Guest column: Hunters play a critical role in wolf dilemma
By Chris Naumann, guest columnist
During the first two weeks of bow season, I have spent five days in the hills hunting elk. The pre-dawn hikes and ridge-top lunch breaks have given me moments of solitude to consider the current predicament involving wolves, the predator's impact on elk, and the important role of hunters in this dynamic. During this time I came up with some conclusions that I think most hunters and conservationists can agree upon:
* Wolves have fully recovered in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem.
* Wolves have positively impacted elk populations in other areas where the natural carrying capacity of the habitat had been exceeded.
* Wolves have disbursed certain elk herds from private to public land.
* Wolves need to be managed by state wildlife agencies as big game species.
* Wolves should primarily be managed by quota-based fair chase hunting.
Generations of hunters are responsible for policies that have protected millions of acres of wildlife habitat and nurtured numerous species back from the brink of extinction. The collective result is the North American Wildlife Conservation Model: a system that keeps wildlife as a public and sustainable resource, scientifically managed by professionals, all built upon the foundation of hunting's conservation heritage. The wolf is once again a part of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem and therefore hunters will continue to play a critical role in their future.
The recent court decision relisting wolves as endangered species is based on one simple fact: You cannot have a species protected as endangered on one side of an imaginary line while the same species is unprotected on the other side of the line. That line is the boundary separating Wyoming from Montana and Idaho. Relisting wolves has further polarized communities in wolf country and created an unfortunate rift between traditional conservation allies such as some environmental and hunting groups. The resulting vehement rhetoric is being fueled by emotion and politics thus making constructive dialogue centered on objective wildlife science difficult at best.
The first step to moving forward is to establish science-based regional and state minimum wolf populations. In the 2009 delisting rules, the Department of Interior established that wolves would be managed "to average over 1,100 wolves, fluctuating around 400 wolves in Montana, 500 in Idaho, and 200-300 in Wyoming." Contradicting this mandate, the minimum required by the states' plans is only 150 wolves respectively. These disparate population thresholds must be resolved in order to allow for effective state management and consistent hunting regulations.
State management of wolf populations as wildlife is the only viable option for maintaining a sustainable balance between the keystone predator, its prey, and the habitats within which they coexist. With realistic population objectives, state wildlife agencies can establish hunting quotas necessary to administer fair chase hunting seasons just like they successfully do with other big game species such as mountain lions.
The fact that wolves were delisted only to be relisted was in large part due to Wyoming's unwillingness to meet the standards of the USFWS and those of its neighbors. To ensure a sustainable wolf population and consistent local management, all three states must commit to comparable plans based on overarching objectives; to date Wyoming has prevented this from happening. Wyoming must now develop an acceptable state management plan to compliment those approved for Montana and Idaho.
Although debate about the wolf dilemma seems to be dictated in the courtroom or agency headquarters, hunters play a significant role in the ultimate outcome as the true stewards of the landscape and its wildlife. When you take to the hills with bow or gun in hand this fall remember that you, your fellow hunters, and the generations before you are responsible not only for this country's tremendous wildlife heritage but also its future. It has been said that hunters are the glue that binds all the components of the North American Wildlife Conservation Model. As a hunter, I think we are the glue that will solidify sound wolf management plans and finally solve the wolf dilemma.
Chris Naumann has lived, worked and hunted in and around Bozeman for 17 years
* Wolves have fully recovered in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem.
* Wolves are contributing to declining elk populations in certain areas that are now below wildlife agency objectives.
* Wolves have disbursed certain elk herds from private to public land.
* Wolves need to be managed by state wildlife agencies as big game species.
* Wolves should primarily be managed by quota-based fair chase hunting.
Generations of hunters are responsible for policies that have protected millions of acres of wildlife habitat and nurtured numerous species back from the brink of extinction. The collective result is the North American Wildlife Conservation Model: a system that keeps wildlife as a public and sustainable resource, scientifically managed by professionals, all built upon the foundation of hunting's conservation heritage. The wolf is once again a part of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem and therefore hunters will continue to play a critical role in their future.
The recent court decision relisting wolves as endangered species is based on one simple fact: You cannot have a species protected as endangered on one side of an imaginary line while the same species is unprotected on the other side of the line. That line is the boundary separating Wyoming from Montana and Idaho. Relisting wolves has further polarized communities in wolf country and created an unfortunate rift between traditional conservation allies such as some environmental and hunting groups. The resulting vehement rhetoric is being fueled by emotion and politics thus making constructive dialogue centered on objective wildlife science difficult at best.
The first step to moving forward is to establish science-based regional and state minimum wolf populations. In the 2009 delisting rules, the Department of Interior established that wolves would be managed "to average over 1,100 wolves, fluctuating around 400 wolves in Montana, 500 in Idaho, and 200-300 in Wyoming." Contradicting this mandate, the minimum required by the states' plans is only 150 wolves respectively. These disparate population thresholds must be resolved in order to allow for effective state management and consistent hunting regulations.
State management of wolf populations as wildlife is the only viable option for maintaining a sustainable balance between the keystone predator, its prey, and the habitats within which they coexist. With realistic population objectives, state wildlife agencies can establish hunting quotas necessary to administer fair chase hunting seasons just like they successfully do with other big game species such as mountain lions.
The fact that wolves were delisted only to be relisted was in large part due to Wyoming's unwillingness to meet the standards of the USFWS and those of its neighbors. To ensure a sustainable wolf population and consistent local management, all three states must commit to comparable plans based on overarching objectives; to date Wyoming has prevented this from happening. Wyoming must now develop an acceptable state management plan to compliment those approved for Montana and Idaho.
Although debate about the wolf dilemma seems to be dictated in the courtroom or agency headquarters, hunters play a significant role in the ultimate outcome as the true stewards of the landscape and its wildlife. When you take to the hills with bow or gun in hand this fall remember that you, your fellow hunters, and the generations before you are responsible not only for this country's tremendous wildlife heritage but also its future. It has been said that hunters are the glue that binds all the components of the North American Wildlife Conservation Model. As a hunter, I think we are the glue that will solidify sound wolf management plans and finally solve the wolf dilemma.
Chris Naumann has lived, worked and hunted in and around Bozeman for 17 years
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