Idaho wolf recovery spurs debate
Jason Kauffman, The Arbiter
February 27, 2003
Across Idaho’s backcountry, the increased likelihood of hearing a wolf howl signals the dramatic recovery of the state’s Gray Wolf population.
The wolves’ recovery has precipitated proposals that the species should be delisted from the federal Endangered Species Act. This has created controversy in a region where conservative state and local governments bitterly opposed the reintroduction of wolves.
Curt Mack, the Gray Wolf recovery coordinator for the Nez Perce tribe believes that the controversy may move to the courts.
“The real question as I see it is how long will the delisting process take from start to finish. There is a very real possibility that the environmental community will challenge the delisting process under legal challenges,” Mack said.
Suzanne Stone, Northwest Regional Representative for the Defenders of Wildlife, a group dedicated to the recovery of endangered species, said that while wolves are doing well, she still has strong concerns about delisting.
“With the attitude this administration has towards wildlife issues and environmental issues, it’s really going to be difficult to maintain a level of protection for wolves that will allow the population to be sustained long term,” Stone said.
Andrew Porter, a wilderness guide for the BSU Outdoor Center, believes wolves have a place in Idaho’s backcountry.
“These are animals who deserve a place in our ecosystem. The key to successful reintroduction is a willingness to direct the resources, management and focus toward creating and maintaining this niche – otherwise, our efforts will surely fail,” Porter said.
According to Stone, the original criteria for delisting wolves was to have 10 breeding packs each in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming for three consecutive years.
“Because they weren’t getting to that level fast enough, the Fish and Wildlife Service decided to change it to 30 overall because Idaho was going really fast, Northwestern Montana was lagging behind, and Yellowstone was recovering nicely,” Stone said.
Stone said another concern of the Defenders of Wildlife is a proposal to expand the delisting of wolves from the Northern Rockies tri-state region, to a western nine-state region that includes states without any current wolf populations.
“Thirty breeding packs may be enough for Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, but it’s not enough for those nine states,” Stone said.
The federal government placed the Gray Wolf under the protection of the ESA in 1974. A federal reintroduction program began in 1995 with the release in Idaho and Wyoming of wolves captured in Canada. The wolf population in those two states has continued to grow. In the late ’70s, wolves also migrated from Canada to Montana and established a permanent population there.
The wolf population across the northern Rockies tri-state region currently numbers about 668. According to Mack, the tri-state wolf population currently stands at 44 breeding pairs. The responsibility for the day-to-day wolf recovery work in Idaho was given to the Nez Perce tribe in an agreement with the federal government.
With recovery goals having been met, the focus of all those involved in wolf recovery is now on producing acceptable management plans.
“So we’re really focused now on developing the adequate regulatory mechanisms and criteria,” Mack said.
Greg Schildwachter, a policy advisor for Idaho’s Office of Species Conservation, said that the issue of whether the Nez Perce tribe will continue to manage the wolves after delisting is currently being discussed.
“The governor has invited the tribal chairman into discussions that are still underway to figure out a way to work together in the future,” Schildwachter said.
According to Schildwachter, the Idaho Legislature established an oversight committee 10 years ago to develop the state policy on wolf management. In recent years, the Office of Species Conservation has begun working with the state legislature to craft a wolf management plan.
“The Governor specifically requested the OSC get involved with the wolf issue. We then came alongside the legislature’s oversight committee who had a management plan at that time,” he said.
According to Schildwachter, the oversight committee’s wolf management plan passed the legislature in 2002 with a few minor changes.
“It’s been Idaho policy for a year. So what we’re doing now is taking the next step and we’re implementing the plan,” he said.