Friday, September 10, 2010

Otter: State won’t aid in wolf management

Governor demands agreement with federal agencies by Oct.


By KATHERINE WUTZ
Express Staff Writer

In what has been called a political move by wolf advocates, Gov. Butch Otter has threatened to end Idaho's participation in federal wolf management if the state's role hasn't been defined within a month.

Otter stated after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar that if Idaho, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Interior Department cannot agree on a plan for wolf management by Oct. 7, the state will not support federal management efforts.

"The governor, like a lot of Idahoans, is frustrated with the current situation," said David Hensley, deputy chief of staff and legal counsel for the governor. "The reason we set a deadline was to convey to the secretary the sense of urgency we have on the issue."

Otter stated in a news release Wednesday that wolves have a "devastating" impact on elk, deer and livestock and that a timely solution must be reached.

But Otter's assertion is "unfounded," according to Garrick Dutcher, spokesman for the Ketchum-based advocacy group Living with Wolves. Dutcher said that even though elk populations are down, such fluctuations are a historical norm.

"[Otter's statement] is a political move late in an election year," Dutcher said. "There is no reason for Gov. Otter to impart such a sense of urgency other than to garner votes."

The state previously provided monitoring of wolves, law enforcement support and investigation of wolf deaths.

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These responsibilities were undertaken by the state in 2006, though the formal agreement with the federal government ended when the northern Rocky Mountain wolves were taken off the endangered species list in February 2008. Wolf management then became wholly a state, rather than a federal, responsibility.

According to Hensley, the state of Idaho can choose whether it wishes to participate in a federal wolf management plan.

U.S. District Judge David Molloy's August ruling to relist wolves under the Endangered Species Act overturned state management, Hensley said, and there needs to be a clear agreement as to the state's new role before Idaho will participate.

If the state declines, as it did in 1995 when wolves were reintroduced, another organization will be chosen to act as the federal government's agent in the area. The Nez Perce tribe held this position from 1995 until 2003, when the state shouldered some responsibility.

Hensley said the governor hopes to restore state management of wolves as soon as possible, and Idaho Department of Fish and Game Executive Director Jim Unsworth said the department is working closely with the governor to help him meet that goal.

But if a timely agreement cannot be reached, Hensley said that the state would have to take a "hard look" at its role in wolf management.

"At this point, nothing's been resolved," he said.

Katherine Wutz: kwutz@mtexpress.com




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