EDITORIAL: It’s time to adopt wise management policy on wolves

Posted 9/30/14

While that point led to stripping Wyoming of its wolf-management authority, the judge also acknowledged that wolves aren’t endangered or threatened in a significant portion of their range.

That’s good news for Wyoming.

Gov. Matt Mead said …

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EDITORIAL: It’s time to adopt wise management policy on wolves

Posted

Once again, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., has returned wolves in Wyoming to the Endangered Species List.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was wrong to trust nonbinding promises from the state of Wyoming to maintain at least 100 wolves, including 10 breeding pairs, outside of Yellowstone and the Wind River Indian Reservation, according to The Associated Press.

While that point led to stripping Wyoming of its wolf-management authority, the judge also acknowledged that wolves aren’t endangered or threatened in a significant portion of their range.

That’s good news for Wyoming.

Gov. Matt Mead said Thursday that he hopes Jackson will agree a quick administrative fix is all it takes to return wolf management to Wyoming, the AP reported.

The governor said the state has stayed well above the 100 wolves/10 breeding pairs minimum for 12 years. Currently, Wyoming is home to about 197 wolves and 15 breeding pairs, not including those that are protected in Yellowstone and the Wind River Indian Reservation.

Environmentalists, in our opinion, go way overboard in advocating for wolves. But they do have some good points, such as increased tourist dollars that come from people visiting Yellowstone and other areas in northwest Wyoming, in part to see wolves. Anyone in doubt of that should take a look at the amazing crowds that gather in Lamar Valley whenever a wolf is spotted, often far in the distance.

Still, it’s galling that a judge in Washington, D.C., who may or may not ever have seen a wolf, let alone in Wyoming, can arbitrarily decide whether the state is capable and worthy of managing its wolves.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department takes this duty seriously and devotes a significant amount of resources to managing wolves in the state. Once advised of the Sept. 23 court ruling, the department suspended wolf hunting, which was to begin Wednesday.

One has to suspect that the timing of the ruling was calculated in order to have the greatest impact on this year’s wolf hunting season. The reason Jackson gave for putting wolves back under federal protection also is suspect.

In her decision, she said Wyoming’s wolf management plan was not legally binding; that it could be disregarded if the state chose to do so. But that smacks of searching for a tiny legal loophole to place wolves back on the Endangered Species List rather than genuine concern about the state’s wolf management plan’s enforceability.

If Wyoming had even considered reneging on its agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — which is highly unlikely, since it was the result of a mediated, signed agreement — you can bet the federal response would have been swift and strong.

The day after the ruling was handed down, Gov. Matt Mead, Wyoming Attorney General Peter Michael and the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission began steps to address Jackson’s stated concern.

Mead signed and filed an emergency rule establishing that Wyoming’s commitment under its management plan is legally enforceable. The emergency rule went into effect immediately and is in effect for up to 240 days.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission began the process to make the rule permanent, and the Wyoming attorney general filed a motion with the U.S. District Court asking the court to recognize that Wyoming’s wolf management commitments are legally enforceable.

“Now that Wyoming has resolved the court’s concern, I hope the court will amend its ruling and allow Wyoming’s continued management of gray wolves,” Mead said.

We hope so too, but it’s doubtful that will happen without a continued fight.

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