Lawmakers seek to delist gray wolf

Montana Congressman Denny Rehberg said he plans to co-sponsor legislation that will remove the gray wolf from Endangered Species Act protection.

The bill, introduced by Congressman Chet Edwards of Texas, amends the ESA to specifically exclude wolves from protection.

"The gray wolf (Canis lupus' shall not be treated as an endangered species or threatened species for purposes of this Act," the amendment reads.

"It's become clear the courts and the environmental extremists have abandoned the principle of sound science when determining the status of the gray wolf," Rehberg said last week. "Years of research, dedicated efforts by land owners and local officials, and the expert opinions of on-the-ground wildlife managers have been given a back seat to profit-motivated environmental groups. We need to call attention to this abuse and solve an issue that should have been put to rest years ago."

The legislation comes on the heels of a federal court ruling earlier this month that placed wolves in Montana and Idaho back on the ESA. The U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service broke its own rulemaking process when it de-listed wolves in Montana and Idaho, but not Wyoming.

The court said the Service had to take all three states into account. The Service did not delist wolves in Wyoming because the state did not devise an acceptable management plan that would preserve its wolf population outside Yellowstone National Park.

Montana Sen. Max Baucus said he'll also introduce legislation that will put wolves under Montana management.

"We've got to manage them," he said. "I disagree with Judge Molloy's decision. There are 500 wolves in Montana. Scientists say if there are 100 wolves, the species is protected. I think there should be a wolf hunt. They're cutting down elk and deer populations. Hunters are upset and livestock managers are worried about predation."

Meanwhile the state may pursue other avenues to control Montana's wolf population.

One tack involves utilizing a section in the ESA known as the 10-J rule that would allow government hunters to shoot wolves that are causing depredations in game herds. The 10-J rule would only apply to the "experimental" population of wolves in the southern half of the state. Those wolves were re-introduced in the 1990s by the USFWS. Wolves in Northwest Montana, however, naturally expanded their range from Canada, initially forming packs in Glacier National Park in the mid-1980s.

Another strategy is to appeal Molloy's ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

All of the strategies take months, if not years, notes Carolyn Sime, wolf program coordinator for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Ultimately, FWP would like to have sportsmen harvest animals through a controlled hunting season, she said.