NEWS RELEASE March 6, 2002
CONTACTS:
David Gaillard, program associate, Sara Folger, conservation director, or Andrea Poet, communications director at Predator Conservation Alliance, (406) 587-3389.
Montana Prepares to Take Over Wolf Management
Hearings provide opportunity to get stronger protections for wolves
Over the next few weeks, the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Department will be holding public meetings across the state to discuss the future of the wolf in Montana. The department is interested in getting the public’s input during this "scoping" period, which will help shape the state’s management plan. Currently, wolves are protected under the Endangered Species Act, and are under federal management.
Predator Conservation Alliance, a non-profit conservation group based in Bozeman, supports some aspects of the proposed management plan, but stronger protections need to be in place if the wolf is to be managed above the brink of extinction.
"Montanans and Americans nationwide support restoring the wolf to Montana," said David Gaillard, program associate at Predator Conservation Alliance. " Ensuring the long-term survival of wolves requires a robust and well-distributed wolf population in areas of Montana where it is biologically feasible and socially acceptable."
Predator Conservation Alliance believes there should be three progressive stages of wolf management: protective, where strong protections are implemented; conservative, where management remains cautious and restorative as wolves continue to grow in number and distribution; and long-term, where management practices are followed similar to those afforded to other healthy wildlife populations in Montana. The Montana draft plan goes straight from managing wolves at the brink of extinction to liberal management, with no margin for safety. For example, wolves could be more easily killed by private landowners, whether or not a particular wolf threatened livestock or pets.
Predator Conservation Alliance supports some key elements in Montana’s draft management plan: it calls for no artificial limits on the maximum number of wolves in Montana; no artificial boundaries that would exclude wolves from certain areas of the state; and does not allow for immediate hunting of wolves.
Predator Conservation Alliance urges the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) to include the following improvements into its plan:
&Mac183; FWP’s current goal of 15 wolf packs for Montana (a milestone already achieved) should be at least doubled to ensure long-term wolf conservation. (Only approximately two-thirds of all wolf packs are breeding packs).
&Mac183; FWP’s plan should protect key areas of wolf habitat during key seasons. It should maintain large, wild areas where wolves and their natural prey are secure from excessive disturbance by people. The plan should also protect wolf denning sites during the few months each spring when those sites are active.
&Mac183; FWP’s plan should not allow private citizens to kill a wolf unless it poses an immediate threat to human life, livestock or other property. Stewardship methods that reduce conflicts should be tried before lethal control measures. Control measures should be selective against offending wolves only.
The state plan (available at www.fwp.state.mt.us) will serve as the basis for discussion during the scoping period, which runs through April 30. This summer, the state will present several management alternatives, and the public will again have the chance to comment. A final plan will be created, and will be implemented once states take over wolf management from the federal government (this could be as early as 2004).
"Predator Conservation Alliance looks forward to the day when wolves are doing well enough to be managed in a manner similar to other wildlife in Montana, including black bears, mountain lions and elk," Gaillard said.
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