* Sen. Enzi pressing for wolf, grizzly delisting (WY)
* Do wolves travel in Southeast Idaho? (ID)
* On the prowl? Wolf sightings and controversy on the rise in Eastern Idaho (ID)
* Hunters Are Asked To Report Signs Of Wolves; Hunters Can Go Online to Help Monitor Wolf Populations (MT)
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Sen. Enzi pressing for wolf, grizzly delisting
By MIKE STARK
Of The Gazette Staff Sunday, October 16, 2005
BILLINGS, MONT. (LEE)–Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., is pressing the federal government to remove wolves and grizzly bears in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho from the endangered species list.
The process to pass management of wolves and grizzlies to the three states has been stalled too long, Enzi said, claiming wolves have “decimated” the state’s wildlife and harmed ranchers.
“Something must change,” Enzi said in a letter to Interior Secretary Gale Norton on Tuesday.
The senator asked for written assurances that the process to delist grizzlies will get under way this fall with a final decision early next year. If that’s not possible, Enzi said, he’d like an explanation.
“I have been told many times that we will move forward with grizzly bear delisting, and I am disappointed that this effort has not moved forward,” Enzi wrote. “It is time to make delisting the grizzly bear a reality.”
Officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say the grizzly population in and around Yellowstone National Park – estimated at 400 to 600 – has recovered sufficiently to remove them from the endangered species list.
A proposal to delist the grizzly was expected to be released this summer. That proposal, though, is still under review at Fish and Wildlife Service headquarters in Washington, D.C., Hugh Vickery, an Interior spokesman, said Thursday.
“We haven’t had a chance to formulate a response to the senator,” Vickery said of Enzi’s letter.
Earlier this month, Wyoming’s other senator, Craig Thomas, urged the government to delist the grizzly during a phone call with Norton.
“Interior has been sitting on this proposal and Wyoming deserves to know about the timing,” Thomas said in a statement. “I told (Norton)
that Interior’s credibility hangs on this action.”
So far, no firm date has been set for release of a delisting proposal.
Meanwhile, the Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to issue a decision soon about the state of Wyoming’s request that wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains be delisted.
In July, state officials submitted an 89-page petition urging Interior to lift federal protections for wolves in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.
Wyoming has been in a protracted fight with Interior over the future of wolves. Federal officials have rejected Wyoming’s plan to manage wolves, and approved state plans are necessary before responsibility is handed over to the three states. Meanwhile, Montana and Idaho have been given partial responsibility for managing wolves.
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Do wolves travel in Southeast Idaho?
SODA SPRINGS – Odds are they’re just loners, passing through Caribou County searching for a new place to live, although some residents theorize it’s only a matter of time before they form packs here, if they haven’t already.
Nobody’s certain how frequently wolves visit Southeast Idaho. The talk in Soda Springs, Bancroft and Grace is that there are more than most people realize – that local wolf sightings to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game are grossly under-reported.
The return of the wolf is cause for excitement to wildlife lovers such as Marv Hoyt, Idaho director of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, who spotted a wolf footprint while recreating in Caribou County about a year ago. Caribou County ranchers, however, say wolves are bound to be a nuisance in the Gem State, where wolf biologists estimate the animal’s population continues growing by 20 to 25 percent each year.
It’s been a decade since wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. Park surveys show more than 153,000 tourists trek Yellowstone each year specifically to see wolves.
Wolf numbers are still sparse and the prevalence of cattle and sheep here may limit the chances of there ever being a thriving local wolf population. Plus, the local landscape makes it far more difficult to spot a wolf.
Nonetheless, like it or not, they’re here.
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On the prowl? Wolf sightings and controversy on the rise in Eastern Idaho
By John O’Connell – Journal Writer
SODA SPRINGS – Scott Christensen had a hopper on his fly line and skulked the bank of Deer Creek, searching for a cutthroat-filled hole.
But it was a fresh paw print in the mud along the small stream that caught his eye. It was much too large to attribute to any domestic dog. His buddy, Marv Hoyt, concurred. That afternoon last October, in a roadless area near Soda Springs, they were following the footsteps of a wolf.
For Hoyt and Christensen, both with the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, it was a thrilling discovery – a sign that a natural balance is slowly returning to the area’s ecosystem.
On the other hand, several Caribou County ranchers say they’ve spotted wolves here and are growing increasingly concerned about their sheep and cattle.
Although an Idaho Department of Fish and Game computerized map shows only nine reported wolf sightings in Southeast Idaho below Idaho Falls, and only one of those sightings has been confirmed, it appears certain that for better or for ill, wolves are here. They’re just not getting reported to authorities.
“People are seeing wolves every day in Idaho, and we only get three or four observation reports a day,” said Steve Nadeau, large carnivore program coordinator with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. “In the southeast part of the state where we have very little wolf activity, reporting is even more critical. Whether they are traveling through or just setting up shop near the border of Wyoming we don’t know because we don’t have enough information.”
