Montana Outfitters and Guides Association (MOGA) Executive Director Mac Minard, applauded today’s announcement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delist the Wyoming population of gray wolves and declare them recovered and no longer in need of protections afforded by the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Of the action Minard said, “Beginning September 30th, wolves in Wyoming will be managed by the state under an approved management plan; this action places them on equal footing with the sister states of Montana and Idaho. Sportsmen in the West see this as a major victory for science based management over emotional arguments.”
“Our primary goal, and that of the states, is to ensure that gray wolf populations in the Northern Rocky Mountains remain healthy, giving future generations of Americans the chance to hear its howl echo across the area,” said Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe.
No one, least of all residents of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, want to see wolves back on the endangered species list. But that’s what will happen if recovery targets are not sustained. However, many sportsmen fear the loss of over 100 years of successful wildlife management due to an uncontrolled expansion of wolves on the landscape.
To secure the delisting decision Wyoming committed to meeting statutory and regulatory standards by managing for a buffer above minimum management targets and maintaining at least 150 wolves and 15 breeding pairs within the State of Wyoming. This is the same management objective as was adopted by the states of Montana and Idaho.
Beginning October 1, the State of Wyoming has authorized a harvest of 52 wolves in other portions of northwestern Wyoming’s Trophy Area in 2012.
MOGA has previously released a blueprint for managing large predators in Montana that falls within the limits required by the USFWS agreements. Under that plan three primary principles are identified; 1) regulated hunting and trapping needs to be liberalized for predators commensurate with the principles of sustain yield, 2) a fully funded Wildlife Services is essential is applying surgical control (of wolves primarily) in places and times where regulated hunting and trapping cannot meet the needed reductions and 3) predators need to be managed in concert with stated management goals for ungulate populations.
Of the policy Executive Director Mac Minard said, “This policy is a thoughtful and reasoned approach that balances the need to manage wildlife for the benefit of the Montana public and control some segments of the predator populations at times and locations, and in a species specific manner, where such measures help attain stated wildlife management objectives. We believe this is a very direct and thoughtful approach that many hunters/conservationists will stand behind.”
“We applaud the fact that Wyoming will now be able to craft the kind of responsible management system they need to balance competing interests and address long-term conservation goals for all species involved,” said Minard.
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