Game and Fish to begin writing new wolf plan
By Deanna Darr
Jackson Hole Guide
Finding a balance between people who don’t want wolves in Wyoming and
those who support expansion of the species will become the charge of the
Wyoming Game and Fish Department as agency officials begin writing a wolf
management plan.
The plan will guide state wolf management once gray wolves are removed
from the federal endangered species list.
“We’re going to have people who just flat don’t want wolves and people who
want no controls on wolves,” said Dave Moody, trophy game coordinator for
Game and Fish. “We need to get past those extremes.”
Forging a compromise will be the toughest task facing Wyoming Game and
Fish officials as they attempt to catch up with Idaho and Montana, both of
which have wolf management plans nearing completion, Moody said.
At its meeting on April 22 and 23, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission
approved developing a state wolf plan.
“I anticipate this process will have the same level of public sentiment as
the last,” Moody said, referring to Game and Fish’s 1997 attempt to create
an interim wolf management plan. Public comment at that time was
overwhelmingly against the presence of wolves in the state.
Biologists expect that wolves could start the federal delisting process at
the end of this year. In order for wolves to be removed from the
endangered species list, there must be 30 productive breeding pairs in
Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana for three consecutive years. All three states
must also have wolf management plans in place. Those plans must be
approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Idaho’s plan was passed by the state legislature in March. Montana has
just concluded a public comment period and is scheduled to release a draft
plan on July 1. A final decision on Montana’s plan is expected in
December.
Until now, Wyoming had made no effort to move forward in developing its
wolf plan since the failed interim management plan attempt.
Larry Kruckenberg, special assistant for policy, Game and Fish, said part
of the reason for that was a commission decision to take no action without
federal funding to assist in the effort. Recently the state secured three
matching grants that will provide $113,100 to complete the planning
process.
Even with that grant funding, the Game and Fish Commission is still
adamant that it will not implement a wolf plan without additional federal
funding for the states, Kruckenberg said.
The commission, however, is not immune to pressure from neighboring
states.
“Everyone recognized that the eyes were upon Wyoming,” Kruckenberg said.
“We could have been an obstacle for (delisting) moving forward.”