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Idaho's wolves are here to stay.
The sooner the people in Idaho's anti-wolf movement face up to that reality, the better — for them and for all Idahoans.
The reality is, the federal government believes Idaho is home to about 380 wolves, a big enough population to raise serious questions.
What's the real relationship between wolf and big game populations? What's best strategy for managing both? Is there a way Idaho can savor two sounds of the wild — the howl of the wolf pack and the bugle of a bull elk?
We believe there is such a way. But Idahoans aren't going to find it by shopping around to find a judge who would order the federal government to wipe out wolves. Or by forming a band of vigilantes that takes the law of nature into its own hands and kills wolves illegally.
The region's wolf population has grown dramatically — from about 100 animals in 1995, when wolves were released in Central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park, to an estimated 760 wolves today. A growing anti-wolf backlash is inevitable.
It's no surprise that the Idaho Anti-Wolf Coalition — headed by Ron Gillett, a Stanley outfitter who has called wolves "land piranhas and wildlife terrorists" — wants to raise money to haul the feds into court to reverse wolf reintroduction. It's an attention-grabber, but even other critics are skeptical. "We just don't see that happening," said Nate Helm, Idaho executive director of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife.
Helm, a former staffer for Sen. Larry Craig, is probably right about the political reality. But we're skeptical about his group's biological claims — that Idaho wolves are "decimating" big-game populations. The state Department of Fish and Game's numbers on elk populations and hunting success have held steady, suggesting no crash in numbers.
This is one reason why we support state wolf management — and a federal plan to give Idaho more control over the species. This handoff provides the best way to let state wildlife managers scrutinize the relationship between wolves and big game and make decisions that benefit both. This difficult job carries heavy responsibility; the fiery rhetoric of the wolf naysayers doesn't make the task any easier.
Wolf reintroduction has been a stunning biological success. This hardy and prolific animal has reclaimed its role in Idaho's ecosystem and reassumed its place in the state's future.
We're glad the wolf is back. We're convinced Idahoans can share hunting destinations and livestock range with the wolf. We're eager to see Idahoans step up and find long-term, Idaho-based solutions.
As long as anti-wolf activists cling to the idea of wiping out wolves, they'll never be part of a solution. Only part of a problem.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040629/NEWS0501/406290313/1052/NEWS05
The sooner the people in Idaho's anti-wolf movement face up to that reality, the better — for them and for all Idahoans.
The reality is, the federal government believes Idaho is home to about 380 wolves, a big enough population to raise serious questions.
What's the real relationship between wolf and big game populations? What's best strategy for managing both? Is there a way Idaho can savor two sounds of the wild — the howl of the wolf pack and the bugle of a bull elk?
We believe there is such a way. But Idahoans aren't going to find it by shopping around to find a judge who would order the federal government to wipe out wolves. Or by forming a band of vigilantes that takes the law of nature into its own hands and kills wolves illegally.
The region's wolf population has grown dramatically — from about 100 animals in 1995, when wolves were released in Central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park, to an estimated 760 wolves today. A growing anti-wolf backlash is inevitable.
It's no surprise that the Idaho Anti-Wolf Coalition — headed by Ron Gillett, a Stanley outfitter who has called wolves "land piranhas and wildlife terrorists" — wants to raise money to haul the feds into court to reverse wolf reintroduction. It's an attention-grabber, but even other critics are skeptical. "We just don't see that happening," said Nate Helm, Idaho executive director of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife.
Helm, a former staffer for Sen. Larry Craig, is probably right about the political reality. But we're skeptical about his group's biological claims — that Idaho wolves are "decimating" big-game populations. The state Department of Fish and Game's numbers on elk populations and hunting success have held steady, suggesting no crash in numbers.
This is one reason why we support state wolf management — and a federal plan to give Idaho more control over the species. This handoff provides the best way to let state wildlife managers scrutinize the relationship between wolves and big game and make decisions that benefit both. This difficult job carries heavy responsibility; the fiery rhetoric of the wolf naysayers doesn't make the task any easier.
Wolf reintroduction has been a stunning biological success. This hardy and prolific animal has reclaimed its role in Idaho's ecosystem and reassumed its place in the state's future.
We're glad the wolf is back. We're convinced Idahoans can share hunting destinations and livestock range with the wolf. We're eager to see Idahoans step up and find long-term, Idaho-based solutions.
As long as anti-wolf activists cling to the idea of wiping out wolves, they'll never be part of a solution. Only part of a problem.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040629/NEWS0501/406290313/1052/NEWS05
