Nez Perce oppose wolf-kill plan

BOISE – An Indian tribe that’s helped with gray wolf recovery efforts since the animal’s reintroduction into Idaho in 1995 says the state is moving too quickly with a plan to kill dozens of wolves to help restore elk herds on the border with Montana.

Rebecca Miles, chairwoman of the Nez Perce in Lapwai, said tribal wolf managers aren’t convinced that studies of elk herds in the Clearwater River basin support a plan by the state Department of Fish and Game to reduce wolf numbers in the area to as few as 15, from about 60 animals now.

According to the agency, wolves are responsible for about 35 percent of recorded elk cow deaths since 2002 in two hunting units in the region.

Wolves were confirmed to have killed eight of 25 elk cows that died, from among 64 adult elk cows captured and radio collared between 2002 and 2004, the study showed.

The Nez Perce, as well as some conservation groups, say the evidence isn’t conclusive that depredations are devastating elk numbers. They argue the agency should focus on restoring habitat, not killing wolves.

“It is junk science,” said Aaron Miles, the tribe’s natural resource manager. “There’s no peer review. It’s jumping from one conclusion to the next.”

Fish and Game officials held a public hearing in Boise on Thursday to introduce their plan. A similar hearing is planned for next Tuesday in Lewiston.

Federal officials still must approve the state’s proposal to kill wolves.

Ed Bangs, wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Helena, has said his agency will judge the proposal based on its technical merits, not political expediency.

Miles contends the state is relenting to political pressure from groups, including hunters and ranchers, that want to see more active wolf control.

Moving too quickly with the plan also could bring conservation group lawsuits, he said.

For instance, on Jan. 24 eight groups, including The Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife and The Humane Society of the United States, announced they plan to sue within 60 days.

State Fish and Game officials concede that hunters have been after them for more than a decade to more aggressively control wolf numbers.

Still, the agency says its studies on elk herd depredations support wolf removals – as well as efforts to improve habitat in the region straddling U.S. Highway 12.