Wolf Politics

[BigHornyRam]

Here's a little insight on the politics going on and the cast of charactors agendas. This is a response to a news paper editorial by Bob Fanning.

Paul

Dear Editor, The recent letter (on 7/10/03) to Montana and Wyoming newspapers from Ed Bangs, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services' wolf project coordinator deserves rebuttal and factual clarification. Mr.Bangs points a critical finger at Wyoming and their Governor for the way Wyoming choses to control wolves once the predator is "Delisted". Governor Dave Freudenthal and the majority of Wyomings' legislature as well as the majority of Montanas' legislature have listened to their constituents and determined what is in the best interests for the people and industries in their states who are forced to co-exist with wolves. On September 25, 2002 Rep. Dan Fuchs then Chair of the Montana House Fish Wildlife and Parks Committee and myself met with Assistant Secretary of Interior Craig Manson,courtesy of U.S.Senator Conrad Burns.Craig Manson oversees all issues pertaining to Fish,wildlife and Parks at the U.S.Department of Interior and is Ed Bangs' boss.Our meeting lasted over an hour and specificaly addressed the "Delisting" of the Canadian Gray Wolf ,the timetable for "Delisting", and whether the destiny of the three affected states were tied together contingent upon all three states producing an acceptable wolf management plan. Judge Manson in response to our questions about the linkage of all three states and "Delisting" said; 'low level personell are making public statements that do not reflect policy made here in Washington,D.C." On June 9,2003 Mike Phillips of the "Turner Endangered Species Fund, in an e-mail since circulated to legislators in all three affected states announced : "Ed Bangs has chosen NOT to assign a U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist to the region,but instead a Turner Endangered Species Fund biologist to be the main representative for wolf recovery in southwest Montana" Mr.Bangs and the scientists he has chosen drive public policy reflecting the values and agendas of the Turner Endangered Species Fund that conflict with the values and economies of Montana and Wyoming.Governor Dave Freudenthal is correct in chosing to deal directly and only with the Assistant Secretary of Interior in policy matters that profoundly affect the people of Montana and Wyoming and their businesses.Judge Manson worked closely with the state of Montana through its' legislature by helping draft the Fuchs sponsored bill, H.B.283 which passed the Montana House 86-14. House Bill 283 attempts to expedite the "Delisting" of the Canadian Gray Wolf, while defining triggers and consequences should "Delisting" be delayed as it has been in Minnesota for decades.Montana and Wyoming,as host to this "Experimental Non-essential" predator, deserves no less than to deal directly with Judge Manson in Washington D.C. so policy is not missconstrued by "low level personel" who are ifluenced by those with agendas contrary to the values and businesses of our citizens. We hope House Bill 283 will be reviewed after year end by the Montana legislature if Judge Mansons promise to Rep. Fuchs and myself is not kept and "Delisting" doesn't occur. One in four Montanans' over the age of 16 hunt.Hunting as an industry in Montana brings $237.6 million in revenues to our state. The stakes are high. A DEAL IS A DEAL,WOLF CONTROL NOW! Respectfully, Robert T.Fanning Jr. Chairman and Founder "Friends of the Northern Yellowstone Elk Herd, Inc." P.O.Box 142 Pray , Montana 59065 ......406 333 4121..........for verification of meeting contact Dan Fuchs 406 855 2537

 

[Michaelr]

Check this out
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2003/07/09/mtracker/news/31wolves.txt

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - A federal wildlife official says Wyoming's proposal for managing gray wolves is minimally adequate but inconsistent with state law, and reconciling the differences - mainly by limiting hunting of wolves - could delay removing the predators in the Northern Rockies from the federal Endangered Species List.

"There will be no delisting until the Legislature clarifies" how wolves will be classified under Wyoming law, federal wolf recovery coordinator Ed Bangs said Wednesday.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers gray wolves recovered in the Northern Rockies, eight years after they were reintroduced to the region. The agency plans to hand over management responsibilities to the three states where the wolves roam - Wyoming, Montana and Idaho - once they adopt acceptable proposals for maintaining the population.




In a recent letter to Wyoming's Game and Fish Department director, the Fish and Wildlife Service said it has concerns that the department's wolf management proposal - still in draft form - could not be implemented under a law passed earlier this year by the Wyoming Legislature.

Among the differences between the proposal and the state law cited in the letter is the distribution of wolves in Wyoming.

