Montana wolf plan released
By SCOTT McMILLION, Chronicle Staff Writer
Montana’s wolf population isn’t likely to get much smaller after the federal government steps out of the picture, according to a proposed plan released Wednesday by state government.
Still, while the plan calls for stable or even increasing wolf populations, it also allows for more “management” of the big carnivores, and that usually means killing them.
It calls for an eventual hunting season, increased flexibility for ranchers to kill wolves that threaten livestock and the ability to kill wolves partly to protect prey species like elk and deer.
The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks released the document Wednesday, anticipating the day when wolves are removed from the list of federally protected species.
That date could arrive as soon as next year, federal officials have said.
The plan is in the form of a new environmental impact statement that outlines five state options for managing wolves after delisting.
The FWP’s “preferred alternative” says the state can harbor 15 breeding pairs of wolves. Montana now has 16 breeding pairs and about 180 wolves. A breeding pair is defined as two animals that have raised pups from their birth in the spring to Dec. 31.
Carolyn Sime, FWP’s wolf plan coordinator, said the 15-pair level is a “benchmark” number.
When there are more than 15 pairs, FWP has more management options, including lethal ones. When the number is lower, it must manage more conservatively.
The goal of the plan is “managing the environment, the whole suite of predators and the whole suite of prey,” Sime said. “We’re trying to integrate wolves in the broader context of wildlife management.”
A livestock group and a wolf advocacy group both praised the plan’s goals Wednesday.
“It’s a major step forward” in delisting the wolf, said Steve Pilcher, executive director of the Montana Stockgrowers Association.
The plan would allow ranchers to kill wolves that are attacking, killing or “threatening to kill” livestock or guard animals. It also directs FWP to provide “active assistance” to ranchers and set up some kind of compensation fund to pay for lost livestock.
Allowing ranchers the flexibility to deal with wolf problems is a key issue, Pilcher said.
Tom Skeele, executive director of the Predator Conservation Alliance in Bozeman, said he likes the way the plan calls for managing wolves in a sustainable way, like black bears and mountain lions.
“It’s saying we want to have a viable population of wolves out on the landscape,” he said.
His group would have preferred a threshold of 20 breeding pairs, he said, but can live with 15 pairs.
FWP Director Jeff Hagener noted that the wolf population is growing rapidly.
“In just the past year, the number of wolves in Montana has increased from about 120 to about 180,” he said in a press release. “The recovery of this species is as remarkable as it was swift.”
The plan states that taking over wolf management will be expensive. It estimates annual costs at $800,000.
FWP will take comment on the plan at a series of public meetings:
€ Bozeman April 14 at the Holiday Inn;
€ Gardiner April 15 at the high school gym ;
€ and Ennis April 17 at the high school gym.
All sessions run from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The plan is available online at www.fwp.mt.us. Click on Montana Wolf Management in the Hot Topics box. A paper copy can be obtained by calling (406)444-2612.