Another attempt to delist wolves

Announcement by feds targets Northern Rockies, launches 60-day comment period

With an eye toward recent court rulings and Wyoming politics, the federal government is moving once again to delist wolves in the northern Rocky Mountain region.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Thursday an "advance notice" for delisting wolves in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, the eastern third of Washington and Oregon and a small part of north-central Utah. The announcement launches a 60-day public comment period, and a formal delisting proposal could come within weeks or months after that, said Ed Bangs, Fish and Wildlife Service wolf recovery coordinator.

Bangs explained that the service's plan is designed to address issues raised in recent court rulings in Vermont and Oregon.

The Oregon ruling determined that the protected status of wolves in the Northern Rockies could not be changed, largely because a reclassification proposal for those wolves applied to a "distinct population segment" stretching across nine western states.

"Court rulings from this past year determined that we didn't do enough analysis and the DPS was too large," Bangs said.

The plan announced Thursday would apply to a much smaller area, with more detailed analysis of suitable habitat and potential threats to wolves, Bangs said.

"Our analysis was very detailed on what habitat is suitable to be occupied," Bangs said, referring to the eastern parts of Washington and Oregon, and the northern part of Utah, all areas unoccupied by wolves.

The announcement on Thursday also came just before the Wyoming legislative session begins. Wyoming presents the only major obstacle to delisting wolves in the Northern Rockies, Bangs said.

"Certainly, since Wyoming law needs to be changed, (announcing the delisting proposal) before the Legislature meets works in our favor," Bangs said. "The only thing that is keeping us from moving forward is a state law in Wyoming that prevents wolves from living outside Yellowstone National Park" or other national parks in Wyoming.

Wyoming law puts wolves under "predatory animal status," meaning that wolves can be killed "any time, any place, and without limit, by any means," Bangs said.

That law must be changed for the wolves to be delisted in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, Bangs said, and if the law is changed, the formal delisting proposal likely would come out soon after.

Montana officials are keenly interested in how the issue develops in Wyoming, which has sued the Fish and Wildlife Service for refusing to proceed with delisting.

"The only thing holding up delisting is a lack of compliance in state laws from Wyoming," said Carolyn Sime, wolf coordinator for Montana.

Wyoming's position has had a direct effect on the status of wolves in Montana and Idaho, and the ability of those states to manage wolves.

"For us, a significant concern about the delisting delay is that half of Montana and nearly half of the wolf population in this state is fully classified as endangered," she said.

Under a cooperative agreement between the state and the Fish and Wildlife Service, Montana has assumed management of wolves throughout the state. But Northwest Montana's wolf packs still are listed as endangered, and that has "reduced the flexibility of the state and livestock owners to respond to conflict situations," Sime said.

Northwest Montana ranchers can't take action when wolves are near livestock, or even if they see a wolf attacking livestock, Sime said.

"Basically, all they can do is pick up the phone and call an agency person," she said.

Meanwhile, state officials have more flexibility in managing wolves that have "experimental" status in south-central Montana.

The wolf management plan that was adopted by the state and approved by the Fish and Wildlife Service allows far greater flexibility and consistency in managing wolves, particularly in conflict situations.

Montana receives about $600,000 annually in federal funding, with half coming from the Fish and Wildlife Service and the other half coming from annual Congressional appropriations.

"Our willingness to sign a cooperative agreement was very much contingent on federal funding," Sime said. "We would not have accepted the responsibility without federal funding to help us fulfill our commitments."

Concerns exist about the dependability of getting funding from Congress every year, Sime said. Because of those concerns, she said, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has a "strategic priority" this year to develop a more reliable, long-term source of funding for wolf management.

In announcing Thursday's proposal, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director H. Dale Hall said wolves in the Northern Rockies have "exceeded their recovery goals and are ready to be delisted."

The minimum recovery goal for wolves in the Northern Rockies is 30 breeding pairs and at least 300 wolves for three straight years throughout the three states. The most-recent official population counts, from 2004, estimated that Montana had 15 breeding pairs and about 150 wolves; Wyoming had 24 breeding pairs and about 260 wolves; and Idaho had 27 breeding pairs and 422 wolves.

More information about the advanced notice for delisting, and submitting comments on the proposal is available on the Internet at www.fws.gov.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.