Here's a news item from the Associated Press:  BOISE, Idaho (AP) — State wildlife managers expect to hear back in the next six weeks on Idaho's petition to kill wolves in the upper Clearwater River Basin. Idaho Fish and Game Commissioner Fred Trevey told lawmakers Thursday the state is prepared to move "instantly" into the Lolo Zone in northern Idaho. The state has petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to kill up to 50 wolves in the Lolo Zone, with the goal of boosting elk populations. States are allowed to remove wolves if they are harming deer or elk herds. Fewer than 2,000 elk live in the Lolo Zone, biologist say, and that population fell after a steep drop in the mid- to late-1990s attributed to harsh winters, habitat changes, and predation by bears and mountain lions. State officials contend the elk population would have rebounded if not for wolves.