Risch, Crapo to introduce bill to delist ID, MT wolves

BOISE — Idaho’s U.S. senators plan to introduce a measure to lift Endangered Species Act protections from wolves in Idaho and Montana, as well as portions of Washington, Oregon and Utah. The bill Idaho Republicans Mike Crapo and Jim Risch plan to introduce Wednesday is a response to a federal court order in August that restored protections. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy ruled it was illegal for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delist a species on a state-by-state basis in Montana and Idaho, while leaving out Wyoming’s predator population. Crapo says his legislation comes as frustration over wolf management is mounting. The animals’ population in the northern Rocky Mountains has swelled to 1,600. He hopes bills like his, as well as court appeals of Molloy’s decision, keep this issue in the spotlight.