Montana officials release wolf plan
By SHERRY DEVLIN of the Missoulian
State says animals will be managed like black bears, mountain lions
Saying it is time for wolves “to find their place among Montana’s other native wildlife,” the state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks on Wednesday released a proposed plan for managing the rapidly growing population of Rocky Mountain gray wolves.
In a 288-page draft environmental impact statement, the state suggested an adaptive approach to management intended to maintain a minimum of 15 breeding pairs of wolves, while allowing landowners to defend livestock from attack and eventually allowing limited hunting or trapping.
“We believe that managing wolves through a state program would be in the best interest of Montanans,” said Carolyn Sime, a wildlife biologist and the state’s wolf plan coordinator. “FWP would manage wolves as it does other species in the state, resolving conflicts as they arise but also allowing wolves to find their place among Montana’s other native wildlife.”
Wolf management, she said, would look a lot like FWP’s ongoing management of black bears and mountain lions.
“Montana is not out to get control of wolves so we can bring them back down to the brink of extinction,” Sime said. “Our responsibilities include a bona fide and legitimate management program that will secure the species’ place in our state.”
In fact, the state’s release of a proposed management plan is evidence of the species’ recovery. Federal biologists estimate Montana’s population of wolves at 183, congregated into 35 packs. An estimated 660 wolves inhabit the northern Rocky Mountains, with 43 of those qualifying as breeding pairs.
“From a biological point of view, wolves have achieved recovery,” Sime said.
But two things must happen before wolves can be removed from the federal government’s list of endangered species: biological recovery and adoption of statewide management plans – in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming – that guarantee wolves’ continued well-being.
Thus the proposal released Wednesday afternoon and slated for public comment through May 12.
“What we are striving to build is a wolf management program that Montanans can support,” Sime said. “We hear from folks who say they want lots of wolves and from others who don’t want any. You can imagine the challenge. But wolves are here to stay, so it’s time to roll up our sleeves and move on.
“I don’t ask people to agree that wolves should be here, but I do ask them to help us put something together that we can all live with.”
The draft EIS analyzes five possible approaches to wolf management, including the state’s preferred alternative. The final plan, Sime said, likely will take pieces from all the alternatives.
At the heart of FWP’s preferred plan is the idea of adaptive management, what Sime called “learning as we go.”
“I fully expect Montana to fine tune its wolf management program as Montanans learn more about how to live with wolves and as our agency learns more about their management,” she said. “I expect it to be a living, breathing, evolving program.”
As soon as wolves are removed from the endangered species list, landowners will be able to defend their livestock from attack, Sime said.
Under the state’s proposed plan, wildlife managers would also attempt to address wolf-livestock-human conflicts before they happen. If Montana had more than 15 breeding pairs of wolves, FWP likely would allow hunting and trapping.
Biologists would closely monitor the population of other wildlife in wolf territories, guaranteeing that wolf numbers did not grow so large that other species suffered sharp declines – particularly deer and elk, Sime said. “And there would be assurances for human safety.”
If wolf numbers dropped below 15 breeding pairs, the state’s management would become more conservative, she said. “We would curtail any regulated harvest of wolves, and would be more conservative in the flexibility we provided to landowners.”
“What we’re suggesting is an adaptive approach that matches management strategies to the size of the population,” Sime said.
But Montana is going to need help from the federal government in paying for the estimated $800,000-a-year wolf management program, said FWP director Jeff Hagener. “The cost is substantial. We will need Congress to address this national priority and offer the states some help.”
“It’s pretty clear that finding ways to fund it has to be a national priority, consistent with the national interest to recover the gray wolf,” Sime added.
In addition, the preferred alternative directs the state of Montana to help find long-term sources of revenue to compensate livestock owners for losses caused by wolves – as well as to develop ways to reduce the risks that wolves present.
The draft EIS is available via FWP’s Web site at www.fwp.state.mt.us. Click on Montana Wolf Management in the “Hot Topics” box. Or request a copy of the document by calling (406) 444-2612.
State officials will host 13 community work sessions on the proposal, beginning March 27 in Billings. The western Montana sessions are: Missoula, April 8, Meadow Hill Middle School; Kalispell, April 23, Flathead High School; Whitefish, April 23, Muldown Elementary School. All sessions will run from 6:30-9 p.m. and are open to all.