Wolf Relisting: Statement from the Montana Wildlife Federation

For immediate release:

August 6, 2010

Montana Wildlife Federation, Montana’s oldest and largest hunting and angling conservation group, with approximately 7,500 members and 23 affiliated Rod and Gun Clubs expresses their great disappointment in the recent relisting of the Grey Wolf in Montana and Idaho. 

We believe counsel for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, MTFWP and Idaho did an excellent job supporting the position that wolves should stay delisted,” Said Tim Aldrich, President of the Montana Wildlife Federation, “This decision, while reasoned and full of interesting perspectives, is a major setback with regard to Montana’s management of wolves and our other species of wildlife, namely our elk, moose and deer and also supporting the needs of livestock producers.”

We hope MTFWP will quickly and seriously look at appealing this decision.

After reviewing the ruling, it’s clear to MWF that the most direct and timely remedial course of action remains that Wyoming should modify their currently proposed management plan and adopt their original, trophy game recommendation. Without that, Montana will never be free to manage our full array of wildlife populations for abundance and sustainability. 

Looking back to 2008, Wyoming Game and Fish Department presented their proposed wolf management plan based on science and the application of the North American Model for Wildlife Conservation; they were told no, not by other professionals but by the appointed members of the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission who were strongly influenced by several state level special interest groups. 

Montana and Idaho have done their part,” Aldrich said, “hunters, landowners and wildlife professionals worked together to find a middle ground and develop a management plan that will result in the continued sustainable populations of wolves, and now we’re being punished by the unwillingness on behalf of Wyoming leaders to adopt an appropriate, scientific based wolf management plan.  Under normal circumstances, we would not take another state to task over the way they manage their wildlife, but as the old saying goes: Your rights stop where my nose begins. In light of Judge Malloy’s decision, that means that Wyoming’s temper tantrum over wolves is directly impacting the way that we in Montana are able to manage our wildlife. We don’t believe this is acceptable behavior coming from a neighbor, especially a neighboring state with an immensely appreciated wildlife resource of its own. The citizens of Montana want its wildlife management agency to be able to manage their wildlife.”

MWF has long advocated for the application of the North American Model of Fish and Wildlife Conservation in the management of wolves, and recently actively promoted what would have been the second ever regulated hunt of wolves in the lower 48 United States, a hunt with a scientifically based quota of 186 wolves distributed across 14 hunting districts.  Comprehensive modeling clearly showed that this would result in a slight decrease in the overall population of wolves, but would in no way put the population of wolves in Montana in jeopardy.

MWF is an ardent supporter of the hunt, and we will continue to work towards maintaining Montana’s plan, which has clearly passed muster with the courts.

After seeing Idaho and Montana successfully manage wolves as game animals, it boggles my mind that Wyoming’s leaders still cling to the proposal of dual classification of wolves while they watch their elk and moose herds slowly fade away,” Aldrich continued: “You would think that hunters would realize that while dual classification may help keep some wolves out of livestock, it does nothing to mitigate the impacts to their culturally and economically important game herds. Perhaps some would prefer to have fewer ungulates on the ground.” 

Now is not the time for hasty actions, but for the judicious application of pressure on our sister state now standing in the way of two other state’s rights and abilities to manage their wildlife.

For more information, contact:
Tim Aldrich

President

Montana Wildlife Federation

P.O. Box 1175

Helena, MT 59602

(406) 542-3144

Cartim8@msn.com

Ben Lamb

Conservation Director for State and National Issues

Montana Wildlife Federation

P.O. Box 1175

Helena, MT 59602

(406) 458-0227 xtn 108