The plan, according to the letter, calls for maintaining at least 15 packs in Wyoming, at least seven of which must be outside Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. The Fish and Wildlife Service believes the law is open to interpretation when it comes to distribution levels.

Another issue is how wolves would be regulated for hunting. The law classifies wolves outside of Yellowstone and Grand Teton and their adjacent wilderness areas as simple predators, on par with coyotes, and allows them to be killed virtually without restriction. Bangs said the hunting of wolves will have to be more tightly restricted.

Because the proposal and law have differences, "there is a concern with the service proceeding with the delisting process unless state law unambiguously authorizes implementation of a state wolf management plan that will conserve wolves above recovery levels," said the letter signed by Bangs.

The Legislature, which won't convene again until this winter, may be asked to do "some tweaking," said Bill Wichers, the department's deputy director.

"I would assume, at this point in time, it is very likely there will be a bill proposed to make some changes," he said, noting that department officials have informally discussed that with select lawmakers.

Game and Fish officials provided an early draft of their plan to the Fish and Wildlife Service and other interested parties - agricultural and environmental groups among them - for comment. A final draft is expected soon and the state Game and Fish Commission is set to consider the plan later this month.

Wichers said changes are being made to the draft - most dealing with semantics but some with "content," though he declined to be more specific.

"I believe we will be able to take forward a plan to the Fish and Wildlife Service that the Fish and Wildlife Service can approve," he said.

Bangs said the current proposal is adequate - "the minimum" - but a lesser plan would not suffice. He said a decision by the commission and whether it is consistent with the law will be key to determining what the next step in the process will be.

Officials in Idaho have prepared a plan and Montana's, while not final, looks good, Bangs said.

"The ball's kind of in Wyoming's court on this one," he said.

 

[BuzzH]

Wyoming is outmatched in this game of hardball.

While Wyoming and its Governor and Legislature struggle to prove a point, one they are sure to lose...the wolves stay on the list and are multiplying more and more.

Great thinking on Wyomings part, they're sure showing the USFWS...arent they?

 

[BigHornyRam]

Buzz,

Here's some more information. It appears the feds are giving Wyoming mixed messages.

Governor wants single federal voice on wolves
JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) -- Gov. Dave Freudenthal wants the federal government to pick a single point person to determine whether Wyoming's wolf management plan is sufficient for lifting federal protection of wolves.

Federal officials have sent the state mixed signals, bogging down an already complicated delisting process, Freudenthal said.

The governor requested the Bush administration designate a single representative on wolf issues in a July 9 letter to Interior Secretary Gale Norton.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department Director Brent Manning is the point man for Wyoming on wolves, the governor wrote Norton. "It is critical that a single point of contact likewise exist in the federal government."

The governor's request comes on the heels of a letter from Ed Bangs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wolf recovery coordinator. Bangs' letter concluded that Wyoming's wolf plan might meet federal standards for delisting but may not be legal because it deviates from a new state wolf classification law.

Bangs said that Wyoming's law might not meet delisting criteria. Bangs is the federally designated spokesperson for wolf recovery.

Freudenthal expressed frustration in his letter to Norton, saying that other Fish and Wildlife staff had indicated previously that Wyoming's wolf law was acceptable.

"Wyoming has consistently been led to believe that its recently passed statutory framework was acceptable in this regard," he wrote. "Now, more recent correspondence indicates that conclusion may not be true."

The governor's spokeswoman, Lara Azar, said the governor's letter was not an attempt to silence Bangs, the agency's lead biologist on wolf delisting.

"He just wants one position from one agency," Azar said.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has declared wolf recovery a success in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. About 660 wolves now roam the three-state area.

But before the service can remove wolves from federal protection and turn over management to states, the service must be assured states will not allow the species to become endangered in the future. Each state must write a wolf management plan that protects a viable population of wolves, according to federal officials.

Wyoming officials have been working on a draft wolf plan for more than a year. Earlier this year, the Wyoming Legislature approved a law classifying wolves in the state and outlining how the predators should be managed.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department staff rewrote the state wolf management plan to reflect the new law, which classifies wolves as predators across most of the state except in some national parks and wilderness areas. Under predator status, wolves could be killed at any time by any means.

State officials had hoped to adopt a final wolf management plan July 28 when Game and Fish commissioners meet in Sheridan.