Feds reject dual status for wolves
September 29, 2002
www.billingsgazette.com

GREEN RIVER, Wyo. (AP) - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has rejected the state's plan to seek dual classification for the gray wolf, saying it would undermine efforts to keep the animal from becoming endangered again.

Going against the advice of department directors, Wyoming's Game and Fish Commission earlier this month voted to designate the wolf as a trophy game animal in some forest wilderness areas and a predator in the rest of the state.

That classification meant the wolf could be killed anytime, any way, anywhere, much like the coyote, jack rabbit and skunk, if its federal protection is removed. Animals classified as trophy game are subject to state hunting regulations, including licensing and specific hunting seasons.

Federal biologists criticized the plan, saying it could stall efforts to remove the animal from the endangered species list.

Wyoming, Idaho and Montana must have state management plans in place and approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prior to a delisting petition being submitted.

Wyoming's dual classification proposal wouldn't meet federal delisting standards, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Steve Williams said Thursday in a letter to the state Game and Fish Department.

"I guess we were kind of hoping he would say otherwise, but quite frankly I'm not surprised" by the opinion, Game and Fish Acting Director Tom Thorne said Friday.

The problem with dual classification is the state must show it has enough legal authority to prevent the wolf from becoming endangered or threatened again, Williams said.

The state could not regulate wolf management in areas where the animal is classified as a predator, which would be most areas in the state, Williams said.

"If wolves are legally managed as trophy game animals ... (the department) could quickly revise regulations of enact emergency orders, without the need for legislative approvals," Williams wrote.

Game and Fish commissioners planned to revisit the issue at their next meeting in October.

Wolves were reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in 1995 and 1996. As of last year, 189 wolves were living in northwest Wyoming in 10 packs, each with a breeding pair.