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October 19, 2010 in Idaho
Idaho pulling back on wolves
Otter cites frustration over inability to hunt
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter ordered state wildlife managers Monday to stop arresting poachers and investigating illegal killings of wolves, saying the state is getting out of wolf management.
Without the ability to stage a public wolf hunt this fall, there’s little benefit for Idaho to act as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s “designated agent” for managing wolves in the state, the governor said in a terse letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
“This has been after months and months of frustration,” Otter said during an appearance in Boise. “We had a successful hunt last year, and it was a responsible hunt.”
An estimated 850 wolves live in Idaho. Hunters killed 188 wolves during the state’s first public hunt, which ended March 31. State officials said hunting pressure is needed to keep wolves from depleting deer, elk and moose populations.
Earlier this year, a federal judge reinstated Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the Northern Rockies, ruling that the federal government couldn’t delist wolves in Idaho and Montana when the state of Wyoming hadn’t adopted an approved plan to protect wolves. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy blocked public wolf hunts planned this fall in Idaho and Montana.
Since September, Otter’s advisers had been negotiating with Salazar and other federal officials on a plan for Idaho to continue to manage wolves within state borders. In addition to the hunt, Otter wanted provisions giving state wildlife managers more authority to kill wolves in areas where state officials said the packs are taking too many big game.
In practical terms, Monday’s pronouncement means state employees won’t monitor wolf populations, investigate suspicious or illegal killings or take part in culling wolf packs that prey on livestock. Any tips will be turned over to federal wildlife officials.
For the time being, “our employees are getting out of the business of managing these predators,” said Otter spokesman Jon Hanian.
Keith Allred, a Democratic candidate challenging Otter for the governor’s seat, immediately criticized Otter’s stance.
“Butch Otter just gave away more state power to the federal government,” Allred said in a statement. “We need to be asserting our sovereignty, not giving it away.”
“Nothing else has worked,” Otter, a Republican, fired back. “Everything the (federal government) has promised us, they’ve not kept. … It’s time to draw the line somewhere.”
Asking state wildlife managers to enforce unpopular federal mandates, including no taking of wolves, isn’t fair or safe for employees, said Wayne Wright, chairman of the Idaho Fish and Game Commission.
“There’s a lot of anger and angst out there on the part of sportsmen with the whole judicial process,” Wright said. “It would be very difficult for us to put our officers in harm’s way.”
He also said it would be “untenable” to subsidize wolf management with revenue from sales of hunting licenses. Last year, Idaho spent about $1.7 million on wolf management. About $500,000 came from license sales, paid for by hunters, with the remainder coming from federal funds.
Interior Department officials said Otter’s demands for a public hunt couldn’t be accommodated.
“The wolf is again on the endangered species list and therefore we cannot currently authorize the resumption of sport hunting of wolves,” said Kendra Barkoff, an Interior Department spokeswoman.
But she said the agency will continue to work with Idaho and other states to find a balance between re-establishing wolves and conserving big game.
Otter’s action also drew criticism from Defenders of Wildlife, a lead plaintiff in the lawsuit to relist the Northern Rockies’ wolf population under the Endangered Species Act.
Defenders President Rodger Schlickeisen accused Otter of escalating tensions over the wolf issue for “political showmanship.”
“We firmly believe that, with proper safeguards in place, wolves can once again be managed by the states,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Miners to return to Lucky Friday 
harrykrebs on October 19 at 4:00 a.m.
The Candian Gray Wold is not native to Idaho. This means that it should be treated as an invasive species.
Thoreau on October 19 at 12:51 p.m.
If a rancher depends on his product surviving, and must occassionally kill a wolf, how is it different when a restaurant kills rats, mice, and roaches?
outdoorlover on October 19 at 4:15 p.m.
The wolves we have in Idaho are “super wolves” so to speak, they are a massive, strong and efficient predator in comparison to our native wildlife. They are capable of killing multiple elk in a matter of minutes. This is absolutely true and until you’ve seen a half dead calf and cow elk lying in a road together after being eaten alive by wolves, you have no legitimate understanding of what you’re talking about. I’ve seen it first hand over and over again. It sounds harsh, but it’s the truth. I don’t hate wolves by any means, they’re a beautiful animal, it is man’s interference that introduced these animals to our forests and allowed them to overpopulate resulting in the rapid depletion of our elk, deer and moose populations. Yes, it is sad that we now have to manage this issue, but it has to be managed. “Saving the wolves” is killing the deer, elk and moose. I am a hunter, a backpacker and an avid fisherman and have always been sensitive to the fair and ethical treatment of all animals, predator or not. It’s time we take an honest look into what’s happening in our woods and resolve this issue with integrity.
straighttalk on October 19 at 4:38 p.m.
The reintroduction was the same subspecies as the species which was systmatically eradicated in the 50s. Idaho has from the beginning in the mid 90s step up to the plate in this issue. The problem is the ESA requirements tied Idaho’s efforts to Montana and Wyoming. Montana did the right thing but Wyoming has not and will not thus Idaho and Montana are bearing the brunt. However, stepping away from Idaho’s management plan is not the answer as it ties Idaho’s hands as to any further management because some other entity will have that responsibility and will additionally be receiving the federal funding for management. Otter’s call was without good judgment as is shown now by his back pedaling.
outdoorlover on October 20 at 5:11 p.m.
The Canadian Grey Wolves reintroduced in 96’ are NOT the same type of wolves we had in Idaho before elimination in the 40’s. They are wolves that have been bred to hunt caribou and moose and are larger and more efficient because of it. We had a smaller version (Timber Wolf) similar to that which inhabited Minnesota prior to elimination 70 years ago. They’ve adapted and evolved. The rate of mortality in the wolf population since re-introduction has been far lower than anticipated. The government was not properly equipped to monitor and track wolf success in remote areas- I live in one of these areas in north-central Idaho. The wolves are incredibly smart, efficient and adaptive. They cover a lot of territory in a small amount of time. I see many elk that have been ran to death and ravaged by these wolves, especially during the winter months when their food supply and mobility are limited. There is a problem; it needs to be dealt with sooner than later. I’m confident that those opposing depleting the wolf population are ill-informed and have not seen first-hand the actual devastation.
harrykrebs on October 20 at 6:50 p.m.
In the mid 1990’s when the Canadian Gray Wolves were introduced into Idaho, sufficient public participation in the process was lacking.