As a good friend of mine with impeccable wildlife credentials has told me............"State biologists are very hard to communicate candidly with because they hold back to cover their ass(and retain their job)"......." These State wildlife agency biologists are appointed by fish and game commissioners(chosen by the Govenor of the State who tends to appoint powerful hunting, ranching and farming business people who supported their run for Office) who dictate to professional wildlife biologists"..........."As a result, these biologists will never stand up for the wildlife resource like the federal biologists do".............. "As a Fed one can be a good listener to private citizens and political animals alike, but do what they feel is right and necessary without real risk to their careers, whereas state biologists are doing all they can to keep their jobs ( walking on eggshells)"........."State biologists are pawns in the game of wildlife management who march to the beat of the state drum which means kiss the ass of agriculture and sportsmen who buy the tags that provide their salaries".............. We need a whole different system to manage natural resources"............Most folks in Montana feel that Carolyn Sime of MONTANA FISH, WILDLIFE AND PARKS did the best she could under challenging circumstances to approach wolf management with a fair hand............We wish her luck in her pursuit of a law degree and hope that she re-enters the Northern Rocky Wolf debate being a positive voice for the wolves, bears and cougars who still call "Big Sky" Country their home

Wolf management pioneer Sime leaving Montana FWP

HELENA - Carolyn Sime, a pioneer in wolf management in Montana, is leaving her job with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in order to pursue a law degree."After 10 years of late-night phone calls, ranch meetings and 20 years of game check stations, I'm ready to try something new," Sime said this week. "But I leave with some really, really fond memories of the relationships we've made and the work toward finding common ground, having open dialogues and civil discussions."

For more than a decade, Sime was in the epicenter of the wolf management controversy. She developed Montana's wolf management plan, spearheaded the transition from a federally-led species recovery program to a state-led conservation and management program, and shepherded Montana's first fair chase wolf hunting season in 2009.

"The past 10 years were unique, challenging and very, very rewarding," Sime said. "I think that's not only a positive reflection on my work, but also on the people of Montana."

This week, ranching groups and wildlife organizations, as well as her former coworkers praised Sime for her listening skills and her ability to bring diverse groups to the table in order to work out consensus.

"The wolf advisory group, which she oversaw, is a lasting testament on how a government agency employee can take a diverse group and come to a consensus on one of the most controversial animals in the Rockies," said Ben Lamb, the Montana Wildlife Federation's conservation director. "I don't think many other people could have done that. Her great strength is her ability to listen.

Barb Cestero with the Greater Yellowstone Coalition also praised Sime, noting that she was professional in her dealings with all of the involved parties, even if some people didn't return the courtesy."Even when people would get hot, she would stay pretty unflappable," Cestero said. "She was candid, and if she thought you were wrong in your assertions, she would ask questions and challenge those assertions, not in an adversarial way but as an honest biologist who wanted to reflect the science of wolf ecology and conservation. She asked good, probing questions."

Jay Bodner, spokesman for the Montana Stockgrowers Association, said he and Sime clashed at times, but she always had an open door and would listen to everyone's opinions. Sometimes she didn't act as quickly as livestock owners would like when depredations occurred, he said, but she always attended local meetings when requested and kept her cool during the hearings held around the state on the EIS."I didn't really think they could come up with a management plan because of the controversy around it, and to write something down that everyone generally could accept was a tremendous accomplishment," Bodner said. "Carolyn led the effort.

"I recollect public hearings with folks at both sides of the spectrum, in favor or in opposition, and she had to make sure everybody got heard and create a plan that hopefully could address those issues, and that was key to her position."