Kempthorne defends downlisting of Canadian gray wolves
John Masters
KTVB.COM
BOISE — Governor Dirk Kempthorne is joining the Bush Administration in
defending the federal government’s decision to “downlist” Canadian gray
wolf populations in Idaho.
The Kempthorne Administration and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game
will stand with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton in a lawsuit
filed by several environmental groups seeking to stop U.S. Fish and
Wildlife plans to downlist the wolves from endangered to threatened status
under the Endangered Species Act.
Governor Kempthorne supports a Bush Administration plan to downlist wolves
from endangered to threatened species status. The proposed rule was
originally announced by the Clinton Administration in July of 2000.
Kempthorne’s action comes nearly nine years after the wolves were
reintroduced into Idaho’s Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, on
Jan. 14, 1995
“I am entering this lawsuit to protect Idaho’s interests in wolf
recovery,” Kempthorne said. “Those who’ve sued to stop the Fish & Wildlife
Service’s decision to downlist wolves appear determined to snatch defeat
from the jaws of victory. Wolves have recovered biologically and it is
time to celebrate an ESA success.”
The wolves’ explosion in numbers since their reintroduction to Idaho has
prompted Kempthorne to push for their removal from federal endangered
species lists altogether. Removal from the list would allow the State of
Idaho to manage wolf populations in Idaho.