Anyone who spots a wolf is encouraged to call the department at 232-4703 or submit an e-mail report at
this website. Nadeau said it’s also advisable to provide
evidence of a sighting. For example, one man showed the department wolf scat he found east of Grays Lake.
Hoyt photographed the paw print he saw and sent it to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Forest Service, who both agreed it appeared to be a wolf print but still determined the evidence was insufficient to deem it a confirmed sighting.
“To me it was pretty darned exciting. It appeared this was probably the proverbial lone wolf running through that area,” Hoyt said. “When you hear about the wolves that have run down into Utah, those wolves probably came through the Caribou County part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.” A coyote, left, chases a wolf away from its pups in Yellowstone National Park. Journal file photo
By contrast with Hoyt’s jubilation, Bancroft sheep rancher Dena Larsen considered it an omen when she and her daughter spotted an animal she’s sure was a wolf one snowy winter morning about four years ago.
They watched the large, black animal trot across the road to an elk carcass.
“Immediately, I was in disbelief. I asked my daughter, `Did we just see what I think I saw?’ She said, `Yeah, we just had a guy come in to school and explain the difference between them and dogs and coyotes,’” Larsen said.
Larsen worries wolves are a threat to the safety of hikers and to livestock in Southeast Idaho. Regardless, she didn’t report her sighting. She explained people in her region are independent and don’t see what difference it would make to notify officials.
“It’s pretty well known out here. My mother-in-law has seen them quite a bit. People in our area generally believe there is a pack above the Green Canyon area of Bancroft,” Larsen said. “I’m concerned. I’m very concerned.”
Larsen has a llama to protect her herd from coyotes. She doubts wolves would be so easily deterred.
“I stand with the people that have said, `We got rid of them before because of these very things.’ There’s always that thrill of seeing it. At the same time you realize the danger there,” Larsen said.
Anther reason for the underreporting could be that people aren’t certain what they’re seeing when they spot a wolf, said Steve Harrison, University of Idaho extension agent for Caribou County.
Harrison’s father runs cattle in Treasureton Pass, north of Preston. One afternoon, his father spotted what he initially thought were massive coyotes among his livestock. He later considered the possibility that they were wolves.
To date, Harrison has received no complaints of wolf depredation within his county. But he’s not ruling out that it could soon be a problem.
“I’m willing to bet there are some (wolves) here. I don’t think it would be that big of a stretch. How many? I don’t know. I don’t think anybody knows,” Harrison said. “My bet is we may see more problems. At this point, it may be erratic spottings and not a lot going on.”
Fueled by an increasing prevalence in local wolf sightings, concern is growing in Caribou County about the welfare of livestock, according to Bruce Dredge, a county commissioner and rancher.
“I don’t think they’re just traveling through. There’s enough game and livestock population that they could survive pretty easy in this country. Then you consider waterfowl and things like that,” Dredge said. “That’s the nature of the animal, to pack and hunt together.”
Dredge has heard reports of wolf sightings from ranchers who run cattle at high elevations. Dredge, however, hasn’t spotted a wolf yet.
That doesn’t mean Dredge isn’t always vigilant of wolf signs when he’s surveying his herd, which grazes about 25 miles north of Soda Springs. Sometimes, his cattle appear agitated. He’s seen coyotes on his land and mountain lions are abundant, but wolves are always in the back of his mind.
“Someone wanting to really see the wolf population back needs to convince me of the reason why,” Dredge said. “Why did the early settlers who came into this country fight the wolves so hard. I think we know the reason why. The wolves were taking out their food source, which was the livestock and wildlife.”
The Idaho Cattle Association supports a current management policy that allows ranchers to kill problem wolves. Although problems haven’t arisen in Southeast Idaho up to this point, Todd Holbrook, of the Idaho Cattle Association, said ranchers in Mackay and Challis have had some big problems with wolves.
“I think there is a concern. The more wolves, the more chance they’ll not only eat elk and deer, but they’ll start preying on the livestock, too,” said Holbrook, who ranches in the Chesterfield Valley west of Soda Springs. “We will work closely with the Fish and Game. We do not want (wolf killings) to get in epic proportions.”
Hoyt, however, notes that the sight of a wolf isn’t cause for alarm to all Idaho ranchers and big-game hunters.
One of Hoyt’s friends is a ranch manager in the Crow Creek area, near where he and his friend spotted the wolf track. That rancher has had problems with elk concentrating on his property and consuming his hay and would welcome the arrival of wolves to disperse the elk.
Hoyt had an elk hunting permit for the Crow Creek area last fall and had little trouble collecting a trophy. However, based on the concentration of elk in that area, Hoyt had to send a blood sample from his elk to the state veterinarian to be tested for brucellosis.
Hoyt believes by scattering elk, wolves would actually limit the spreading of brucellosis, which he considers to be a more significant problem for cattle.
“Wolves basically balance out nature,” Hoyt said.
Hoyt argues wolves were in Idaho long before cattle. But he understands they sometimes cause problems for livestock. That’s why he supports removing wolves that habitually kill livestock.
“It shouldn’t be, `Let’s kill wolves because we don’t like them,’ or `they might kill my cows.’ As long as they’re not causing undo depredation, they should be left alone,” Hoyt said.
