Wolves meeting sparsely attended
Associated Press
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) – Only two members of the general public attended a
public meeting on the state’s plan for managing wolves after removal from
the federal Endangered Species List.
Tuesday’s meeting, led by Reg Rothwell, supervisor of biological services
for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, pressed on despite the sparse
turnout.
In contrast, a meeting in Lander on Monday drew 32 citizens, according to
Game and Fish assistant wildlife division chief Terry Cleveland.
The public was represented in Casper by Paulette Parente-Dunlap, a Natrona
County School District art teacher and lover of animals and nature, and
Howard Ewert, a retiree and a hunting and fishing enthusiast.
The two split on most topics. Ewert recommended strict limits on wolf
numbers and population boundaries, while Parente-Dunlap said no limits or
boundaries should be imposed on wolves.
State management plans from three states are required before the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service will remove wolves from the Endangered Species List.
Montana and Idaho have already written state plans.
The process of developing a state plan in Wyoming involves holding eight
public scoping meetings this month. A draft plan will be presented to the
Game and Fish Commission on Oct. 28 and a final plan is expected to be
approved in February.
The plan will be written by the Game and Fish Department’s Trophy Game
Division, which also helped write a plan for managing grizzly bears.
Wolves were reintroduced to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in 1995 and
1996. The wolf populations of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho had grown to a
total 534 by the end of last year, with 189 in Wyoming, 261 in central
Idaho and 84 in northwest Montana.