponents have also claimed that while ODFW would lose hunting and fishing license revenue, IP-28 would not impact the $213.5 million that ODFW receives each year in federal funds, thereby allowing them to continue their conservation projects. This represents a misunderstanding in part regarding the American System of Conservation Funding. In 2025, ODFW received $93.3 million from sportsmen’s dollars which included Federal Pitman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson funds which are apportioned to states based largely on the number of hunting and fishing licenses sold. These user-pays, public-benefits programs rely on the participation of sportsmen and women. Eliminating license sales would jeopardize Oregon’s eligibility and funding levels for these critical grants, which support habitat restoration, species management, and conservation projects far beyond game species. Without this stable funding tied to our traditions, Oregon’s wildlife programs would face severe shortfalls.
Hunters, anglers, trappers, shooting sports enthusiasts, and ranchers have long been the backbone of conservation in Oregon through their license dollars, excise taxes, and on-the-ground stewardship. IP-28 threatens to undermine this proven model.
As the deadline for signature verification approaches, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation will continue our efforts to educate Oregon voters on the benefits of sportsmen-led conservation through the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation – ensuring that the sporting-conservation community’s voices are heard and protecting Oregon’s hunting, fishing, and trapping heritage for future generations.