This morning in the Senate, Senate Resources Committee Chairman Gary Schroeder, R-Moscow, announced the federal decision to de-list wolves in the state. He got a rare round of applause. An hour later, Idaho Fish & Game Director Cal Groen, who attended a Resources Committee meeting where a memorial backing de-listing was approved, told Eye on Boise the state is gearing up for a wolf-hunting season. "It'll be this fall if we can get it," he said. "They're spreading out more, getting in trouble." Groen said the delisting will allow Idaho to manage wolves like any other species. "It's going to be good for wolves, it's going to be good for elk, it's going to be good for our rural communities, because they're getting into a lot of places where they shouldn't be right now, and causing a lot of unneeded conflicts," he said.

The governor, all four members of Idaho's congressional delegation, and Idaho's attorney general all issued statements today applauding the de-listing decision. Gov. Butch Otter, asked by a reporter if he still wants a wolf-hunting permit - he's been saying for two years that he'd like to bid on the first permit to hunt for a wolf - answered, "Absolutely!"

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