Utah Wolf Forum Founder Starts New Group
BY BRENT ISRAELSEN
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
The Utah Wolf Forum, a newly formed coalition seeking the permanent return of the gray wolf to the Beehive State, has lost a founding member.
Last month, the High Uintas Preservation Council (HUPC), led by veteran Utah environmentalist Dick Carter, split from the pack over differences of opinion on wolf management.
The HUPC believes the wolf should not be hunted for sport and that killing problem wolves should be a last resort — positions the Utah Wolf Forum has not been willing to take.
Carter’s departure from the forum, a coalition of environmental groups and pro-wolf scientists, underscores the controversial nature of the wolf debate, which can fracture interests on all sides.
The Utah Wolf Forum formed in December, with Carter on its executive board, shortly after a wolf from Yellowstone National Park was captured in Utah to become the first confirmed wolf in Utah in more than 70 years.
Stating that “sound science” should guide all wolf management decisions, the group quickly began formulating its position statement. Carter insisted the statement denounce recreational hunting as a means to control wolves. He was outvoted.
“I’m flabbergasted that the Utah Wolf Forum was unwilling to take that simple position,” said Carter. “[Sport hunting of wolves] will become the dominant issue.”
It is not an issue, however, that the wolf forum is comfortable with taking a stand on now, said forum coordinator Allison Jones, who is trying to assemble a “moderate” vision for wolf management.
“We support lethal control of depredating wolves,” she said.
The Utah Wolf Forum’s members include the Western Wildlife Conservancy, Save Our Canyons, the Bear River Watershed Council, Defenders of Wildlife and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, along with individuals such as biologists and hunters.
Jones said she was disappointed to see the HUPC leave the wolf forum. “In trying to take a moderate stance, you might lose one or two environmental groups along the way.”
Jones explained that moderation is needed to build a meaningful dialogue with the traditional wolf opponents — ranchers and hunters — and with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR), which will have a major role in wolf management.
But Carter said he disagrees.
“While we all want a decent relationship, it’s much better to be up front and honest with our positions and lay the debate out there,” he said. “I don’t believe anyone in the Utah Wolf Forum supports hunting. Their bigger concern is to get along with the DWR at this time.”
The split within the environmental community over wolf management comes as state wildlife officials are warning groups on both sides to tone down their rhetoric and avoid hard-line positions.
DWR Director Kevin Conway said the Legislature’s tolerance for wolves, as expressed in three bills that provide room for the animal in Utah’s wildlife mix, is fragile and could shatter if environmentalists become too strident.
On the other hand, if ranchers take a hard line against wolves, it could keep the animal on the federal endangered species list, said Rep. Michael Styler, R-Delta, sponsor of a resolution that accommodates the wolf in Utah.