Quota set for wolf hunting
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Friday, July 10, 2009 4:35 PM
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Quota set for wolf hunting
By EVE BYRON - Independent Record - 07/09/09
Barring legal intervention, Montana will have its first official gray wolf hunting season this fall, after the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission unanimously agreed Wednesday to a 75-wolf quota.
State officials said the historic decision represents a victory for wildlife conservation in Montana and for the often maligned federal Endangered Species Act.
“Today, we can celebrate the fact that Montana manages elk, deer, bears, mountain lions, ducks, bighorn sheep, and wolves in balance with their habitats, other species, and in balance with the people who live here,” said FWP Director Joe Maurier. “Montanans have worked hard to recover the Rocky Mountain wolf and to integrate wolves into Montana’s wildlife management programs. That’s always been the promise of the Endangered Species Act, and we’re pleased so see it fulfilled here in Montana.”
However, wolf advocates already have filed two lawsuits in federal court contesting the removal of gray wolves in Montana and Idaho from the protection offered by the Endangered Species Act, and say they expect to ask a judge to intervene in the wolf hunt.
“We’re looking closely at what Montana and Idaho do regarding hunting,” said Doug Honnold, an attorney with Earthjustice. “Montana has acted and Idaho hasn’t. We haven’t filed papers yet (seeking an injunction) but I expect that we will.”
Mike Garrity, executive director of the Helena-based Alliance for the Wild Rockies, added that Montana shouldn’t have a wolf hunting season until the population is fully recovered.
“To do that, wolves need to expand out of Montana. So they need the population to increase until it forces wolves to move out the state,” Garrity said. His is one of 13 groups represented by Earthjustice, which filed the federal court lawsuit in May.
A majority of the 180 public comments submitted to the commission, however, stated that not only should a hunting season take place, but the proposed range of a 26 to 165 wolf quota was too low.
“Even with a quota of 165, it is very unlikely that the kill will be reached,” wrote John Backs of St. Ignatius. “We are tired of wolves hammering our moose and elk herds in many areas. Tell the pro-wolf crowd to go bark up a tree. Stand up for the sportsmen of Montana, not a bunch of East Coast and West Coast wolf lovers who don’t have to put up with the wolves in their back yards.”
Montana is home to at least 500 gray wolves, with another 846 residing in Idaho and 302 in Wyoming. An estimated 1,000 wolf pups were born in the Northern Rockies this spring.
Wolves in Wyoming remain under federal protection. But with the removal of wolves from the list of endangered species in Montana and Idaho, those states officially took over their management from the federal U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Part of the management plans call for wolf hunts to keep the population in check.
Idaho is expected to set a wolf hunting quota in August, according to Ken McDonald, FWP chief of wildlife.
In recommending the 75-wolf quota, McDonald said Montana is performing a balancing act. The state needs to learn how successful hunters will be to incorporate that into wolf management plans, but he didn’t want a quota that’s too high, which might prompt a judge to order an injunction stopping all hunting.
“The higher the (quota) the higher the risk for an injunction,” McDonald said.
He added that even if they went with the highest suggested quota of 165 wolves, the population is still expected to grow. If all 75 permits are filled, the wolf population in Montana would still increase from 500 to 665, based on FWP models.
“We think (75) is enough to give us an understanding of the effectiveness of hunting while still leaving room to address concerns,” McDonald said. “This will be a one-time decision, too. We’ll be coming back in December for the biennium season settin
The freshest tracks still have feet in them.
