idnative1948
Well-known member
Arcticle from the Idaho Statesman
I didn't seek this one posted yesterday. So what do you make of it? I just do not think anything will happen this year.
BILLINGS, Mont. — State officials sought Tuesday to revive gray wolf hunts in the Northern Rockies, even as they entered talks with wildlife advocates whose lawsuit recently restored the animal's endangered status.
Hunters in Idaho and Montana killed 260 wolves last year in the first managed hunts since the species rebounded from near-extermination in the past century.
This year's hunts were doubtful after a U.S. District Court ruling said portions of the wolf population remained at risk.
On Tuesday, Montana asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to commit by Sept. 10 to the state's plan for "conservation hunts" beginning this fall.
State officials said the hunts were justified because the wolf population had exceeded its "carrying capacity" - the number of wolves that are biologically sustainable.
The tactic is new for Montana officials. In the past, they have stressed the wolf's ability to survive even under extreme pressures, including hunting, poaching and removals by government agencies.
Ron Aasheim with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks said the state hopes to convince federal officials that hunting would actually benefit wolves. He said wolf numbers are now at risk of crashing in some areas as they deplete elk herds.
Officials also said the hunts would help curb increasingly frequent wolf attacks on livestock.
Idaho plans to make a similar request for a hunt. Jim Unsworth of Idaho Fish and Game said the state will point to the legal harvest of other protected species such as salmon and bull trout as a precedent.
It was uncertain how many animals might be harvested if the states prevailed. Wildlife officials were waiting for a federal government response before setting any quotas.
There are an estimated 1,700 wolves in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana - more than five times the federal government's benchmark of 300 wolves for the species to be considered recovered.
"Montana began 2010 with a minimum of 504 wolves, even after a conservative but successful 2009 hunting season," Joe Maurier, director of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wrote in a letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Acting Director Rowan Gould.
Maurier added that public hunting was "the optimum population management tool" for wolves, and asked the federal government to issue a conservation hunt permit to Montana by Nov. 30.
Original plans called for a hunting quota of 186 wolves this fall in Montana. That would have driven down the population to 439 by the end of 2010.
Idaho had not set its 2010 quota. The state's long-term goal is to reduce its wolf population from current estimates of at least 843 animals to roughly 500.
Federal officials have declined to say if they would allow any public hunting while wolves remained on the endangered list. Even without hunts, wolves are killed regularly in the region by wildlife agents and ranchers responding to attacks on sheep and cattle.
Environmental groups have vowed to stop attempts to circumvent the federal court ruling. They met Tuesday with officials from Idaho and Montana and the Fish and Wildlife Service.
No resolution was reached, and the parties agreed to keep the talks confidential pending any agreement, said Chris Tollefson, communications chief for the Fish and Wildlife Service.
A conference call was tentatively set for Friday.
Doug Honnold of Earthjustice, the lead attorney for the 13 environmental and animals rights groups involved in the case, did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment.
Hunting and livestock groups said prior to Tuesday's meeting that they did not trust the environmental groups, and requested Montana officials not participate in the discussions.
Wolves were removed from the endangered species list in Idaho and Montana in 2009 before that decision was reversed in court Aug. 5.
U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy ruled the government violated federal law by stripping wolves of their endangered status in Idaho and Montana while portions of the population remained at risk.
Wyoming's 320 wolves were not taken off the endangered list last year. Federal officials said the state's wolf law was too hostile to the animals, allowing them to be shot on sight in a predator zone covering about 90 percent of the state.
Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/...gered.html?story_link=email_msg#ixzz0yJMTgywY
I didn't seek this one posted yesterday. So what do you make of it? I just do not think anything will happen this year.
BILLINGS, Mont. — State officials sought Tuesday to revive gray wolf hunts in the Northern Rockies, even as they entered talks with wildlife advocates whose lawsuit recently restored the animal's endangered status.
Hunters in Idaho and Montana killed 260 wolves last year in the first managed hunts since the species rebounded from near-extermination in the past century.
This year's hunts were doubtful after a U.S. District Court ruling said portions of the wolf population remained at risk.
On Tuesday, Montana asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to commit by Sept. 10 to the state's plan for "conservation hunts" beginning this fall.
State officials said the hunts were justified because the wolf population had exceeded its "carrying capacity" - the number of wolves that are biologically sustainable.
The tactic is new for Montana officials. In the past, they have stressed the wolf's ability to survive even under extreme pressures, including hunting, poaching and removals by government agencies.
Ron Aasheim with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks said the state hopes to convince federal officials that hunting would actually benefit wolves. He said wolf numbers are now at risk of crashing in some areas as they deplete elk herds.
Officials also said the hunts would help curb increasingly frequent wolf attacks on livestock.
Idaho plans to make a similar request for a hunt. Jim Unsworth of Idaho Fish and Game said the state will point to the legal harvest of other protected species such as salmon and bull trout as a precedent.
It was uncertain how many animals might be harvested if the states prevailed. Wildlife officials were waiting for a federal government response before setting any quotas.
There are an estimated 1,700 wolves in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana - more than five times the federal government's benchmark of 300 wolves for the species to be considered recovered.
"Montana began 2010 with a minimum of 504 wolves, even after a conservative but successful 2009 hunting season," Joe Maurier, director of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wrote in a letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Acting Director Rowan Gould.
Maurier added that public hunting was "the optimum population management tool" for wolves, and asked the federal government to issue a conservation hunt permit to Montana by Nov. 30.
Original plans called for a hunting quota of 186 wolves this fall in Montana. That would have driven down the population to 439 by the end of 2010.
Idaho had not set its 2010 quota. The state's long-term goal is to reduce its wolf population from current estimates of at least 843 animals to roughly 500.
Federal officials have declined to say if they would allow any public hunting while wolves remained on the endangered list. Even without hunts, wolves are killed regularly in the region by wildlife agents and ranchers responding to attacks on sheep and cattle.
Environmental groups have vowed to stop attempts to circumvent the federal court ruling. They met Tuesday with officials from Idaho and Montana and the Fish and Wildlife Service.
No resolution was reached, and the parties agreed to keep the talks confidential pending any agreement, said Chris Tollefson, communications chief for the Fish and Wildlife Service.
A conference call was tentatively set for Friday.
Doug Honnold of Earthjustice, the lead attorney for the 13 environmental and animals rights groups involved in the case, did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment.
Hunting and livestock groups said prior to Tuesday's meeting that they did not trust the environmental groups, and requested Montana officials not participate in the discussions.
Wolves were removed from the endangered species list in Idaho and Montana in 2009 before that decision was reversed in court Aug. 5.
U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy ruled the government violated federal law by stripping wolves of their endangered status in Idaho and Montana while portions of the population remained at risk.
Wyoming's 320 wolves were not taken off the endangered list last year. Federal officials said the state's wolf law was too hostile to the animals, allowing them to be shot on sight in a predator zone covering about 90 percent of the state.
Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/...gered.html?story_link=email_msg#ixzz0yJMTgywY
