Decision On Wolves Expected In 60 Days

A federal judge on Friday promised a decision in 60 days on challenges to the federal wolf recovery program in Yellowstone National Park and the central Idaho wilderness.

“I will give this matter priority attention,” District Judge William Downes said at the end of a two-day hearing. “I see it as one of the most important things I’ve put my hands on.”

The three cases challenge the legality of transplanting Canadian wolves to the northern Rockies. A fourth suit filed by Montana ranchers against only this year’s phase of the reintroduction program could also be moved to Downes’ court. A federal judge in Billings has that under consideration.

The legal action has made temporary allies out of traditional opponents.

The American Farm Bureau Federation, the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund and a Pinedale, Wyo., couple argued that wolves already exist in Yellowstone and Idaho. They also claim the government violated its own rules in moving the Canadian wolves.

The Farm Bureau and Urbigkits of Pinedale want the predators removed. The defense fund seeks full protection for wolves that migrate into the region on their own.

The 66 Canadian wolves brought to Idaho and Yellowstone since early 1995 are considered an “experimental population,” which means they can be killed if caught preying on livestock.

Environmental lawyer Doug Honnold said naturally occurring wolves in Idaho should not be “sacrificed on the altar of trying to do something positive.”

He said his clients, which include the National Audubon Society, have no problem with limited protection for wolves transplanted to Idaho but want wolves that migrate from Montana to enjoy full protection. He said experts expect wolves to establish a viable population on their own within five years.

“The irony here is acts of nature are catching up with and overturning the acts of man,” he said.