Feds offer two liaisons on wolf issues
Associated Press
CHEYENNE – Responding to a request from Gov. Dave Freudenthal, the federal
government named two people to act as liaisons on wolf management issues.
Freudenthal sent a letter July 9 to Interior Secretary Gale Norton asking
that a single person determine whether Wyoming’s management plan is
sufficient for lifting federal protection of gray wolves.
He wrote that federal officials have sent the state mixed signals, which
has bogged down an already complicated process for removing wolves from
federal protection.
Freudenthal received a letter Tuesday from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service indicating that Ed Bangs, the service’s wolf recovery coordinator,
will be the federal government’s liaison to Wyoming on technical issues,
while service Director Steve Williams is the official policy spokesman on
wolf issues.
“In response to your concern about inconsistent messages from Interior, I
have taken internal action to ensure that the department’s message at all
levels regarding the state’s efforts to develop a Wyoming Wolf Management
Plan is consistent,” wrote Craig Manson, assistant secretary for fish,
wildlife and parks.
At his weekly news conference Wednesday, Freudenthal said it is important
to know who speaks for the federal government as Wyoming, Montana and
Idaho work to remove the wolf from the Endangered Species List.
“We’re going to move into the phase now where Interior will appoint a
review panel to look at the three plans from the three different states
and begin to make some kind of decision as to whether we are moving
logically toward delisting,” he said.
Freudenthal added that the Interior department has issued no formal
opinions on Wyoming’s wolf plan other than what various federal officials
have said in public.
Since being reintroduced in 1995, wolves have made a remarkable comeback
and federal wildlife officials say they are ready to take steps to remove
the predator from the Endangered Species List once federal approval is
given to management plans by the three states bordering Yellowstone.
Wyoming and Idaho have finalized plans; Montana is still working on its
plan.
Under the Wyoming plan, a minimum 15 wolf packs would be maintained in the
state, and at least seven packs outside Yellowstone and Grand Teton
national parks and the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway.
Killing wolves would remain banned in the parks and parkway. In wilderness
contiguous to the parks, gray wolves would be classified as trophy game
and subject to regulated hunting. Elsewhere, wolves would be considered
predators and could be shot with few restrictions.
If seven or fewer packs are found outside the parks and parkway, officials
could extend trophy game status beyond the wilderness areas to help wolf
numbers recover.