Around 150 people gathered in Boise to let U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials know what they thought of the proposal to delist the gray wolf and move it from protection status. Most in attendance opposed the delisting.
Katie Fite of the Western Watersheds Project –
“We believe this is the worst possible time for delisting of gray wolves,†Fite said. “Basically what’s going to happen is a scorched-earth policy with hunters as tools.â€
Suzanne Stone, a representative of Defenders of Wildlife -
But therein lies the problem, says Suzanne Stone, who believes relisting isn’t likely even if it’s needed.
“It’s never been done before. That’s the part that I’m pretty concerned about. There has not been an emergent relisting of any species like wolves before, that I’m aware of,” said Stone, representative of Defenders of Wildlife.
Has there ever been a request to relist a species like a wolf?
“We want to see the healthy wolf population, and we want to see the states take over wolf management, but not if they’re going to kill so many wolves and keep the population so suffocated to where we are persecuting wolves again, rather than trying to restore them,” she said.
Those wanting to see a delisting of the wolf far outnumber those opposed even though the majority of those in attendance at this hearing were opposed. Even the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service believes it is time.
“I think it’s all good news really,” said Ed Bangs, wolf recovery expert for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Most in favor of the delisting are not interested in eradicating the wolf again and offered up assurances that that wouldn’t happen.
“I personally believe the commitments made in the state plan and in state law are going to assure that wolves are common in central Idaho, widely distributed in the most suitable habitat, and there’s no way the populations are going to be endangered,” said Bangs.
Yesterday, Governor Otter released a statement concerning the intentions and commitments of the state of Idaho in managing the wolf and ensuring its future. He gave four reasons why wolf eradication would not happen again.
1) The sheer number of wolves in the state – we have 72 confirmed packs; 2) Idaho’s rugged landscape; 3) Idaho’s determination to maintain its sovereignty and keep wolves from returning to the endangered species list; 4) The public policy of the state of Idaho to manage gray wolves at recovery levels that will ensure a self-sustaining population.
But, not everyone in attendance felt so compassionate toward the wolf in a restorative way. One such person indicated they were in favor of reducing the wolf population back to zero.
There are two more scheduled public hearings, one in Oregon and one in Washington. At the conclusion of these meetings a final decision will be made on delisting but few believe that even if the USFWS opts to delist, animal rights groups will tie the process up in the courts for years, further threatening the ecological balance of the region as well as destroying the decades of hard work that has gone into managing the other wild game.
Tom Remington
