Thursday, November 18, 2010

FWP request to halve Bitterroot wolf population likely won't happen this year

By EVE BYRON Helena Independent Record | Posted: Thursday, November 18, 2010 4:00 pm

HELENA - Montana will continue to seek approval to cut in half the number of wolves in the West Fork of the Bitterroot to 12, but it probably won't happen this year.

Ken McDonald, wildlife bureau chief for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, told the FWP Commission on Thursday that he learned this week that if the federal government considers allowing the removal of 12 wolves in elk hunting district 250, it will have to go through environmental review and public comment periods, which probably will take at least six months.

State officials hoped to reduce the number of wolves in the Bitterroot this year, based on the negative impact they believe wolves are having on the elk population there.

McDonald noted that Idaho started down this road in September, seeking a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to kill about 50 wolves in the Lolo elk management zone in northern Idaho under Section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act.

That section says that if states can demonstrate wolves are having unacceptable impacts on ungulate populations like deer and elk, and certain steps are taken, the permit can be issued.

"Initially, they (the USFWS) said they would have a 60-day turnaround for Idaho, but their 60 days is now six months, and I don't see any change for us," McDonald said.

Montana is trying to institute a five-year plan for the Bitterroot to limit the number of wolves to 12 in two or three packs by hunting or trapping them. Mike Thompson, the FWP's regional wildlife manager in the area, said that in the past two years the cow/calf ratio in the area was nine to 11 calves per 100 cows. A minimum of 25 calves per 100 cows is necessary for a sustainable population, according to wildlife biologists.

Overall elk numbers have steadily dropped from a high of 1,914 in 2005 to 764 in 2010; management objectives call for anywhere from 1,600 to 2,400 elk in that district.

"The last two years the ratio has been at levels we've never seen before, ever, in Region 2," Thompson said. "You see blips in any biological system - variations - but the fact that we're seeing a pattern, in three of the last four years, is something we can't ignore. Those numbers will not sustain a population over time."

He said they've removed antlerless elk hunting permits in the district, and the commission increased the lion harvest and extended the black bear season to try to address calf mortality. This year, they're also capturing and collaring cow elk to better learn where their calving grounds are located, then will study survival and mortality causes.

Thompson added that while they've looked at other causes for the precipitous drop in elk numbers in this area, the only real difference is the presence of wolves on the landscape. At least 24 have been identified.

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FWP Commissioner Shane Colton said that being able to use the 10(j) rule in the Bitterroot would allow them to see whether it's a viable solution for other areas in the state where elk numbers have fallen off significantly in recent years, and he was clearly vexed by the inability for the state to manage wolves within its borders.

"The cow harvest was completely sustainable before the wolves were here. We've demonstrated in other areas that our elk management plan is sound, but this is something that we couldn't include in our plan," Colton said. "What's so frustrating about this process is not being able to control our own wolf population after all the hard work that goes into managing the elk population statewide. Our only hope is the 10(j)."

McDonald cautioned, though, that the validity of the 10(j) rule currently is being litigated. It was added to the Endangered Species Act in 2005, but a number of environmental groups filed a federal court lawsuit in August, saying the rule violates the Endangered Species Act's conservation mandate and national environmental regulations.

"The final brief deadline was Oct. 7 or 8, then it's up to the judge to decide," McDonald said.

Wolves once were wide-ranging throughout the West, but were driven to near extinction in the early 1900s through trapping and hunting. They were listed as an endangered species in the lower 48 states in 1978, and first reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1994. They've been removed from the list and relisted numerous times, and most recently put back on the list in August 2010 by U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy. He ruled that the USFWS erred when the federal agency decided wolves could be considered a recovered species in Montana and Idaho, but not in Wyoming.

The Northern Rockies are home to at least 1,700 gray wolves, which is more than five times the previously set federal benchmark of 300 wolves for them to be considered a recovered species and removed from federal protection. Montana has a minimum of 524 wolves in the state in 101 packs.

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