Montana bill seeks to wrest wolf control from feds
By Kahrin Deines
Associated Press Writer
Salt Lake Tribune
HELENA, Mont. » A Republican lawmaker says Montana should assert its authority over wolf management, despite recent signs the federal government may be about to relinquish control.
Senate Bill 183 would void existing state and federal agreements about wolf management. It would also compel the Montana attorney general’s office to seek compensation for damages caused by wolves in Montana from the federal government.
“This bill is the only leverage we have on the feds to try to get them to delist before any more precious time expires,” said Sen. Joe Balyeat, R-Bozeman, the bill’s sponsor.
Last month the U.S. Interior Department decided to remove wolves from endangered species protections in the Northern Rockies and the Great Lakes region, but that decision has been held up by the Obama administration. The change would shift management from the federal government to the states.
Balyeat told the Senate Fish and Game Committee Thursday that Montana cannot wait passively for federal action to protect its game herds and hunting heritage.
Balyeat is an avid hunter and his measure drew support from both the Montana Shooting Sports Association and the Montana Multiple Use Association, which support hunters’ use of natural resources.
“I admit that this bill is strong medicine, but I think it’s going to take strong medicine to save the patient,” said Gary Marbut of the Shooting Sports Association.
The attorney general and the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks oppose the measure.
Chris Smith, a spokesman for the department, said voiding the wolf management plan the state has negotiated with the federal government would imperil the pending delisting.
Others, who generally support stricter wolf policies, also testified against the bill, including the Montana Farm Bureau, the Montana Wool Growers Association, the Montana Cattlemen’s Association and the Montana Board of Livestock.
They expressed worry the bill’s passage could derail delisting, and threaten federal funds for compensation services that exist for livestock owners who lose property to wolves.
“It’s very difficult to stand up here seemingly on the side of the wolf,” said Jean Johnson, of the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association. “We aren’t. But we are on the side of the wolf management plan.”
Wolf management policies have occasioned controversy since the species was reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1994 and 1995. Their population numbers — and their effect on the number of elk, other game animals and livestock — have often been contested.
Currently Montana is home to between 450 and 500 gray wolves, according to the state’s wildlife department.