State senator wants wolves to be delisted
By SHERRY DEVLIN of the Missoulian
Knowing that he, too, would find it intolerable if his animals were
attacked, state Sen. Jim Elliott said Thursday that he will introduce a
resolution in the 2003 Legislature calling for the removal of wolves from
the endangered species list.
Only by bringing wolves under state management will citizens have the
right to defend their pets or livestock from attack, said Elliott, a
Democrat from Trout Creek who represents the Ninemile Valley west of
Missoula.
Elliott said he is worried about the level of frustration among Ninemile
residents who have lost sheep, llamas, dogs and cattle to a pack of wolves
that has lived in the rural valley for the past 12 years. Five llamas were
killed by wolves this spring.
“I understand the anger people feel when they have to wait for the Fish
and Wildlife Service to come to their ranch when a wolf has an animal down
or is threatening an animal,” he said. “If it were my animal, it would be
intolerable. I would be tempted to break the law, sorely tempted.”
Because wolves are protected by the federal government as endangered, it
is illegal to shoot a wolf – even if it is attacking a family pet or
livestock.
However, the federal government already is working to “de-list” wolves
from endangered to threatened in northwest Montana – a change that would
allow more flexibility in wolf management. Also in the works is an effort
to remove the species from the list altogether.
The government’s wolf recovery goal is 30 breeding pairs equitably
distributed among Montana, Idaho and Wyoming for each of three successive
years. That goal could be reached this year.
“If everything goes as we think it will this year, then we can propose to
de-list the gray wolf beginning Jan. 1,” said Joe Fontaine, a wolf
biologist for the Fish and Wildlife Service. “There is a high probability
that we will make a proposal.”
De-listing would transfer responsibility for wolf management – and
conservation – to the states, Fontaine said. And each state would have to
adopt a formal wolf management plan. Idaho already has a plan in place,
Montana is working on one and Wyoming is about to begin the process.
Elliott said he is aware of, and supportive of, the ongoing efforts, but
believes the Legislature should add its endorsement.
“I want to show Montanans the Legislature’s support for de-listing the
wolf and assuming responsibility for wolf management,” he said. “I think
the majority of people would endorse state management. They would like the
wolf to stay around, but they would also like to be able to protect their
livestock and their pets.”
State management should not, however, cost taxpayers or hunters hundreds
of thousands of dollars per year in added fees, Elliott said. “The federal
government restored wolves in Montana, and they should pay for some – if
not all – of the bill.”
“If the wolf belongs to all Americans, then it’s appropriate for all
Americans to continue to pay for their management,” he said.
Fontaine said things have quieted in the Ninemile over the past two weeks,
and while there have been continued sightings, no pets or livestock have
been killed.
A trapper did capture a young female wolf and fit it with a radio collar,
Fontaine said. And officials hope to get a better idea of the Ninemile
pack’s numbers.
Mostly, though, “we’re just hoping things stay quiet,” he said. “Real
quiet.”