Sierra Club Cautiously Optimistic About State's Wolf Management

[JoseCuervo]

Sierra Club Cautiously Optimistic About State Management of Wolves
Montana, Idaho Wildlife Agencies Have Opportunity to Continue Success Story Upon 10th Anniversary of Reintroduction

BOZEMAN, MT -- January 6 -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service broke new ground in endangered species management by transferring limited management authority to the states of Montana and Idaho today – a move that comes prior to the species’ official delisting. The rule change will be published in the Federal Register today, sparking a cautiously optimistic stance from the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots conservation group.

"With broader state level participation in wolf management, wildlife managers in Montana and Idaho will now have the chance to prove themselves worthy of continuing the success the federal government has had in bringing wild wolves back from extinction in the West," said Bart Semcer, Sierra Club’s Washington, D.C. Representative for Fish and Wildlife Policy.

Sierra Club contends that although there has been well-documented success in restoring wolves to the northern Rocky Mountains over the past decade, that the burgeoning wolf population still finds itself in a fragile condition, especially considering the vocal minority of those hostile to recovery efforts including the some Wyoming politicians, many stockgrowers and some outfitters. The new rules will allow the practice of killing wolves to be used as a first, rather than last, resort. Sierra Club supports managing wolves based on the best available science in order to maintain ten years of successful wolf restoration efforts in the northern Rockies, and is concerned that science based wolf management might be abandoned by the states for political expediency under the new rule.

"One huge shortcoming of the new rule is that it treats wolves as pests and vermin, rather than a valuable natural resource and part of our region’s wildlife heritage that makes spectacular places like the backcountry of Yellowstone complete," said Katie Craig, Conservation Organizer with the Montana Chapter of Sierra Club in Bozeman, MT.

If the states of Montana and Idaho are going to take over wolf management, Sierra Club hopes their management plans will work to protect wolf populations, avoid conflicts between wolves, and livestock and maintain healthy populations of all native wildlife.

""Wolf reintroduction has been a huge financial investment that has paid off, with wolf populations doing extremely well in Montana and Idaho. Now these two states are being given an opportunity, in advance of de-listing, to show the country that they can conserve wolves," said Jessica Ruehrwein, Conservation Organizer with the Northern Rockies Chapter of Sierra Club in Boise, ID. "I sincerely hope they don't squander this opportunity."

Sierra Club will continue to review the plan published in today’s Federal Register and closely monitor state management actions before deciding whether or not to support formal delisting for the species.

"We now look forward to working with the state agencies just as we have with federal agencies, ranchers, sportsmen and others, with the well being of recovering wolf populations and all native wildlife in mind," said Semcer. "We will be monitoring the state legislatures to see if any attempts are made to weaken the state management plans that were the catalyst for the federal rule change."

The Sierra Club's members are more than 700,000 of your friends and neighbors. Inspired by nature, we work together to protect our communities and the planet. The Club is America's oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. Learn more at: http://www.sierraclub.org/wildlife

 

[ringer]

How can anyone say the wolf is a valuable state resource? Just how many dollars of bottom line profit will be contributed by this scheme? Just like saying that getting rid of rats to eliminate the plague eliminated the natural heritage in England so we must reintroduce the rat. Being very naive must be a prerequisite to joining the enviro groups. If you want to see wolves you can always travel north to Alaska and look at the pelts for sale at the shops there.

 

[BuckTrack]

wild dogs, why do you need them. what is the point. They suck,they have pushed the elk herds around in my favorite get away place. cant hardley see one now. I am so glad that they are now under State control. Best FU**##IN news I heard all year.

 

[Ithaca 37]

Bucktrack, The days of going back to the same spot every time and finding elk are over. You're going to have to learn how to hunt. Most Idahoans don't know how to. That's what all the whining is about.