Posted: Friday, July 25, 2008 12:00 am
Star-Tribune Editorial Board
Wolves in Wyoming may now be under the official management of the federal government, but the state has made a wise decision to work cooperatively with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
After a federal judge last week reinstated Endangered Species Act protection for the wolves in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, our state easily could have told the feds to handle it themselves. But such a move would have been counterproductive for the state, which through the delisting process finally saw its own management plan approved by the feds.
While the details still have to be worked out, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department would like to be designated an agent of the Fish and Wildlife Service. Wyoming's wolf management team, in place since the wolves were delisted in March, would remain active and implement federal policy. The Fish and Wildlife Service, however, would have the ultimate authority over all wolf management decisions.
It's the same type of arrangement Montana and Idaho have had with the feds for several years, after their respective state management plans were approved.
It may seem odd to see state wildlife officials cooperating with the feds, after Wyoming has spent a long time fighting the Fish and Wildlife Service in court. But it makes sense. The feds have limited resources, while the state already has personnel in local areas who understand the issues and know the people.
As the state's wolf coordinator, Mike Jimenez, noted, "The constituents are much better served than they are under the federal program. Everything works better at that local level."
It should also be noted that the wolves' delisting, while thus far short-lived, at least gives Wyoming some management options it didn't have before the process began. A supplemental rule previously only available to Idaho and Montana now gives Wyoming the chance to make a case for killing wolves in the interest of protecting ungulates that are deemed in danger of being decimated by wolves.
Before a wolf could actually be taken for threatening wildlife, the state would have to get approval from the Fish and Wildlife Service. It's likely that if the state sought and obtained that authority, the same conservation groups that challenged delisting might get a similar injunction against the process. Wyoming could then join Idaho and Montana in arguing their case in court.
It will likely take years until a final federal ruling is made on wolf delisting. And it could well be that continued federal protection for wolves is the outcome.
But it's definitely in the best interests of all Wyoming parties for the state to work cooperatively with federal officials until the final decision is made. The state needs to remain involved in wolf management issues, not on the sidelines where it has little or no influence.
It's good that Wyoming wants to work cooperatively with federal officials on wolf management.
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