Sportsmen group endorses wolf plan
By JEFF GEARINO Southwest Wyoming bureau
GREEN RIVER — The state’s newest sportsmen’s group is supporting Wyoming’s final draft wolf plan and the dual classification of wolves, the top official with the Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife in Wyoming said.
Delisting wolves, Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife in Wyoming’s (SFWWY) Executive Director Bob Wharff said, is one of the newly-formed group’s “primary objectives” and the plan should satisfy federal requirements for a delisting petition, he said.
The sooner management gets into state hands, the better, Wharff said in an interview. He said SFWWY officials believe the state is capable of overseeing the management and implementation of the plan after delisting.
The new organization formed eight months ago to advocate for the state’s hunters and anglers. Its membership in Wyoming has quickly grown to include nearly 1,500 members.
Wharff said the final draft wolf management plan for Wyoming may need more work to meet current legislation, but the group backs the plan’s goals and objectives.
“We recognize that some changes will need to occur within the plan to make it compatible and compliant to current legislation, but overall we support the plan,” Wharff said.
“There are some problems with the plan … and we found a couple of sections where it appeared they did not follow the legislation as mandated,” he said.
“I’m anxious to see what (final document) the commission will come out with,” Wharff said. “They’re clearly going to have to make some alterations in order for it to satisfy the law.”
The final draft of the Wyoming Gray Wolf Management Plan was developed by the Game and Fish Department and made available for public review Friday. The document can be accessed on the agency’s website ( http://gf.state.wy.us ).
The Game and Fish Commission will consider the final draft plan when they meet Tuesday in Sheridan.
Under the plan’s dual classification — which was overwhelmingly backed by the legislature and changed into state law — wolves will initially be listed as trophy game animals in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, the parkway and in nearby national forest wilderness areas.
Animals classified as trophy game are subject to state hunting regulations, including licensing and specific hunting seasons.
Wolves would be designated as a predator subject to unregulated killing in all other parts of the state under the classification.
Under the plan, Wyoming commits to maintaining at least 15 packs statewide.
The plan says if the number of wolf packs outside the parks drops to the level where the ability to sustain at least seven packs within the trophy game classification area is threatened, the trophy game classification would be expanded beyond the wilderness areas to include three additional wolf management units that are contiguous with core trophy areas.
But Wharff said that this provision should be changed.
In his view, if the number of packs outside the parks drops below seven and the number of wolf packs within the state drops below 15, the trophy game classification should be expanded only to include an area the commission determines is necessary to reasonably ensure seven wolf packs.
Game and Fish officials estimate there are about 23 packs in Yellowstone’s current wolf population.
Wharff also said SFWWY’s officials also believe Wyoming has a right to develop a plan that’s not necessarily consistent with the Montana and Idaho’s wolf management plans.
“Our wolf plan need not mirror that of other affected states,” he said.
While the group supports delisting as soon as possible, Wharff said the Game and Fish should be prepared for a lawsuit challenging the removal of the animal from the federal Endangered Species list.
“Litigation will occur no matter what Wyoming’s wolf plan states and … a counter-suit should be prepared immediately to prevent any further delays,” he said.