Tester, Baucus call for wolf management meeting

Tester, Baucus call for wolf management meeting

Tim Leeds — [email protected]

Montana's U.S. Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester are asking the Department of the Interior to call the players in three states to the table to discuss how to manage gray wolf populations.

Tester and Baucus said Thursday that they sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar asking him to convene discussions in Montana to talk about how this state, Idaho and Wyoming can best manage wolves following a court ruling that relisted the wolf as an endangered species in Montana and Idaho.

"In the pursuit of finding a lasting solution, we strongly support state management and believe that it can be used to achieve a healthy population of gray wolves while balancing the needs of the communities in this region," the senators said in the letter.

Citing Montana's and Idaho's success in creating management plans, the senators said all parties should work to resolve the issue.

"No matter the solution, we must all be proactive; and that includes the State of Wyoming," the senators wrote. "Hoping that this issue will resolve itself is unwise for our local ranchers and for the long-term survival of the Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolf."

Baucus said he intends to introduce legislation after the August recess that would put the gray wolf in Montana under state management.

Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., said he intends to co-sponsor a bill introduced by Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas, that amends the Endangered Species Act to prohibit listing the gray wolf as an endangered or threatened species.

The gray wolf, declared an endangered species in 1974, was reintroduced in the Northern Rocky Mountains in 1995. The species now has an estimated population of 1,700, primarily in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.

The wolf was removed from the endangered species list in Montana and Idaho after the states presented management plans approved by the Interior Department but was kept an endangered species in Wyoming. Montana and Idaho included wolf hunts in their plans, with 73 wolves reported killed in Montana last year and 185 killed in Idaho.

But on Aug. 5, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy ruled that removing the endangered species status in some states while leaving it in another violated the Endangered Species Act. The entire population in the region must be protected, not just in Wyoming, where state law is considered hostile to its survival, he ruled.

The Associated Press reports that Montana wildlife officials are meeting today with ranchers, hunters, wool growers and other groups to discuss forming a coalition, to discuss options the state can take including appealing Molloy's decision.

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously earlier this week to appeal Molloy's ruling.

In their letter to Salazar, Baucus and Tester also requested full federal funding for wolf management efforts, including the Wolf Kill Bill written by Tester and Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. The law pays ranchers the full market value for livestock killed by wolves.

Montana's U.S. Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester are asking the Department of the Interior to call the players in three states to the table to discuss how to manage gray wolf populations.

Tester and Baucus said Thursday that they sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar asking him to convene discussions in Montana to talk about how this state, Idaho and Wyoming can best manage wolves following a court ruling that relisted the wolf as an endangered species in Montana and Idaho.

"In the pursuit of finding a lasting solution, we strongly support state management and believe that it can be used to achieve a healthy population of gray wolves while balancing the needs of the communities in this region," the senators said in the letter.

Citing Montana's and Idaho's success in creating management plans, the senators said all parties should work to resolve the issue.

"No matter the solution, we must all be proactive; and that includes the State of Wyoming," the senators wrote. "Hoping that this issue will resolve itself is unwise for our local ranchers and for the long-term survival of the Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolf."

Baucus said he intends to introduce legislation after the August recess that would put the gray wolf in Montana under state management.

Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., said he intends to co-sponsor a bill introduced by Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas, that amends the Endangered Species Act to prohibit listing the gray wolf as an endangered or threatened species.

The gray wolf, declared an endangered species in 1974, was reintroduced in the Northern Rocky Mountains in 1995. The species now has an estimated population of 1,700, primarily in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.

The wolf was removed from the endangered species list in Montana and Idaho after the states presented management plans approved by the Interior Department but was kept an endangered species in Wyoming. Montana and Idaho included wolf hunts in their plans, with 73 wolves reported killed in Montana last year and 185 killed in Idaho.

But on Aug. 5, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy ruled that removing the endangered species status in some states while leaving it in another violated the Endangered Species Act. The entire population in the region must be protected, not just in Wyoming, where state law is considered hostile to its survival, he ruled.

The Associated Press reports that Montana wildlife officials are meeting today with ranchers, hunters, wool growers and other groups to discuss forming a coalition, to discuss options the state can take including appealing Molloy's decision.

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously earlier this week to appeal Molloy's ruling.

In their letter to Salazar, Baucus and Tester also requested full federal funding for wolf management efforts, including the Wolf Kill Bill written by Tester and Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. The law pays ranchers the full market value for livestock killed by wolves.