Based on the sparse reporting, Nadeau doubts there are any packs in Southeast Idaho.
“We never really thought south Idaho would be a very popular wolf recovery area,” Nadeau said.
Hoyt concurs.
“In Southeast Idaho it’s pretty tenuous. It’s one of two areas in Idaho in which sheep are still grazed on public lands,” Hoyt said. “With that much grazing, unfortunately wolves will have a hard time remaining in that area and not causing problems for sheep and cattle.”
Nadeau understands that few issues have polarized the Idaho public like the reintroduction of wolves.
But he believes the truth lies in the middle.
Wolves have hit elk hard in the Clearwater area, and Fish and Game may have to remove some of them. On the whole, however, he said they’ve had very little impact on the state’s big-game population.
Both the Defenders of Wildlife and the Governor’s Office of Species Conservation have funds available to reimburse ranchers for losses attributed to wolves. They both spend roughly $100,000 per year on the programs, and last year, Idaho reported 17 cattle and between 80 and 100 sheep were killed by wolves.
Idaho’s wolf population is about four times the level officials had hoped to reach before removing the animal from the Endangered Species list. Once the wolf is delisted, after Wyoming gets its state management plan approved, a wolf hunt will be implemented in Idaho, he said.
Idaho Fish and Game has gradually been assuming responsibility for wolf management from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and expects to receive a complete transfer of authority for the duty sometime this fall.
Although wolves aren’t nearly as visible here as in Yellowstone National Park, Fish and Game expects wolves will draw some tourist dollars to Idaho.
“A lot of people have a life goal experience when they hear a wolf howl. Wolves are very popular symbols of wild country. Wolves can also be visibly repulsive to some people,” Nadeau said. “Public expectations are so high. Everybody wants to know how many wolves there are and what they’re doing at all times. We do expect some disbursers and occasional wolves coming through. That’s a fact of life forever in all of Idaho.”
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Hunters Are Asked To Report Signs Of Wolves
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service request that hunters report any sightings or signs of wolves. A gray wolf is, on average 2.5 feet tall; 5-6 feet long; 70-120 pounds with a broad snout, round ears and fur ranging from gray, black or tan to white.
FWP must prepare annual reports to document the recovered status and distribution of the Montana wolf population. Information provided by hunters will help aid in the management and ultimate delisting of wolves from the Endangered Species Act.
To report wolves or wolf sign, contact the nearest FWP office. To report a dead wolf or possible illegal activity, contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 307-261-6365 or call 1-800-TIP-MONT.
Montana management authority for the state’s recovered, but still federally protected wolf population, allows much of its approved wolf conservation and management plan to be carried out today.
Wolves in northern Montana are currently classified as “endangered” and wolves in southern Montana are managed as “experimental, non-
essential.” Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks makes wolf management decisions, allowing Montana to begin meeting the challenges of living with the recovered population now instead of waiting for delisting.
FWP’s wolf program is working to conserve and actively manage a recovered wolf population. Hunting will be prohibited until the wolf is no longer protected under the Endangered Species Act.
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Hunters Can Go Online to Help Monitor Wolf Populations
With the opening of Montana’s general deer and elk hunting seasons next week, state wildlife officials want to take advantage of more than 100,000 hunters and modern technology to help monitor wolves.
“Connecting hunters and the Internet brings more eyes and ears to Montana’s wolf monitoring program and will yield important and timely information,” said Carolyn Sime, who coordinates FWP’s wolf conservation and management program from Helena.
When big game season opens on Sunday, Oct. 23, more than 100,000 hunters will be in the field in pursuit of elk and deer. “We know some of those hunters will see or hear wolves or wolf sign,” Sime said, “so we’ve created an easy way for hunters to share that information with us.”
Hunters can report wolf sightings and activity on line at FWP’s Wolf Observation Report. In addition, pre-printed postcards–and a new “Wolves and Big Game” information card for hunters–will be available from FWP and most licenses providers later this month. Hunters also can report a wolf sighting to the nearest FWP office or any check station.
Information provided by hunters helps biologists monitoring Montana’s wolf population. Many new packs have been discovered based on hunter information, which helps FWP manage wolves and contributes to the effort to delist wolves from the Endangered Species Act.
“The quickest way to get information to us is to use the on-line report form,” Sime said. “Hunters and others who go online can complete the report in just a few minutes. If we need to follow up, we’ll give the hunter a call or send an email.”
Sime said hunters should note what they saw and heard. “Many hunters also use GPS units, and forwarding the coordinates is especially helpful.” Sime said.
Wolves in northern Montana are currently managed as “endangered” and wolves in southern Montana are managed as “experimental, non-
essential.” FWP’s wolf program works to conserve and actively manage a recovered wolf population. Hunting will be prohibited until the wolf is no longer protected under the Endangered Species Act.
To report a dead wolf or possible illegal activity, call 1-800-TIP-MONT, or contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 307-261-6365.
For more information, visit http://fwp.mt.gov/wildthings/wolf .
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