States, Ranchers Praise Ruling While Others Howl Fish And Wildlife Didn’t Follow Own Rules, Legislators Say
A federal judge’s order for the removal of wolves transplanted in central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park was welcomed Friday by elected officials in states surrounding the park.
But the decision of U.S. District Judge William Downes was criticized by a member of a group supporting the effort to restore wolves in America’s northern Rockies.
“Three years have passed and we are well on the way to recovery,” said Hank Fischer, a spokesman for the Defenders of Wildlife. “We are confident the judge has made a mistake.”
Downes, ruling in a 3-year-old lawsuit, said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s wolf recovery program illegally reduced protection granted wolves from Montana and Canada under the Endangered Species Act.
He ordered the Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the 66 Canadian wolves released in central Idaho and Yellowstone in 1995 and 1996, along with their offspring. He stayed his order, however, pending an appeal.
The wolf recovery program was opposed by many officials in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. On Friday, several praised Downes’ decision.
“I applaud the decision made by Judge Downes that the establishment of a nonessential experimental population of gray wolves in Yellowstone … is unlawful and therefore the wolves must be removed,” said U.S. Rep. Barbara Cubin, R-Wyo. “His decision is an important one in the effort to protect and preserve state’s rights, individual rights and the rights of private property owners.”
Wyoming Gov. Jim Geringer said he was pleased to see the judge ruled the Fish and Wildlife Service did not follow federal rules.
“The over-arching issue is when the Department of the Interior … decided on the reintroduction, they didn’t follow the appropriate rules and procedures and the law that need to be followed and that’s the significant part of this,” he said.
U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., an outspoken critic of the recovery effort, called the ruling a reflection on the Endangered Species Act.
“What this says to me is that the Endangered Species Act, in relation to wolf recovery, has been out of control from day one,” he said. “Given the judge’s ruling, perhaps we will need to reassess whether the entire policy is a legal failure, as well as a failure in practice.”
But Fischer said it appeared Downes erred in his ruling and said his group would work with the federal government in an expected appeal of the decision.
“If there are technicalities, they can be changed,” he said. “I’m sure we will be part of the challenge and will work with every ounce of energy (to see) that the ruling does not stand.”
Meanwhile, Idaho Gov. Phil Batt and Idaho Farm Bureau President Frank Priestly joined American Farm Bureau President Dean Kleckner in calling the ruling a victory for ranchers and farmers.
“The ruling vindicates the Farm Bureau position that the wolf introduction program failed to address the concerns of farmers and ranchers and represented overzealous regulation by the government,” Kleckner said.