States may get power over wolves
By TED MONOSON
Gazette Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON – Montana and Idaho officials would have some control over management of gray wolves in their states under a rule that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to propose before the end of the week.
Government officials declined to provide details of the plan, which livestock and environmental groups are wary about.
The agency will propose the plan because it is unable to proceed with a proposal to take wolves off the endangered species list and fully hand management to the states.
To take wolves off the list and allow the states to manage them, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming all must have agency-approved plans. On Jan. 14, the Fish and Wildlife Service approved Montana’s and Idaho’s plans but rejected Wyoming’s. Since then, the Wyoming Legislature has failed to pass a bill changing its plan.
Interior Department and Fish and Wildlife Service officials were tight-lipped about the details of the proposal.
“The bottom line is that there is nothing for today,” said Hugh Vickery, spokesman for Interior Secretary Gale Norton. “I wouldn’t be surprised if something was to come out soon. Stay tuned.”
Ed Bangs, wolf recovery coordinator for the Fish and Wildlife Service, said he had spent the past weekend working on the rule. Although he said he could not comment on the proposal, Bangs said it would be similar to past attempts to give the states control over issues such as defining “livestock” and “problem wolves.”
“That’s the kind of thing that will come out of the rule,” Bangs said. “The hope is to get it out pretty soon. It’s pretty far along.”
Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Mitch Snow said regardless of when the rule is proposed, it would be a while before it could take effect. After the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register, there would have to be a public comment period and then the agency would have to respond to the public comments. After the agency responds, it could publish a final rule.
Defenders of Wildlife vice president for species conservation Nina Fascione said her organization may be able to support a plan to give Montana and Idaho some control over management because it would help prepare them to take full control if delisting occurs.
“It might make sense and it might be something reasonable, but the devil is in the details,” Fascione said.
Montana Stockgrowers Association executive vice president Steve Pilcher is not expecting much from the proposed rule.
“It sounds like a great idea, but until we get to delisting I am not sure how much authority they can transfer to the state,” Pilcher said. “I don’t think they have the latitude to do much, so I don’t expect significant changes.”
Pilcher said if the Stockgrowers are unimpressed with the rule, they would continue to push to have the wolves delisted.
“If it’s just a token effort to get people to feel good, that doesn’t cut it,” Pilcher said. “We are not easily pacified nor are we easily hoodwinked.”
Pilcher said if there is not progress on delisting before the end of the month, he and other Stockgrowers would push the Fish and Wildlife Service to allow delisting to go forward in Montana and Idaho. He said they would pay a personal visit to the Fish and Wildlife Service when they are in Washington, D.C., for a National Cattlemen’s Beef Association meeting at the end if March.
“If nothing changes, we’ll at least begin the dialogue,” Pilcher said.