Martz pushes for state wolf management

By SCOTT McMILLION, Chronicle Staff Writer

HELENA - Pressuring the federal government to let Montana take over management of wolves is a good idea, Gov. Judy Martz said Friday, and she intends to do just that.

"We're going to keep pushing," the Republican said. "We're going to be a pain to them."

On the other hand, letting people shoot wolves on sight simply isn't viable.

"The reality just doesn't allow it," she told Rep. Dan Fuchs, R-Billings.

Fuchs wrote House Bill 283, which says wolves would become shoot-on-sight predators by June 1, 2004, if the federal government doesn't remove wolves from the list of endangered species by then or if environmentalists sue to keep wolves on the list. The bill, which passed the House by 75 to 25, is now awaiting action in the Senate.

Martz, along with several members of her administration and lobbyists for the state's livestock industry, met with Fuchs in Martz's office Friday.

Unanimously, they told him the deadlines in his bill are unworkable and several people said if they become law they probably would result in wolves never being delisted.

Fuchs agreed after the meeting to remove the deadline provisions.

"You've come a long way," Martz told him. "I think that's admirable."

Federal officials have said wolves are biologically recovered, but to remove protections they need legal assurances that wolf numbers won't plummet again in the future.

"If there's an automatic trigger to revert to predator (status), we won't get delisting," said FWP Director Jeff Hagener.

Delisting isn't expected until summer 2004 at the earliest. And it won't come at all unless Montana, Idaho and Wyoming all complete wolf plans acceptable to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks this week released its plan for managing wolves after delisting.

Fuchs said one of his main goals with the bill is to pressure the federal government to move ahead with delisting.

Todd O'Hair, Martz's top natural resource advisor and a member of Paradise Valley ranch family that has lost livestock to wolves, said the best way to pressure the feds is to complete an acceptable management plan.

"Then we can go to the Bush administration and say, 'We've held up our part of the bargain. Now do yours,'" O'Hair said.

Lobbyists for the Montana Farm Bureau, the Montana Woolgrowers Association and the Montana Stockgrowers Association all told Fuchs the deadlines should be removed from his bill.

So did a sheep rancher and a retired veterinarian, both of whom helped write the state's wolf management plan.

Sheep rancher Chase Hibbard, a former Republican lawmaker from the Helena area, said ranchers are "screaming" with frustration over wolf issues, but listing them as predators would only cause more problems by extending federal controls.

Environmental groups also agreed the predator status is a bad idea.

"(Fuchs') bill would derail the (delisting) process," Tom Skeele, director of Predator Conservation Alliance said in an interview.

Montana now has 16 breeding pairs and about 180 wolves. The state's wolf plan calls for retaining about 15 breeding packs after delisting while allowing ranchers and wildlife managers more flexibility to kill problem wolves.

Fuchs said he will leave in the bill a provision that directs the state attorney general and FWP to explore legal options that would be available if the wolf isn't delisted.

He also said that he doubts the feds will delist the wolf even if they accept Montana's plan. He predicted the Legislature will call a special session next year to deal with wolf issues.

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