Feds skeptical about piecemeal wolf delisting
By BOB ANEZ
Associated Press Writer
HELENA — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is willing to discuss
delisting the gray wolf on a state-by-state basis in the Northern Rockies,
but is skeptical such a move is possible under federal law, an official
said Friday.
Ed Bangs, Rocky Mountain wolf coordinator for the agency, said the service
is concerned about the precedent that could be set for other endangered
species recovery efforts around the country.
“We’re talking about national policy,” he said. “Does it make sense to
start making these kinds of exceptions? Once you do it for one (recovery
project), you do it for everybody.”
Bangs’ comments came in response to Montana’s threat to sue the agency
unless it agrees to discuss possible ways to delist the wolf in Montana
without waiting for Wyoming to develop an acceptable wolf management plan.
That message was included in a recent letter from Jeff Hagener, Montana
Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks director, to Steve Williams,
director of the federal wildlife agency. The agency should consider state
boundaries in its delisting decisions, Hagener said.
“We are prepared to argue that wolves can, and should, be delisted in
Montana, regardless of their classification under the (endangered species)
act in other states,” he wrote.
Unless the agency is willing to discuss such a policy, Hagener said, “I
see no other course of action than for the state of Montana to initiate
independent legal action to compel the service to consider this
alternative.”
The federal government began reintroducing wolves in this region in 1995
and the populations are sufficient in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming to allow
the animal to be removed from the endangered species list. Federal
officials said they will do that once each state has submitted an
acceptable management plan.
Montana and Idaho have done so, but the fish and wildlife service rejected
the Wyoming proposal, which would remove protections once the animals
leave national parks and adjacent wilderness areas. It also did not meet
the federal requirements to ensure at least 15 packs will remain in the
state and include an acceptable definition of a pack.
Wyoming has sued the federal government over rejection of its plan. Bangs
said resolution of that lawsuit could take five years.
Hagener called the impasse unacceptable and said further delay in
delisting the wolf in Montana could erode political support for the state
to assume management of the animal.
Separating states with adequate management plans from those without
“responds to the biological, political and legal facts of a successful
wolf recovery, avoids the political and social risks of delay, and gains a
deserved and crucial measure of public credibility for the positive
accomplishment of the Endangered Species Act,” he told Williams.
Bangs said he agrees with Montana’s rationale for state-by-state
delisting. “Biologically, I think it’s warranted. The states that do the
right thing should be rewarded.”
However, he said the same argument was made in Midwest wolf recovery
efforts and the service concluded such “decoupling” of states could not be
done under existing law and policies.
“So far we haven’t found a way to do this,” Bangs said.
The policy governing delisting in the Northern Rockies lumps the three
states together, requiring at least 30 breeding pairs of wolves, equally
distributed in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, he explained.
Jim Caswell, administrator of Idaho’s Office of Species Conservation, said
his state wants the wolf delisted as soon as possible and would join any
talks between Montana and the federal wildlife agency.
But he questioned whether Montana’s proposal is possible. “We don’t think
there is a legal basis to do it,” Caswell said.
Wyoming Attorney General Pat Crank shared that view.
“These species cross state boundaries and the Fish and Wildlife Service
probably needs to look at the species as a whole,” he said.
Crank said he understands Montana’s frustration and blames the federal
agency for it.
“Montana and Idaho are casualties of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s
arbitrary and illegal rejection for the Wyoming wolf management plan,” he
said.