Some people will never believe that gray wolves belong back in the Inland Northwest.

Others have such romantic ties to the reintroduced wolves, they will never ponder the threat the predators pose to big-game herds, livestock and family pets.

In such a polarized climate, it’s hard to find middle ground for managing the growing number of wolves in Idaho and Montana. But the two states and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have. On Feb. 2, the federal government will allow Idaho and Montana wider latitude in dispatching troublesome wolves, an important step that could initiate a reasonable coexistence between wolves, their prey and humans.

Unfortunately, Wyoming has taken a different approach in its dealings with the federal government about the wolves. After federal officials rejected that state’s wolf management plan, Wyoming filed suit. Before the wolves can be de-listed from the endangered species list, all three states in the reintroduction region must submit acceptable management plans. As a result of Wyoming’s actions, Idaho and Montana settled for a half measure that’s acceptable but not as good a solution as delisting the wolves as an endangered species.

The wolves have thrived in the approximate decade since they were reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho. About 825 wolves live in the three states, including approximately 450 in Idaho, exceeding the recovery goals. Controversy, however, has dogged the recovery program, as the wolves have killed 278 cattle and nearly 800 sheep in the three states from 1995 to 2003, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. The carnage has prompted angry farmers, outfitters and local officials to form groups, such as the 350-strong Idaho Anti-Wolf Coalition, and to call for an end to the reintroduction program.

That’s not going to happen.

The wolf haters know the predators are here to stay. The wolf lovers know the animals can’t be allowed to run free without mitigation efforts. Or the wolves will eventually trigger a backlash as they move their feasting closer to populated areas. That’s why the new management approach that begins on Groundhog Day fits the agenda for both sides. It allows ranchers to kill the wolves without prior written approval if they can prove the predators are harassing livestock, and it permits the state to kill wolves that are harming big game herds. On the other hand, it establishes boundaries for the clever eating machines that fear little but humans with a gun.

Wolves will adapt to the new rules and survive. So will elk and deer herds. And cattlemen and sheep growers.

But Idaho and Montana will have to wait awhile for Wyoming to realize that balance is best for all.