Earlier this year, the Montana legislature passed several extreme, unethical new laws aimed at reducing the state's wolf population by 85%. These laws were subsequently implemented by the Fish and Wildlife Commission in a 3-2 vote. Wolves can now be baited, snared, hunted at night with artificial light and high-powered night scopes, and bounties are being paid for each dead wolf - taking us back 100 years to the dark days of killing methods that nearly drove wolves to extinction in the lower 48. These new laws are a sharp departure from decades of more science-based, fair-chase wolf management approaches in Montana.
Recently however there was some good news. As a result of a legal notice filed by Earthjustice representing Sierra Club and other wolf advocates, the Fish and Wildlife Commission recently decided to pull back their extreme regulations in an attempt to avoid future litigation over the potential 'take' of ESA-protected grizzly bears and Canada lynx resulting from the new wolf laws. Changes include prohibiting wolf snaring in lynx protection zones on public lands in Montana and moving the default date for the start of the wolf trapping season from the first Monday after Thanksgiving to December 31, in an attempt to avoid trapping of grizzly bears before they enter dens for the winter. Along with grizzlies and lynx, wolves will benefit from these changes. There are still many concerns about impacts to grizzly bears and lynx remaining, including the capture of lynx in wolf snares on private lands and the wolf trapping season extending until March 15, when many grizzly bears are likely to be out of dens.
Additionally, pressure by wolf advocacy organizations in the spring through the filing of a citizen petition under the Endangered Species Act to restore protections to Northern Rockies wolf populations was successful in convincing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to undertake a formal status review of gray wolf populations in the western U.S., including the Northern Rockies. By May of next year, the FWS will decide whether or not the petitioned action -- relisting of wolves -- is warranted. Stay tuned for how you can submit comments and make your voice heard! Right now, you can take action by urging Interior Secretary Haaland to immediately reinstate protections for Gray Wolves in the Northern Rockies.
Things have taken a grim turn for Montana's wolves, but these are important interim wins to recognize as we all continue to fight the state's unwarranted and unethical war on gray wolves.
Bonnie Rice, Senior Campaign Representative ~ Greater Yellowstone & Northern Rockies Campaign