The Greater Yellowstone Coalition is at odds with the State of Wyoming's draconian Wolf management plan on the following grounds: Wildlife is Public Trust Resources, Allocation of Wildlife Should Be by Law, Wildlife Should Only be Killed for a Legitimate Purpose, Wildlife Are Considered an International Resource, Science is the Proper Tool for Discharge of Wildlife Policy, and the Democracy of Hunting...... In a majority of the state there would be no principles of fair-chase, no licenses or quotas issued for wolves, and no monitoring or management by trained wildlife biologists

Wolves: Wyoming Delisting Plan Revealed

The Greater Yellowstone Coalition has consistently worked to find the middle ground on wolf management, to move beyond the ongoing conflict toward science-based management and increased tolerance for this iconic animal. This page will be dedicated to Wyoming's delisting plan to ensure people are educated and well-informed about this issue.

Three months after the gray wolf was taken off the Endangered Species list in Idaho and Montana, the Interior Department reached a deal with the state of Wyoming that would delist the animal (read Wyoming's revised wolf plan here and GYC's comments on the Wyoming plan here).

Wolves in Wyoming

The plan was approved on Sept. 14, 2011, by the the Wyoming Game & Fish Commission. The federal government moved quickly, and on Oct. 15, 2011, they conditionally approved the plan and proposed a delisting rule for Wyoming wolves. The proposed federal rule received public comment through Jan. 13. View the proposed rule here.

The Wyoming plan continues to allow for wolves to be shot on sight in a large portion of the state, though apparently slightly less than what was originally proposed in earlier versions of proposed wolf management plans.

There is a new area known as a "flex-zone," which is a seasonal expansion of the trophy game boundary (see map for area and definitions) for four months of the year to allow for dispersing wolves and genetic connectivity. State officials have also agreed to manage for no fewer than 10 breeding pairs and 100 total wolves outside of Yellowstone National Park, which has about 120 wolves.

(Wyoming had an estimated 343 wolves in 2010, 246 residing primarily outside of Yellowstone National Park.) Under Wyoming's new wolf plan, up to 146 wolves could be killed through a combination of hunting, agency control for livestock depredation, or by unregulated killings within the predator zone (see map).

Though this plan is well intended and is an improvement over Wyoming's previous efforts, it still isn't good for wolves in the state. The "flex-zone" concept would only allow for seasonal dispersal to and from Idaho, when it is well documented that wolves can disperse across state lines any month of the year.

Also, wolf hunting would likely occur during this seasonal protection from licensed hunters. Additionally, Wyoming's plan continues to violate six of the 7 founding principles of the North American Model of Conservation. These include: Wildlife is Public Trust Resources, Allocation of Wildlife Should Be by Law, Wildlife Should Only be Killed for a Legitimate Purpose, Wildlife Are Considered an International Resource, Science is the Proper Tool for Discharge of Wildlife Policy, and the Democracy of Hunting. In a majority of the state there would be no principles of fair-chase, no licenses or quotas issued for wolves, and no monitoring or management by trained wildlife biologists.

Wyoming's plan continues to have the same flaws as previous plans that were rejected by both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and federal courts because it lacks adequate regulatory mechanisms to conserve wolves as required by the Endangered Species Act. This best path forward for wolves would be for the Wyoming Legislature to give the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission authority to manage wolves statewide. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should then reopen negotiations with Wyoming and start a dialogue with the American public to ensure wolves are managed according to modern professional wildlife management principles.