Freudenthal signs wolf control bills
By MIKE STARK
Gazette Wyoming Bureau
Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal signed bills Tuesday aimed at managing wolves in the state and recouping costs from the federal government for any damage done by wolves or other federally controlled animals.
“This reflects the reality that the federal government has introduced this species and that the consequences have been severe for this state,” Freudenthal said at a bill-signing ceremony in his office.
Approval of the bills comes with “considerable pride and no small amount of relief,” he said.
One of the bills, House Bill 229, provides a framework for Wyoming wolf management if the federal government decides to remove wolves from the Endangered Species List and hand over the responsibility to the states.
Federal officials said Tuesday that the legislation is a good start but isn’t “quite there.”
“The law, as it is, is not enough, but we think we can make it work without having to pass another law,” said Hugh Vickery, a spokesman for the Interior Department, which oversees the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Specifically, Vickery said Interior is concerned about the unregulated killing of wolves that could come with Wyoming’s wolf plan.
“The next step will be for the (U.S.) Fish and Wildlife Service to sit down with the state and work it out,” he said.
Freudenthal said many people are misconstruing HB229 as “open season on wolves.”
“I know that to be a distortion of what 229 is,” he said.
The wolf bills signed by Freudenthal, which also included Senate File 97, have been the source of discussion and some controversy since the early days of this legislative session.
“We gave them the hottest political hot potato you can give to a committee,” House Majority Floor Leader Rep. Randall Luthi, R-Freedom, said in praising those who shepherded the bills through both houses. “The current situation with wolves is completely politically unacceptable.”
Wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding area in 1995 and 1996. Population goals for the animals in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho have reached the point where the wolves are considered “recovered.”
The federal government later this year is expected to propose removing federal protections from the wolves and passing management to the states. Before that can happen, all three states must have plans in place that guarantee that the wolf population will be sustained.
HB229, signed by Freudenthal, is aimed at meeting Wyoming’s obligation to manage wolves.
Spearheaded by Rep. Mike Baker, R-Thermopolis, the bill requires that Wyoming guarantee at least seven wolf packs outside of Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. Inside the parks, eight packs would be needed so the state can meet its 15-pack requirement.
With the bill’s approval Tuesday, wolves inside the national parks and in certain designated wilderness areas next to the park are now classified as trophy game. Other wolves are considered predatory animals and can be subjected to unregulated killing.
But, if the number of wolf packs dips below seven, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission can classify more wolves as trophy game, which are subject to hunting regulations.
“The point of the bill is to get wolves delisted in Wyoming,” Baker said, noting that it is “unfettered by political statements, the trashing of the feds or other things people tried to bring into the bill.”
| onthenet SF 97 HB 236 |
Putting control of the wolves into Wyoming’s hands is becoming increasingly important as the number of wolves grows in the state, he said.
“More pups are being born and live in Wyoming than they were predicted to,” Baker said.
Freudenthal said the bill strikes a balance between accommodating the federal wolf reintroduction and protecting the state’s people, wildlife and landscapes.
But the Interior Department and peer-reviewed scientific studies will determine whether wolf populations will adequately survive under state management.
“We won’t delist the species until the state has a management plan that provides for the long-term conservation of the species,” Vickery said.
SF 97, also signed by Freudenthal, takes another approach.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Delaine Roberts, R-Etna, would require the Game and Fish Commission to seek reimbursement for any damage to wildlife or habitat caused by any animal — including wolves — introduced into the state by the federal government.
The bill also requires the attorney general to prepare a plan for “potential litigation” to deal with endangered species in Wyoming.
“This is a vehicle by which we can begin to address the costs and burdens of these federal policies placed on the state,” Freudenthal said, adding that he’s perplexed by the Interior Department’s “inability to understand the policies they adopt have daily consequences for the people of this state.”
Lawsuits are expected once the delisting process gets under way. Freudenthal said the bills signed Tuesday are designed to be defensible in court.
“It’s fair to anticipate litigation,” he said.