[Vision2020] Wolves (was Re: Legislative Update II from Rep. Trail)

[Tom Hansen]

>From the January 12, 2007 edition of the Sioux City Journal (Sioux City,
Iowa) at:
http://siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/01/12/news/latest_news/b1139d550ae
6766e86257261001b7fb1.txt 

(Subscription required)

It is pretty bad when you have to go out of state to learn the truth about
your own governor.

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Governor wants to kill all but 100 gray wolves 
1:15 AM 

BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- Idaho's governor said Thursday he will support public
hunts to kill all but 100 of the state's gray wolves after the federal
government strips them of protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter told The Associated Press that he wants hunters to
kill about 550 gray wolves. That would leave about 100 wolves, or 10 packs,
according to a population estimate by state wildlife officials.

The 100 surviving wolves would be the minimum before the animals could again
be considered endangered.

"I'm prepared to bid for that first ticket to shoot a wolf myself," Otter
said earlier Thursday during a rally of about 300 hunters.

Otter complained that wolves are rapidly killing elk and other animals
essential to Idaho's multimillion-dollar hunting industry. The hunters, many
wearing camouflage clothing and blaze-orange caps, applauded wildly during
his comments.

Suzanne Stone, a spokeswoman for the advocacy group Defenders of Wildlife in
Boise, said Otter's proposal would return wolves to the verge of
eradication.

"Essentially he has confirmed our worst fears for the state of Idaho: That
this would be a political rather than a biological management of the wolf
population," Stone said. "There's no economic or ecological reason for
maintaining such low numbers. It's simple persecution."

Wolves were reintroduced to the northern Rocky Mountains a decade ago after
being hunted to near-extinction. More than 1,200 now live in the region.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to start removing federal
protections from gray wolves in Montana and Idaho in the next few weeks.

A plan drafted by Idaho's wildlife agency calls for maintaining a minimum of
15 wolf packs -- higher than Otter's proposal of 10 packs.

Jeff Allen, a policy adviser for the state Office of Species Conservation,
said 15 wolf packs would allow "a cushion" between the surviving wolf
population and the minimum number that federal biologists would allow before
the animals are again considered endangered.

Allen said Otter and state wildlife officials agree on wolf strategy and
will be able to reach a consensus on specific numbers.

"You don't want to be too close to 10 because all of a sudden when one
(wolf) is hit by a car or taken in defense of property, you're back on the
list," Allen said.

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"If not us, who?
If not now, when?"

- Unknown

-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
On Behalf Of Paul Rumelhart
Sent: Saturday, January 13, 2007 2:48 PM
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] Wolves (was Re: Legislative Update II from Rep. Trail)

ttrail at moscow.com wrote:

>... 
>Sportsmen gathered on the step of the Capitol and applauded the Governor
>for signing a resolution to endorse the delisting of wolves and putting
>them under state control. ...
>

Could someone present the arguments behind this?  I assume it's more 
than just some sportsmen wanting a wolf's skin cloak or to feed on wolf 
meat.  Is the current population of wolves causing problems of some 
kind?  What would be the result if that population was reduced 
significantly?

Paul

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