Freudenthal wants wolf point-man
By JOAN BARRON Star-Tribune capital bureau Monday, July 14, 2003
CHEYENNE — Federal agencies are sending the state mixed signals on the
management plan for the gray wolf in Wyoming, Gov. Dave Freudenthal said
Wednesday.
Freudenthal sent a letter Wednesday morning to Secretary of Interior Gale
Norton asking her to designate one federal official who can convey the
department’s position on delisting of the gray wolf to put an end to
contradictory messages.
This point of contact would be comparable to Brent Manning, the director
of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department who is the official contact in the
state for all communications with the Department of the Interior and the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“Wyoming has consistently been led to believe that its recently passed
statutory framework was acceptable,” Freudenthal wrote. “Now, more recent
correspondence indicates that conclusion may not be true.
“The process has reached the point where clear communication is absolutely
essential and time is of the essence,” the governor wrote.
During a news conference, Freudenthal said the state had the same problem
with federal agencies during the legislative session last winter.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission will consider adopting the wolf
management plan for the state at its meeting at the end of July.
Freudenthal said it is important to pin down the Department of Interior’s
position so the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission will have sufficient
information to act on the management plan at the end of this month.
That plan will be proposed to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Wild horse plan
At his Wednesday news conference, Freudenthal also addressed the state’s
ongoing dealings with the federal government regarding wild horse
management in Wyoming.
The governor said the state and the federal Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) are on their fourth exchange of potential settlement documents over
wild horse management.
The state, he said, received a good commitment from the BLM to move wild
horses from the range in the agency’s current budget cycle. Still at issue
is money for action in future budget cycles.
Freudenthal said earlier that Wyoming has about 7,000 wild horses, more
than double the appropriate management levels that the BLM has
established.
Because of the unchecked population growth, the wild horses are hurting
private and public lands and wildlife.
In June, Wyoming Attorney General Pat Crank prepared a lawsuit against the
BLM and shared it with federal officials before he filed it.
Tom Sansonetti, a Wyoming attorney who is now the deputy U.S. attorney
general for environment and natural resources, asked the state to hold off
filing the lawsuit so something could be worked out between the BLM and
the state.
Freudenthal said Wednesday this is a case where the threat of litigation
paid off.
“I think it would not have come to a head if the complaint wasn’t prepared
and ready to be signed,” he said. “I also believe we wouldn’t have these
discussions if we weren’t prepared to go to court.”
On other topics, the governor said:
–He is hearing from many groups and individuals about their views on
educational testing and school capital construction financing. He said he
will continue to work with everyone involved and let it sort out over the
next couple of months.
But he added that much needs to be resolved so he can present a budget to
the Legislature to cover spending for school operations and capital
construction in the coming biennium.
–Twelve to 14 recommendations from the state Board of Parole for
commutation of prison inmate sentences are now on his desk — the first
batch he received since taking office in January.
He said he expects to sign them but acknowledged some difficulty given his
years as a federal prosecutor when he was signing criminal indictments.
— The state’s new health care commission will look at the availability,
quality and price of health care, not just medical liability reform,
although that issue also will be studied, he said.